Ali France
Dickson · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I rise to speak on the Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026 and the related bills. Australia is a big country, and we are a long way from almost everywhere, including, very often, from each other. That makes aviation more than a convenience for Aussies. It is how we travel to see our family and friends.”
“The project was funded, the business case was done, the designing and planning work was done, consultation was done, preferred tenderers identified and the site prepared.”
“The only mention is 'to progress the delivery of a number of hospitals, including the Queensland Cancer Centre'. That's where the information stops. That's because there are no real plans to start the build.”
“Most importantly, it will be free for the consumer to use to pursue a remedy to their complaint. Second, the bills establish an aviation consumer protections charter.”
“The aircraft noise ombudsperson will be independent of Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence, consistent with the commitment made in the aviation white paper. The ombudsperson will have the capacity to publish independent reports and make recommendations to the government for policy or regulatory change.”
“It is the most significant reform to aviation consumer protection this country has seen, and it flows directly from our aviation white paper—our plan to protect passengers while keeping our aviation sector competitive and while keeping our proud safety record intact. Let me set out what these bills actually do.”
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“This bill is part of our plan to secure the NDIS and return the scheme to its original intent, providing lifetime support for Australians with permanent and significant disability, and, as the member for Kooyong acknowledged, it addresses well-recognised design flaws. The changes in this bill respond directly to the disability royal commission and the Independent Review of the NDIS. It also takes up the advice of the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce and the findings of the Audit Office's work on fraud and control in the scheme. This reform is built on the evidence, the feedback from disability peak bodies and the stories of those who have graciously given evidence to many inquiries.”
“However, it's clear that, in order to be able to deliver for people with permanent and significant disability, we need deep structural change. We need support outside the NDIS. The states must step back in, and I'm really, really worried about that. I can see that they are reluctant. I can see the 'it's too hard' vibes from some state premiers. It can't be too hard, because this is simply too important. We need our state leaders to step up. Changing the NDIS is going to be really hard for participants, for our community and for providers, but we must all take a very deep breath and get it done, not for participants like me, now, but for our disability community into the future.”
“We are losing big providers, like Centacare in Queensland, that primarily provide support for people with very complex and significant disabilities, because the current funding model for providers does not account for the level of compliance training and staff management that these organisations must undertake. Some of the very people this scheme was designed for are very gradually being left without care, either because there is no provider of last resort in remote communities or because the big not-for-profits are shutting down because they simply can't afford to exist. Since coming to government four years ago, we've done extensive reviews. We've taken steps to curb fraud and rorts and have halved the growth rate of the scheme.”
“But, when he moved in, he was unable to get the nursing support, despite having the funding for it. He lived a two-hour drive from Brisbane in a large regional town where there were many participants but zero providers of 24-hour nursing care. He tried desperately to get the state back involved in his care. The alternative was to go back to his parents or a nursing home. Sadly, we know that this case is not isolated. We need to change this because the impact on people with a disability in rural and remote communities is horrendous. A diagnosis based system has also meant that many kids are missing out on early intervention supports. There are years-long waiting lists for both adults and children for diagnosis, and many can't afford to get a diagnosis, which can often cost thousands of dollars.”
“The fact that the states and territories were given the green light to step away, to stop being the provider of last resort, to stop delivering support when no other provider was willing to set up in a country town, to stop providing support to those who need support but don't qualify for the NDIS—that left a deep hole in our mainstream systems of support. During our Thriving Kids inquiry, we heard a lot of evidence of families having to either travel or go without support because there was none available in their town. I spoke with the mum of a participant a few years ago who was absolutely thrilled that her adult son was able to move into purpose built independent living designed for his needs. For the first time as a man in his 30s, he'd lived away from his parents.”
“We are livid that the scheme we love, over nine years under those opposite, was allowed to disintegrate, riddled by fraud, inequity and a complete lack of safeguards for participants. I know the majority of providers are good and the needs of people with disability are at the very heart of everything that they do. I know that they want the rorters out too. As soon as we came to government in 2022, we ordered a review, and what I heard was worse than I ever anticipated. There were no basic fraud or compliance controls in the nine long years that the NDIS had been operating. And that's not my assessment; that comes from the National Audit Office—zero.”
“Years and years of constant talk of change and cuts would be incredibly distressing for the disability community. But we've all known for some time that the NDIS is not working as it should. Thank you to the member for Forde for the examples he described in his speech. It's not running as it originally intended, and, as a community, we must be really honest about that. Having unregistered providers is not safe for participants and has led to fraud and rorts. Every time I see a story about a provider or an individual scamming the system, it makes me physically sick. The NDIS has become a rorter's paradise and a postcode lottery where many people with significant disability are missing out due to market failure. I know this, providers know this, and the general public knows this.”
“I rise to speak on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026. I love the NDIS, I love that Labor created it, and we are not about to let it crumble. The NDIS is dignity, opportunity and independence for people with significant disability. It has been life-changing for participants and families, and that is not going to change. It is the gateway to fulfilled, happy, productive lives. But it must deliver. It must be safe. It must be equitable. It must be sustainable. The public must have confidence in the scheme, and people with a significant disability must be at the centre of the scheme. I know many participants and families are feeling anxious and distressed by the idea of change, by the changes in this bill.”
“It is for the family filling up at the tank. It's for the local who can walk into an urgent care clinic with nothing more than their Medicare card. There are tough decisions in this budget. We know there's an easier road. We could pretend that homes are affordable for first home buyers. We could ignore the fact that the average nurse pays more in tax on every dollar she earns than many investors do. We could pretend that there's no inequality in our tax system: 'Nothing to see here; just move on.' But then we would be the Liberal Party; we would be the coalition and we would be robbing future generations. That's not what I came to this place to do. This budget lays a strong foundation for the future of Australia.”
“We are also reserving 20 per cent of gas exports for Aussie users so there's more supply at lower rates. Our landmark domestic gas reservation policy will require east coast LNG exporters to reserve 20 per cent of production for the domestic market from July 2027. This will shield Aussies from global price volatility and supply shortfalls. Strengthening our fuel resilience is a literal no-brainer, yet, for some reason, the coalition opposes our domestic gas reservation policy. I'll say this to the coalition: if we wanted to hear the gas lobby's opinion, we'd just talked to the gas lobby ourselves. This budget is for everyday Aussies. It is for the worker, enabling them to keep more of what they earn. It is for the young couple in Dickson who can finally see a path to a home of their own. It is for people who work a 40-hour week.”
“This budget also makes the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent, and it's delivering $3.5 billion in new tax relief measures for businesses. This is a responsible budget that builds resilience and responds to the global oil shock, including investment to strengthen supply chains and for a permanent fuel security reserve. In this budget, we are delivering a $14.8 billion package to strengthen Australia's fuel resilience, securing more fuel and fertiliser now and building reserves and supply chains so that we are better prepared for global economic uncertainty. Ten billion dollars will go to immediate fuel and fertiliser security and a permanent government owned Australian fuel security reserve, extending our reserves to at least 50 days.”
“We're replacing the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with inflation adjusted indexation to restore the taxation of real gains. We are doing this to even the playing field so that those who earn income from assets like shares and trusts are paying tax like those who work a 40-hour week. Why should our nurses, teachers, cleaners and aged-care workers pay more tax than those who earn income from shares and trusts? These changes will also be prospective. So, if you are talking about CGT on a property, the gains you made prior to the budget will still get a 50 per cent discount. If you buy a new build, you can also claim the 50 per cent. Plus, for any small businesses turning over less than $2 million per year, you can still claim the 50 per cent if you've owned that business for 15 years and you're selling on retirement.”
“Before these changes, young people wanting to buy a home in the area they grew up in would be lining up against 10 or 15 investors for the very same home. Under these changes, they will be competing with people who actually want to live there. That is the difference. That is fairness. That's not the only thing we are doing to make our tax system fairer. Let's talk about changes to capital gains tax. I've seen the misleading AI generated memes of the Prime Minister laying concrete slabs and cutting hair. I've even seen him doing some stretches on a Pilates reformer. But let me be clear: the only thing being stretched here is the truth. Nobody is suddenly paying 47 per cent tax, nor is the government taking a 47 per cent stake in your business. Unlike the stuff doing the rounds on social media, let's talk about facts.”
“Housing has become a wealth strategy, excluding people who actually need a permanent home. We have forgotten that a home should be a place to belong, not a place to profit and build more wealth. And despite some of the misinformation online, we are not getting rid of negative gearing. We are limiting it to new residential properties from July next year. This will incentivise new house building, which is exactly what this country needs. These changes are prospective. If you currently negatively gear an investment property, nothing changes for you. Your arrangements are grandfathered, meaning you can keep doing exactly what you are doing now and, going forward, you can still negatively gear a brand new property. In a fast-growing region like Moreton Bay, there's going to be a lot more new homes where this is going to be possible.”
“We've already built more than 5,000 social and affordable homes. In this budget we invest another $2 billion in the power, roads and drains that we need for new housing developments, which will help add another 65,000 homes over the next decade. Dickson is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. Young families priced out of Brisbane and Moreton Bay tell me they just want a fair shot at a home of their own. This budget gives them that shot. We are making changes to negative gearing, to even the playing field for young people trying to get into the market. For too long, homebuyers have been losing out to investors at auctions. For too long, incentives for investors have driven up house prices beyond what an average wage earner can afford. For too long, we have treated a roof over our head as an investment portfolio.”
“We know a shortage of housing and tax incentives for investors has created a housing market that has been appreciating faster than salaries, ambitions or our will to live. We also know that the coalition sat on its hands for nearly a decade without a housing minister, building a measly 373 social and affordable homes over nine years, while sitting on a 40-year housing supply crisis with no plans to fix it. The median house price in Brisbane is now over $900,000. Since 1999, house prices have risen over 400 per cent, more than twice as fast as average incomes. We are the first federal government since the postwar period to focus on actually building homes. We have a $45 billion plan to build 1.2 million homes, including homes specifically for first homebuyers, and 55,000 social and affordable homes.”
“This includes an extra $812.5 million for stage 2 of the Dohles Rocks Road to Anzac Avenue, Bruce Highway upgrade—building on our $758 million investment in stage 1, which will connect everybody in my electorate in Moreton Bay to the Sunshine Coast; $2.5 billion for local road project upgrades and Black Spot programs; over $11 billion for our hospitals over five years. Queensland will get $8.2 billion in education and skills funding, increasing to $8.9 billion by 2029-30. That includes a new TAFE centre of excellence at the University of the Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus in my electorate of Dickson. And we've done a new deal with the state government to build 51,000 new homes for Queenslanders, including 20,000 exclusively for first homebuyers. Everyone in this place knows that buying a home is out of reach for most first homebuyers.”
“Importantly, this budget delivers an additional $25 billion over five years to strengthen our public hospitals, which includes over $11 billion specifically for Queensland hospitals. Queensland is a real winner in this budget. Queensland was allocated more infrastructure funding than any other state or territory, even when Olympics infrastructure funding is excluded. We won the infrastructure State of Origin with $24 billion for major road and rail projects and $2.5 billion for local roads and Black Spot programs.”
“This budget includes permanent funding for each and every one of them, with $1.8 billion to ensure our UCCs are a permanent part of our healthcare system and our communities. In Dickson, our much loved Murrumba Downs urgent care clinic has now treated over 33,000 locals, saving many, many hours waiting in A&E, and all they needed was their Medicare card. Our walk-in Medicare mental health centre at Strathpine is helping people get the mental health support they need with no waiting and no fees. This budget continues to make medicines cheaper with $5.9 billion to list new and amended treatments on the PBS for cystic fibrosis, chronic kidney disease and a range of cancers.”
“In the year since I arrived, we have delivered 135 Medicare urgent care clinics right across the country. We have delivered cheaper medicines at just $25 a script, more fully bulk-billed GP clinics, 55 free walk-in Medicare mental health centres, an awesome women's health package and 33 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across the country. By July, these clinics will also deliver perimenopause and menopause services. I got an email this week from Susan, who lives in Dickson, who told me that, since we moved menopause medications onto the PBS, she will save $1,200 a year. This is real, responsible cost-of-living relief, and it is targeted at the people who need it most. By July, four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of an urgent care clinic, reducing pressure on our hospitals and delivering fully bulk-billed care.”
“This is on top of our $1,000 instant tax deduction, which workers can claim without sorting through a shoebox full of receipts at tax time. Together with the tax cuts we have already legislated, landing again on 1 July this year and again next year, workers will save about $2,800 a year. That's $54 back into the pockets of average workers every single week. These are tax cuts that the coalition opposed. In fact, they went to the last election promising higher taxes. The coalition will kick and scream about changes to make our tax system fairer, but, when it came down to delivering tax cuts for the lowest earners, they said a big fat no. This budget continues to strengthen Medicare. Medicare is Labor's heart, and it is mine too. I started my journey to this place to specifically reduce the cost of health care.”
“This is a budget about resilience and security, getting Australians through the global oil shock while building a fair economy that works for more people. I am incredibly proud of it. Global conflict has meant rising inflation and cost-of-living pressures. My electorate of Dickson is not immune. People are under stress. We recognise that and we are doing something about it. Helping with the cost of living has defined the Albanese Labor government over the past four years, and it is at the very heart of this budget. We are delivering a new round of tax cuts for working Australians. Our new permanent working Australians tax offset, worth $6.4 billion, will deliver a $250 tax credit every single year to 13.3 million working Australians from 2028.”
“I rise to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027 and other appropriation bills for 2026-2027. Our Treasurer delivered the 2026 budget two weeks ago, and it is a budget for every Australian. It is a budget for workers, for first home buyers, for families struggling with cost-of-living pressures and for future generations. It is an ambitious budget in a challenging global environment. It is a budget full of tough decisions to build resilience and bolster our economy, while also finally addressing intergenerational inequality. It is a budget that delivers more cost-of-living relief, more funding for Medicare, housing, aged care and much-needed tax reform. It also delivers for my home state of Queensland.”
“My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government making it easier for Australians to see a doctor when they need urgent care? How are urgent care clinics helping to strengthen Medicare after a decade of cuts and neglect?”
“I am incredibly proud to be a member of the Labor Party—the party that introduced this incredible scheme that has transformed the lives of people with a disability and their families right across the country. Our responsibility is to build and to reform the NDIS to ensure that it is fair, consistent and empowering and to make changes that place people with a disability back at its heart. This is about doing what is right—honouring the trust placed in us and ensuring the NDIS continues to provide dignity, opportunity and security for all of those who rely on it. I commend this bill to the House.”
“If we want the NDIS system to be the system it was intended to be, to truly provide security and dignity for people with a disability, the NDIS needs the structural change proposed in this bill. I say to people with a disability and their families: we have your back. We know change is frightening for participants and providers. It's particularly scary for those who rely on the NDIS every single day, to have a shower; to eat fresh, healthy food; to get out into the community; to go to work; to be part of what it means to be human; and to get out into the environment. I say to people with a disability and their families: we will walk with you, and we are listening. We are committed to ensuring the NDIS delivers essential supports to Australians with significant and permanent disability, not just today but for generations to come.”
“They trust that the services being invoiced are being delivered. And they trust that, when things go wrong, the government will act. The public have also placed their trust in us to provide proper oversight and systems to ensure taxpayer funds are spent appropriately. This bill honours that trust. It is a necessary step towards a safer, fairer and more sustainable NDIS, one that protects participants, respects taxpayer money and ensures the scheme remains for generations to come. The 2022 NDIS review was a road map for change—for difficult, hard change. We are on that road, and we are determined to get it done. We must admit that the current system is not equitable, fair or safe. We must admit that the NDIS is not working for everybody.”
“The commission must be able to regulate the market, not simply react to it, and this bill removes the structural barriers that have historically limited enforcement. It gives the regulator the tools it needs to detect, prevent and respond to breaches with far greater powers and precision. These changes also support legitimate high-quality providers—ethical operators; those who put participants first—of which there are so many. I meet with so many good, caring providers, and they are just as keen to clean up the system as we are. A fair and transparent regulatory environment strengthens the reputation of the entire sector. Above all, this bill is about trust. Participants and their families place enormous trust in the NDIS. They trust that the people entering their homes are safe.”
“The bill also introduces new safeguards for participants who choose to withdraw from the scheme. Leaving the NDIS is a significant life event, and participants must be supported but also protected throughout that transition. At the same time, the bill authorises the NDIA to move towards a fully electronic claiming system. This modernisation reduces the administrative burden, minimises the risk of error and closes loopholes that have too often been exploited. It is a practical step that strengthens both participant experience and integrity. These reforms directly address the recommendations of the NDIS review, which called for a more proactive and effective regulatory approach.”
“Participants deserve a system that actively protects them, and taxpayers deserve confidence that public funds are being used responsibly. These reforms also significantly strengthen the commissioner's ability to impose banning orders. This shift moves the regulator from a reactive stance to a preventive one, stopping harm before it occurs. Effective regulation also depends on timely access to information. In the past, investigations have been hindered by delays in obtaining essential documentation, allowing wrongdoing to remain hidden for too long. This bill strengthens the commission's powers to inquire and to require information within shorter, more appropriate timeframes. The capacity for swifter action is essential for a regulator that must be proactive and assertive in an evolving market.”
“We know that the vast majority of NDIS providers do the right thing and provide quality services, but this is about ensuring an integrated system where compliance is straightforward and noncompliance is detected and penalties enforced—one where those that see the NDIS as a get-rich-quick scheme, rather than a disability support scheme, will be restricted, banned and penalised. For too long, the penalties for wrongdoing within the NDIS have failed to reflect the seriousness of the harm caused. Weak deterrents have allowed a culture of business as usual, even in the face of substandard care or fraud. By modernising and expanding the penalties and offences framework, this bill ensures that the punishment fits the crime. It sends a clear message that exploitation and unsafe practices will no longer be tolerated.”
“It strengthens the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's regulatory powers and it introduces a stronger penalty framework to reflect the seriousness of the offending conduct and ensure that there are credible deterrents for breaches of the NDIS Act. The Senate community affairs committee received over 50 submissions on the NDIS commission measures and undertook a public hearing and targeted engagements with peak bodies and those with a disability. The NDIS commission also undertook extensive consultation to inform the development of reforms to address systemic issues of noncompliance and harm. This bill will also allow for banning orders to be issued to auditors and consultants, giving the NDIS commission the power to restrict unscrupulous providers from promoting products or services that undermine the integrity of the NDIS.”
“It is well known that people with a disability in Australia are significantly more likely to be subjected to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. That is why these changes are so very, very important. We need more safeguards, more checks, more accountability to protect people with a disability from harm. When we came to government, we took action to protect the NDIS, investing over $550 million in tackling fraud and noncompliance. This included the establishment of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce and amendments to the NDIS Act. This bill continues our commitment to strengthen and protect the NDIS.”
“The NDIS stands as one of the most significant and transformative social reforms in Australia's history. It was built upon a simple but profoundly powerful promise that Australians living with significant disabilities should have access to the support they need to live with dignity, independence and opportunity to ensure that no-one is left behind because they have a disability. This promise remains as vital and non-negotiable today as it was at the scheme's inception. Recent inquiries, including the NDIS review and the disability royal commission, made it clear that the system has not lived up to that promise. We saw evidence of abuse, neglect, fraud, inequity and a complete lack of basic safeguards.”
“I know the majority of providers are good, and the needs of people with a disability are at the very heart of what they do. I know good providers want the rorters out too. As soon as we came to government in 2022, we ordered a review of the NDIS, and what I heard was worse than I had ever anticipated. There were no basic fraud or compliance controls in the nine long years the coalition were running the NDIS. That's not my assessment; that's the assessment of the National Audit Office. Zero. The ANAO found a profound lack of compliance measures, which left participants and providers without the safeguards needed to ensure that funding was being used fairly and effectively to support those who rely on it the most. This bill is part of our commitment to fix that.”
“I've since spoken to many people about the incredible change that it has made to their lives and my life. When introducing the NDIS legislation, the then prime minister Julia Gillard broke down in tears. She said it was the greatest change to Australian social policy in a generation. But over a decade, under those opposite, the scheme was allowed to become unruly and unsafe, a mess. It is not delivering for the people who need it most. It became a rorter's paradise and a postcode lottery. I know this, providers know this and the general public know this. We are livid that the scheme, over nine years under the coalition, was allowed to disintegrate and become riddled by fraud, inequity and a complete lack of basic safeguards for participants.”
“I love the NDIS, and I love that Labor created it and that we will always work to make it better. The NDIS is dignity. It is opportunity and it is independence for people with a disability. It is the gateway to fulfilled, happy and productive lives, but it must deliver. It must shift the dial. It must be safe. It must be equitable. It must be sustainable. And people with a significant disability must be at the centre of the scheme. The public must have confidence in the scheme. Sadly, I think that confidence is wavering. The scheme's social licence is at risk. We took a huge step forward when we set up the NDIS in 2013. I became an amputee in 2011, a couple of years before the scheme was set up, and I experienced the world as a woman with a disability without the NDIS.”
“We've also given the ACCC more tools to do its job, including extending petrol price monitoring powers. We're in a good position to deal with this international crisis, and I dread to think where we would be right now if those opposite were in charge. Your record on fuel security is absolutely appalling. You had fuel reserves in Texas, in the United States, not Australia—fuel reserves overseas. Could you imagine trying to get them here in this crisis? You also shut down four of six fuel refineries, making storage so much more difficult. I call on those opposite to support this bill. If you genuinely believe in a fair go, if you genuinely stand with Australian consumers and Australian truckers, then you will support these bills. We are taking real action. Unlike those opposite, who are just playing games, we're actually delivering.”
“We're putting fuel companies on notice today, and this government will not cop price gouging. This legislation sits alongside a comprehensive package of action the Albanese Labor government is taking on fuel affordability and security. We've boosted fuel supply by releasing 20 per cent of the baseline minimum stockholding obligation for petrol and diesel and are specifically directing that to the regions. We've temporarily amended fuel standards to get more fuel into the market, petrol and diesel. This has allowed an extra 100 million litres of fuel that was destined for export into the Aussie market. We're working with the ACCC to get fuel to where it's needed, and we are ensuring that truckies get fairly compensated for fuel increases. We're strengthening our international partnerships to protect our supply chains for the long term.”
“That is exactly what this legislation delivers. The bill doubles the maximum penalties for false or misleading conduct and cartel behaviour to $100 million per offence. That's not a slap on the wrist; those are actual consequences. We've already increased penalties fivefold under this government to $50 million because we understood that weak penalties are no deterrent for big corporations turning over billions of dollars. Our bill goes further still because the Albanese government is serious about accountability. The Iran war has introduced genuine volatility into global oil markets. What happens in the Middle East affects what Australians pay at the bowser. That is a reality that we must acknowledge, and those opposite know this, despite what they are saying.”
“The Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026 changes the law so that the Fair Work Commission can demand companies pay truckies when fuel prices spike. There's simply no excuse for price gouging, and our consumer watchdog will hold offenders fully accountable. There's also no excuse, really—and that's why we're acting quickly—for leaving truckies in the lurch in an international crisis. Australians are doing it tough. The cost of living is real. The pressures on household budgets are real, too. When working families in my electorate are making choices between filling up the tank or putting food on the table, they deserve to know that their government has their back, and we're taking urgent action, making sure that the companies selling them fuel are playing by the rules and, if they're not, that there are actually real consequences.”
“I rise to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 and the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026. Global conflict is disrupting fuel supply chains, and this government is acting. We've released a fifth of our fuel from our reserves, changed export rules to keep more fuel at home and are supporting Australian refineries to produce more domestically. Our new Fuel Supply Taskforce is working directly with states and territories to make sure fuel gets to where it's needed most. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 cracks down on petrol price gouging, doubling penalties for companies that try to profit at the expense of Australian families.”
“Stories like Eoin's and data like this remind us why Labor's investment in the NDIS is so important and why we will always continue to protect it.”
“While in the past few years the statistics have come up a bit, we still have a lot more work to do to ensure that people who want a job can get into the workforce and can support their families and become financially independent. A new report released today by e61 Institute reinforces just how transformative the right support can be. It found that people who have access to the NDIS and the right supports perform significantly better in the workforce than they did before receiving government funded support. NDIS participants work nearly two hours more per week within four years of entering the scheme, and earn an extra $76 per fortnight. As a result, they are less likely to rely on unemployment payments, and, importantly, they report feeling better and having higher energy levels.”
“He has the ability to try different roles, receive ongoing training and discover what works best for him and his team. That kind of opportunity to grow, to contribute, to prosper and to be truly seen in the workplace matters enormously. Eoin believes, and I agree wholeheartedly, that everyone should have the right to work and prosper, including people with Down syndrome, and that, if we support each other, anything is possible. For people with a disability, employment is about so much more than just a job. It is financial freedom. It is independence. It is dignity and worth. Sadly, over decades, we have not done enough to encourage and support people with a disability to get into the workforce.”
“Saturday was World Down Syndrome Day, a day to recognise the incredible contributions of people with Down syndrome. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you the story of Eoin Gibson, who I recently had the pleasure of meeting at my office in Strathpine. Eoin's story is one of determination, possibility and a love of work. Eoin is an employment ambassador for Down's Syndrome Australia and he's an advocate for their Employment Connections program. Eoin talked to me about how much he values his job, working at Coles. He's not just an employee. He is a valued and integral member of the team, having been trained across all departments within the store. Eoin's on full wages, as he should be, and is supported in his professional development in exactly the same way as any other employee.”
“We are fixing the $24 million—wishy washy, self-reporting, if you can be bothered—website that those opposite set up to track specialist fees. We are creating a system to ensure all healthcare providers and insurers are held accountable and act in the best interests of patients. We want to remove bill shock when it comes to health care. We want the light to shine in; the cost of health care should not be a mystery. We also need to ensure that our private and public health systems work together to continue to deliver the best health care in the world. I love this bill and I commend this bill to the House.”
“We've made medicines cheaper by reducing the maximum cost of PBS medicines to just $25. We're investing more than $790 million in women's health, and we're opening endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics right across the country. We are delivering more free mental health services, with walk in Medicare Mental Health Clinics popping up right across the country, including one in my electorate of Dickson in Strathpine—no appointment necessary. This bill delivers on our promise to strengthen Medicare and to make private health insurance work better for those Australians who can afford to pay for it. It delivers real transparency in specialist fees, real protection against unfair premium hikes and real power for patients to make the best decisions for their families.”
“By closing the loopholes that allowed insurers to avoid oversight, we are restoring accountability to the private health sector. This isn't about being anti insurer; it's about being pro consumer. It's about ensuring that our government-subsidised private health system complements our Medicare system in a way that is fair, sustainable and transparent. This bill is part of the Albanese government's commitment to strengthen Medicare and build a stronger, fairer healthcare system. We've delivered more bulk-billing GPs by significantly increasing the bulk-billing incentive, supporting more practices to bulk-bill and making it cheaper to see a doctor. We're opening more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics so families can get urgent, non-life threatening care without having to go to the emergency department and without the bill.”
“In my community of Dickson, I talk to families every day, who work hard and choose to pay for private health insurance because they want choice, security, or they want to help take pressure off the public system, but they feel like the system is not working for them. They see their premiums go up while transparency is just not there. This bill is for them. It demonstrates that the government is actually watching insurers and holding them to account. Under these reforms, insurers must seek ministerial approval for all new products, and any reduction in coverage, benefits or terms of existing products will require explicit oversight. This is a big, big change. We are drawing a line in the sand—no more shifting goalposts, no more phoenixing away the value of a family's hard-earned insurance policy.”