Renee Coffey
Griffith · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“He has also been a leader in sepsis advocacy, helping improve awareness, care and recovery for people affected by sepsis. Professor Hans Peter Soyer received his honour for distinguished service in dermatology, skin cancer diagnosis, medical research and governance.”
“His work aims to find skin cancers earlier, improve patient outcomes and address gaps in access to care, especially in regional, rural and remote Australia. Katarina Carroll AO APM received her honour for distinguished service to law enforcement, disaster management and the community.”
“This year's King's Birthday Honours recognised 14 Griffith recipients whose service reflects the best of our community. In my short few minutes here today, I want to acknowledge a few of them. Matthew Ames received his honour for significant service to community health, engineering, business administration and corporate governance.”
“Christine also contributed to the taskforce on domestic and family violence which delivered the landmark Not now, not ever report. She now serves on the board of DVConnect, continuing to work to support people experiencing violence and abuse. I also acknowledge the other Griffith recipients named in this year's honours.”
“Australia's strength has never come from sameness. It has come from the people who have built lives across difference, from our many First Nations communities with millennia of history and culture—the oldest continuous cultures on earth—to people who arrive with little English, little money and deep hope for their children, people who tur…”
“My friend the member for Reid said in this House in her maiden speech: In just over half a century, we have moved from an embrace of a White Australia policy to a country that is now a majority-migrant nation. But what is more remarkable is how this news was received—not with backlash but with a genuine embrace of modern Australia.”
The complete record
Every one of 576 lines we hold for Renee Coffey, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 12.
“Schedule 2 introduces a targeted ban on superannuation advertising during onboarding, with sensible exemptions so that workers can still see their stapled fund, the employer default fund and, in limited circumstances, certain regulated MySuper products with strong disclosure requirements. That is exactly where consumer protection belongs, and it will go a long way in protecting the superannuation of all workers across Australia. Changes like these keep the focus where it should be—on transparency, informed choice and workers' interests, not on marketing. These onboarding reforms are part of our government's larger set of changes to fix unpaid super and strengthen confidence in the system, and payday super is central to that.”
“Payday super is about making sure workers are paid what they are owed when they are owed it. These reforms help the system get ready to deliver that change smoothly. Schedule 2 of the bill deals with the creeping commercialisation of onboarding. A 2022-23 review of the Your Future, Your Super reforms found that some onboarding software providers were being paid to advertise super products and sometimes products associated with the provider right at the moment when a worker is trying to start a new job and get their paperwork in order. That's not informed consent; that's just sales and marketing.”
“It matters because duplicate accounts mean duplicate fees, duplicate insurance and lower balances, ultimately, at the time of retirement. Schedule 1 strengthens that protection by streamlining the choice-of-fund process during onboarding. It gives employers more flexibility to request an employee stapled fund details earlier so the employee can actually see their existing fund during the onboarding process, consider it and then make an informed choice. That's not taking choice away. It's quite the opposite. It's making choice real, because people cannot choose what they cannot see. It also helps employers do the right thing. It gives them more timely and accurate information, and that is especially important as we move towards payday super, where super is paid alongside wages, not months later.”
“They deserve to be properly informed, to clearly see their existing stapled fund, to understand their options and to make a genuine choice that fits their circumstances—because it is their money and it is their retirement. That is exactly what this bill is really about: making sure working people keep more of what they earn so that they can retire with dignity. Schedules 1 and 2 go to the heart of fairness in the superannuation system, ensuring workers and their interests are always put first in onboarding processes related to super. We introduced stapling to stop people being defaulted into a brand-new account every time they start a new job. It's a simple idea: your existing fund can follow you unless you choose otherwise.”
“In Griffith people change jobs often—a hospitality worker picking up extra shifts along Boundary Street, a nurse moving between hospitals, a tradie starting as a new subcontractor in Woolloongabba, a graduate launching their career with a new tertiary degree or TAFE qualification—and, every time that happens, a very ordinary human admin moment comes around again: the dreaded onboarding forms. For most workers, this is the key moment where their super is set up for a new job. But, if they are rushed, if the information is unclear or if the process is cluttered with product promotion, they can be steered into decisions they did not really make. They can end up with a new account they don't need, paying duplicate fees and insurance and watching their retirement savings erode in the background. Workers deserve better.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese Labor government modernising our energy grid? Why is this important after a decade of mismanagement, and what are the risks?”
“It's also worth saying plainly that this club is well run. It turns a profit year after year. That is the maker of a good club—a community that keeps showing up, bringing friends, booking tables, joining teams and supporting what the club offers. It shows that this place is built on connection and that it is sustainable. I'm concerned to hear reports that the future of Coorparoo Bowls Club is once again uncertain despite its success and everything that this club has built. I urge Bowls Queensland to work hard to ensure this club, an exemplary club in our state, is supported to continue its central role in our community.”
“This is not just a club that serves its members; it serves our community. It supports local charities and community organisations, including Stepping Stone Clubhouse, the MND and Me Foundation and Parkinson's Queensland. It's a club that shows up for our local groups in practical ways by hosting events that bring people together and raising funds for good causes. Late last year, I attended the Carina kindy trivia night, held at the club. It was one of those nights that felt exactly like our community: a bit of fun, plenty of laughter and a real sense of community spirit. And of course there is the annual Cooper's Cup barefoot bowls day, drawing hundreds of people and supporting local charities. I regret to say that, when I competed, we lost 6-1. I thought my two boys might redeem us in the pie-eating contest, but it was not to be.”
“I have fond memories of dropping in with my friend Nance for a Sunday session with Mojo Webb. Of course, at its heart, this is a bowls club and the green is always busy. The club has so many competitive players that they rotate rosters for interclub matches. That says something important about participation and about pride. It's a place people commit to. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 09:45 to 10:08 Of course, at its heart this is a bowls club, and the green is always busy. The club has so many competitive players, and they rotate rosters for interclub matches. That says something important about participation and about pride. It's a place people commit to. They show up week after week, session after session. What makes Coorparoo Bowls Club truly special is how much it gives back.”
“For nearly 100 years, the Coorparoo Bowls Club has been part of the heartbeat of our community, a place where people come together across generations. It's a club that welcomes locals in a way our community does best—warmly, easily and genuinely. For my family, the Coorparoo Bowls Club is a place that is filled with so many great memories of meals, drinks, conversations and great music. I've been hollering at my children to stay off the greens for as long as they could walk. No-one else seems to be worried, but I'm always trying. The club is treasured by our locals. It's a clubhouse where families feel comfortable, where people know each other and where you can drop in and feel right at home. It's a real home for live music. It backs performers every single week, creating a stage to showcase their talent.”
“This year, they have already delivered 39,597 episodes of urgent care, up from just over 19,000 last year, and 100 per cent of discharge summaries are shared with a person's usual GP, up from 74 per cent. There is 94 per cent patient satisfaction, up from 83 per cent. When we invest in Medicare and, in particular, when we invest in these Medicare urgent care clinics, we invest in people—their health, their time, their dignity and their peace of mind. In Griffith, we are seeing the benefits one patient, one family and one community at a time.”
“He said the triage nurse provided immediate comfort and symptom relief. And he spoke warmly about the doctor they saw, describing him as thorough, curious and caring, and already organising the right tests and thinking ahead about what follow up might be needed. I also heard from another constituent, Ben, who summed up his experience with a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic by simply saying, 'I've just left there and they were absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for making it happen.' That feedback reflects what we are hearing across our community. These clinics are working because they are built around how people actually live, and we can see it in the results reported by the Brisbane South PHN.”
“In the coming weeks the new Coorparoo Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be open, adding more capacity and making it even easier for locals to get urgent care close to home, especially after hours, moving our area closer to the national target of four out of five Australians living within 20 minutes of a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. Just last week I received an email from a constituent, Peter, whose partner, Claire, developed worrying symptoms over the course of a day. By that evening, her symptoms became quite severe. They tried to find a GP appointment for that night but could not. So they went to our South Brisbane Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, arriving at about 8:30 pm. Peter told me, 'I'm so glad we did.' He described staff who kept checking in, and who were kind, attentive and focused on helping people.”
“In Griffith, Medicare matters most for the times that you can't plan for—a sudden fever after dinner, a pain that worsens on the drive home, a kid who hurts themselves on a Saturday afternoon sporting game. That's why our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics matter so much in our community. We're really lucky in Griffith. We have had the South Brisbane Medicare Urgent Care Clinic now for quite a while on Cornwall Street, and we've recently opened the new Carina-Carindale Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, where people can walk in, be seen quickly and most importantly be bulk-billed.”
“He's also such a remarkable man. I want to close with a quote from Peter from when he was asked what his hopes were for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: In the words of Martin Luther King, I hope to see a time when our children 'will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the colour of their skin'. I hope we have a future where our children have the capacity to keep true to their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural identity and are honoured for their contribution to Australia as descendants of the oldest living culture of humanity. Finally, I hope we recruit more warriors to champion this work. It is my hope that the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People will do just that.”
“He's been a ministerial adviser, a superintendent of schools and a senior executive at both state and Commonwealth levels. He retired as the Dean of Aboriginal Engagement and Strategic Projects at the University of South Australia, and before that he was the Dean of Indigenous Scholarships, Engagement and Research. I was so fortunate to work with Peter during my time with Reconciliation South Australia in the mid-2000s, when he was co-chair. This period of my life and my ongoing friendship with Peter has played a profound role in shaping my understanding of how best to support thriving, proud and strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Peter is a strong advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children—a passionate believer in the importance of high expectations and quality, culturally grounded education.”
“I want to acknowledge Aunty Muriel Bamblett and the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and community controlled organisations who have been calling for stronger national accountability around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, especially since SNAICC's 2003 S tate of denial report but for much longer before that as well. When speaking on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my dear friend and mentor, Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE, who has been on my mind a lot recently. Peter is a Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. He worked for over 30 years in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. In his early years he worked as a classroom teacher in Western Australia and South Australia.”
“In that time, AIEF provided transformational scholarships to more than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. These children, many now adults and who I count among my friends, have been a joy, an inspiration and an honour to get to know and watch as they thrive and flourish in their careers and in their lives. Like the member for Goldstein, I too would like to acknowledge the work of the Tudor family and the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School, MITS. Through my close work with and observation of the work of AIEF and the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School, it has reinforced something I carry into this place: young people thrive when they are met with high expectations, practical support and a genuine sense of belonging.”
“The Australian Human Rights Commission has also welcomed the bills, reinforcing that every child has a right to feel safe, to live with dignity and to have opportunities to thrive. Organisations working directly with children and families have similarly recognised the value of a strong, independent, national role dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people is a cause very close to my heart. In my career before entering this place I have had the great honour of working alongside and in support of so many remarkable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. For 13 years, I worked with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, most recently as their deputy CEO.”
“The commission has been convening networks to address issues affecting children and young people, providing advice to government on policy reform and developing systems to ensure it engages with children and young people in a safe, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed way, including through a child-safe framework. There is also strong stakeholder support for this reform. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocates have called for a legislated national commissioner over an extended period, with more than 70 organisations uniting behind this request. That consensus matters. SNAICC has welcomed the bills as a critical step, pointing to the importance of a strong national voice to strengthen accountability. I would like to thank them for their tireless advocacy over many years in this area.”
“Interim arrangements can begin important work, and they have, but they do not provide the full authority required to conduct inquiries, make recommendations, report to parliament and use the information-gathering and coordination powers needed to drive lasting change. We have already seen what a dedicated national focus can achieve. Since being established in January 2025, the National Commissioner has been meeting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations and leaders, and with commissioners, guardians and advocates across jurisdictions, to build strong relationships and identify opportunities for collaboration and change.”
“The bill also gives the commissioner the practical functions and powers to do the work properly—promoting coordination across Commonwealth entities; advising government on relevant policy and service delivery; undertaking research into systemic barriers; running education programs; conducting inquiries and making recommendations; collaborating with the Human Rights Commission and other relevant bodies; and engaging with international human rights mechanisms where appropriate. This is a systemic reform for a systemic problem. It strengthens accountability across all of government and supports progress on Closing the Gap targets related to children and young people, including the areas where disparities are most severe: in out-of-home care and in youth detention. This is also why primary legislation is necessary.”
“In Griffith I have heard from families and community organisations about the importance of early help, stable housing, safe schools and culturally strong supports that wrap around children before crisis hits. I've also heard a consistent message: keep children connected to family, culture and community wherever possible and back community controlled solutions. This is where the national commissioner matters. The role is designed to promote the rights, interests, development, safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people while recognising and building on their strengths. Crucially, it supports children and young people to assert their own rights and interests and ensures their views, needs and experiences shape the policies, programs and services that impact their lives.”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people face high and persistent levels of disadvantage, and the overrepresentation in child protection and youth justice is stark. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 11 times as likely to be in out-of-home care as non-Indigenous children and 27 times as likely to be in youth detention as non-Indigenous children. That I am still citing these facts this many years after the first time that I spoke about this is of deep shame to me. Those figures represent children with names, families and futures. They also reflect systems that too often respond late, respond punitively or respond without cultural safety.”
“That's why I rise to support the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026 and National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026, which will establish an independent national commissioner and national commission dedicated solely to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. This fills a national gap, ensuring the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are strongly reflected in advice to government and that there is a clear, coordinated national focus on systemic issues and our human rights commitments. The need is urgent.”
“It was a profound experience for us as a nation and a profound experience for me personally—one that ultimately led me to join the Australian Labor Party later that year. Anniversaries like this are not only for reflection; they are a reminder of our responsibility to act and to keep acting, especially when the systems around children still too often fall short. In my electorate of Griffith, we are a community of families. We see the joy of early years, the persistence of adolescence and the pressure that comes when the basics are harder to afford. We also see how quickly a family can end up dealing with systems that feel bigger than them and how difficult it can be to navigate forms, waiting lists, eligibility rules and countless different channels when what you are really asking for is simple: safety, support and stability for a child.”
“I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet here, and I pay my respects to elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across our country and to the children and young people whose rights and futures we are speaking about today. This week marks 18 years since the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. On 13 February 2008, this parliament acknowledged the deep wrong of forced removals and the lasting harm done to children, families and communities. I was here in this very chamber—however, up there in the gallery—as Kevin Rudd delivered this apology.”
“Late last year I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister back and to see residents moving into 82 brand-new social and affordable homes. We met John, Jan and Karen, and heard firsthand what safe, secure housing means for their lives right in the heart of our community. John said that it was the first time in years he had been able to sleep soundly. After a decade of coalition neglect we know there is more work to do, but I am proud to be part of a government that is the boldest and most ambitious on housing. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. The Albanese Labor government is tackling Australia's housing crisis by making it easier to buy and better to rent, and by building more homes faster. We are focused on delivery and we are focused on delivering for the people of Griffith and the people of Australia.”
“The Albanese Labor government is helping more Australians to realise the dream of homeownership sooner, and I'm thrilled that more than 50,000 Queenslanders have now bought their first home with the help of our five per cent deposit scheme. At my last weekend mobile office in West End, I spoke with Mitchell, a young man in my electorate who finally has a real chance to enter the housing market through Labor's Help to Buy scheme. For thousands of Australians who've been locked out for too long, this is what practical support looks like, turning hope into a genuine pathway for a home. I have seen the difference this work makes through the Brisbane Housing Company project in Stones Corner. When I first visited early last year the Prime Minister and I had to wear hard hats because it was a construction site.”
“It reflects the direction identified through the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and the work to unleash the potential of our health workforce, with patients at the very centre.”
“Like some in elected positions, including in this place, Joe has stayed close to the front line so that his perspective stays grounded in the realities of care and the pressures our workforce is facing. When he talks about why scope-of-practice reform matters, he puts it very simply: 'Every time I do a shift, I work with caring, passionate, highly-qualified and skilled nurses with decades of experience. Supporting nurses to use their skills to the fullest extent will be fantastic for patients.' I have to say, that is typical Joe Kelly; his focus is always on patients, on the community and on constituents. I could not agree more: this bill is about backing that skill, backing that experience and making it easier for Australians to get the care and medicines they need sooner, safely, affordably and closer to home.”
“When the system enables the health workforce to operate effectively, patients receive care sooner and avoidable hospital presentations reduce. I acknowledge the contribution of my good friend the Queensland state member for Greenslopes, Joe Kelly MP. Joe and I have known each other for many years now, and it's a joy to work closely together with him to support the constituents we jointly represent in that part of my electorate. Joe brings decades of nursing experience to public life, and he speaks about health care with the credibility that comes from having been there on the ward with patients alongside colleagues who carry the load day after day. I'm so honoured that I have colleagues here in the House who also bring such rich experience into this place.”
“This is in addition to the new urgent care clinic we opened in Carina just 43 days ago, which joined the existing network of 16 urgent care clinics right across Queensland, including the South Brisbane urgent care clinic in Woolloongabba, which has been servicing our community for some time now. Ninety Medicare urgent care clinics are in operation across Australia, which have already seen more than 2.4 million presentations since the sites first opened in June 2023—including just under half a million presentations in Queensland alone. It was a Labor government that built Medicare, and it is only a Labor government who will continue to protect and strengthen Medicare. When medicines are cheaper, families feel that relief immediately.”
“That includes more free medicines and more cheaper medicines sooner, with a 25 per cent reduction in the number of scripts a concessional patient must fill before the PBS Safety Net kicks in; the largest cut to the cost of medicines—just $25 as of this year—in the history of the PBS; 60-day prescriptions, saving time and money for millions of Australians with an ongoing health condition, now covering more than 300 medicines; and freezing the cost of PBS medicines, with co-payments not rising with inflation, for all Australians for the first time in 25 years. And, with 1800MEDICARE, the Albanese government is making it easier for Australians to access healthcare when and where they need it. I'm also proud that the new Medicare urgent care clinic in Coorparoo, which I have secured for our community, will open in the coming weeks.”
“It is grounded in a registration standard approved by health ministers, and it operates within a defined scope, with safeguards around which medicines can be prescribed. The bill provides that the minister will determine which pharmaceutical benefits can be prescribed by authorised nurse prescribers and requires the minister to have regard to advice from the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. And, by bringing these prescribing services within the Professional Services Review Scheme, the bill strengthens accountability and protects the PBS. This bill is also part of a broader, consistent agenda from this Labor government to strengthen Medicare, improve health outcomes and deliver real cost-of-living relief.”
“But too often the system still forces extra steps, extra appointments and extra delays just to obtain a prescription, even where the care is already structured and the clinical pathway is clear. Designated registered nurse prescribing helps close that gap. It supports earlier, more seamless care, reduces avoidable waits and helps patients receive the right care in the right setting. And it supports affordability. By enabling PBS prescribing by authorised, appropriately endorsed registered nurses, this bill ensures the medicines they prescribe can attract Commonwealth subsidy and remain affordable for patients. Expanding access must never mean compromising safety. This reform is designed around education, endorsement and governance.”
“Importantly, the first cohort of designated registered nurse prescribers are expected to complete their education, receive endorsement and begin prescribing from July this year. Our communities know when our health system is not keeping up. They experience it when a script needs renewal and the next available appointment is too far away. They experience it when an older person in aged care needs a timely medicines review. They experience it when someone is discharged from hospital and needs coordinated follow-up to stay well rather than ending right back in emergency once again. In those settings, registered nurses are already doing extraordinary work: assessing, monitoring, educating, coordinating care and keeping people safe.”
“As a result, designated registered nurse prescribing under the PBS will be subject to the same peer review safeguards that protect Medicare and protect the PBS, reinforcing public confidence in a system that must always put safety first. Designated registered nurse prescribing enables safe, timely and effective prescribing by registered nurses, extending their scope of practice, particularly in primary care and aged-care settings. This reform builds on careful design and consultation already taken right across the sector. In December 2024, health ministers approved a new registration standard that allows suitably qualified registered nurses to become designated registered nurse prescribers. That standard took effect on 30 September last year.”
“First, it amends the National Health Act to allow registered nurses endorsed against the relevant registration standard to be authorised prescribers. This enables them to prescribe certain medicines that can be supplied under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and attract Commonwealth subsidy. That matters because the PBS is what makes medicines affordable for millions of Australians. If someone can receive the right prescription but cannot access it affordably, we are not improving health outcomes. Second, it strengthens integrity by amending the Health Insurance Act so that registered nurses providing these prescribing services are included under the Professional Services Review Scheme.”
“But the system can still create delays for matters that should be straightforward. The Albanese government made an election commitment to prioritise scope-of-practice reforms for health professionals because we know these reforms deliver real benefits to Australian patients through improved access to health care. This bill, the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, is an important step in delivering on that commitment. It will help ensure Australians have better access to the affordable medicines they need when they need them, and it backs our registered nurses to deliver safe, high-quality care, particularly in primary care and aged care. This bill does two things.”
“The Queensland Children's Hospital delivers specialist health services and care for kids and young people from right across the country, and our community also relies on the high-quality care and treatment provided by Greenslopes Private Hospital and St Vincent's private hospital. So, when we talk about strengthening Medicare, improving access to care and pursuing better health outcomes, Griffith is not watching from the sidelines. We are living it, we are staffing it and we are relying on it. But we also see the strain. We see it in how hard it can be to get a timely appointment in primary care. We see it in the pressure on emergency departments when people cannot get the right care early. We see it in aged care, where clinicians are working to keep residents stable, comfortable and safe.”
“Griffith is home to one of the busiest health precincts in the country, and our workforce numbers reflect that, with more than 16½ thousand healthcare and social assistance workers across my electorate—the fourth highest in the country by percentage. Griffith is also home to some of Queensland's and our country's most important hospitals. The Princess Alexandra Hospital is a major teaching and research hospital, leading in major trauma care and home to Queensland's specialist adult spinal injuries rehabilitation unit. The Mater Hospital is a leader in obstetrics and provides specialist neonatal intensive care for some of our tiniest and sickest babies. I would like to shout out the Mater Foundation and also the work of the Mater Little Miracles.”
“This bill is a good example of practical reform. It backs our creative and media sectors by keeping rights clear and enforceable. It supports education by making sure teaching can happen confidently, whether students are in the classroom or learning from home and whether parents or community members are helping. And it supports public access to culture and history by unlocking orphan works in a responsible way so that our communities can see more of their own stories and our institutions can share more of what they hold in trust for all of us, and, as I've said, that's particularly important in my community of Griffith. This is balanced, proportionate reform. It is grounded in consultation and will deliver real benefits in Griffith and right across Australia.”
“This does not change licensing arrangements that support creators and publishers. It is still about live instruction. It does not cover streaming recordings for students to watch later. It does not extend to private tutoring. It does not turn school concerts into something unlicensed. It simply gives schools and educators the certainty to teach effectively in the world that we actually live in. The bill also includes a small set of technical amendments—practical updates to keep the system running smoothly, including tribunal appointments, modernising notification processes, updating references to archives, and clarifying rules around Crown copyright so that ownership changes do not accidentally distort the length of the protection. These are the kinds of changes that do not make headlines, but they do make the law work better.”
“Many schools now teach in ways that move between classrooms and screens, particularly when students are unwell, when families are juggling work and care or when schools need flexibility. But the laws have not always kept up with that reality. This bill clarifies that the same copyright rules apply in a live class whether it is happening online or in person or is a mix of both. It also makes clear that parents and carers can be involved and that other people can assist in teaching or supporting students, including members of the community, as long as the instruction is not for profit. That matters because when learning works best it is not only teachers carrying it alone. It's families. It's carers. It's community mentors. It's the people who step up to help a child keep going. And the bill is careful about its limits.”
“The government amendments also make something clear for education users. In some circumstances, a teacher or a school might choose to rely on the orphan works scheme rather than the education statutory licence for a particular use. That choice is available, but it does come with a responsibility. If they use the orphan works scheme, they have to meet the scheme's conditions, and, if an owner later comes forward, they cannot then fall back on the statutory licence for that same use. That is a fair balance: choice for education users and clear protection for rights holders. The second main measure is about the reality of modern teaching. When I graduated with my teaching qualifications in 2008, I could not have imagined the changes we are now seeing in education.”
“It's not about ignoring copyright; it's about recognising that if someone has genuinely tried to do the right thing, they should not face the same legal risk as someone who never cared about the rules in the first place. Importantly, it remains fair to rights holders. If a copyright owner later comes forward, they can seek reasonable payment for that past use, and they can negotiate terms for ongoing use. If they cannot agree, a court can set the terms and an owner can seek to stop future use. In other words, the scheme unlocks public benefit while still respecting the people whose work sits behind these materials. It also has another important effect. It can help reunite owners with works that have unintentionally become orphaned, which may open up new revenue streams and new audiences for their work.”
“When the law supports responsible access, staff can bring more of that material into the light, into exhibitions, into classrooms and into online collections, so it is used, learned from and valued rather than kept out of reach. That is what the orphan works scheme does. It creates a clear pathway for a library, an archive, a museum, a community organisation or an educator to use material when the owner cannot be found, provided they have done the right thing first. They must make a responsibly diligent search for the owner, they must keep a record of that search, and they must clearly note when they are relying on the scheme. This is not a free-for-all.”
“In Griffith, in particular, that matters, because we are home to some of Queensland's most important collecting and archival institutions: the Queensland Museum, the Queensland Maritime Museum, the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland State Archives. In those places there are shelves and strongrooms that hold the texture of our state: maps, letters, photographs, government records, film reels and the kind of everyday documents that later become a record of who we were. And there are people in reading rooms: students, researchers and family historians carefully piecing together stories of country, community and public life.”
“I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the member for Isaacs for the diligent work he undertook during his time as Attorney-General and for the expertise and persistence he brought to progressing this reform. If we step outside the formal language for a moment, the problem this bill is trying to solve is simple. We have valuable material in this country—photographs, recordings, documents, newsletters, teaching resources—that people want to share responsibly for the public good. But they cannot, because the law makes it too risky, even when the owner cannot be found. So the safest option is to do nothing, and that means history sits in boxes. It means culture sits on hard drives. It means material that could be educating students or enriching exhibitions stays locked away from the very communities that it belongs to.”