Matt Gregg
Deakin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Now, let's talk about the challenges faced by the Australian people: a quadrupling of house prices over two decades, unresolved by the Liberal Party in government; and we had 4.1 gigawatts out of baseload energy, unresponded to by the coalition government.”
“This is a government focused on the future and focused on actually resolving the challenges faced by the Australian people rather than whinging about them and going on template tirades which solve absolutely nothing. The coalition then have the gall to say, 'Oh, look, the coalition's less popular.”
“We are going to confront them on behalf of the Australian people, to make sure that they can be optimistic that the future is going to be better. We make absolutely no apologies for that. Today, 1 July—despite me sounding a little angry—is actually a very good day. It's a very good day! Every taxpayer is getting a tax cut.”
“Change is what the Labor government is delivering. We are making difficult decisions that actually address the challenges faced by Australians. We don't just sit here proud of the status quo; we come here to make a difference. It's very easy to come in and make statements. What is difficult is change.”
“Then, suddenly, they come into this chamber as if all challenges faced by society came out of nowhere and are all Labor's fault. It's complete nonsense. We are responding to the issue of energy shortages by developing a 21st-century grid, because we know that energy is the key to future productivity and success.”
“Where do I begin? We start with the member for Goldstein making up quotes to be outraged by, reciting tired old campaign lines from a party fast approaching the abyss.”
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“But, instead of being a grouchy old man who says that it was better in the old days, we just have to deal with the reality we've got. That is that copyright is everywhere, and, therefore, the legal protections need to reflect that we are talking about individual property rights, which are important in any free society, and we do need to respect those. This balances those. You can—even if you are unable to be found at that moment—within the limitation period go and assert those rights. You are able to recover reasonable compensation, which is absolutely appropriate. We don't want disproportionate things. We don't want ambit claims for hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for simply reposting someone's tweet. There is, again, room for common sense. I can trust our authorities to do that appropriately.”
“It's not just the photographer at the local newspaper anymore; it's every single citizen in the community who's carrying a wonderful camera device which can take 4K images, in some cases. They're producing stuff that we all rely on. Those individuals also deserve those rights, just like the hardworking professionals that produce copyright work for a living. This is for everyone who wishes to express their idea in their own way. But, as I said, copyright, in most cases, is just an incidental legal outcome of communication now. We know there's a little less talking in person and going over to people's houses. There's more writing things and posting them online. Copyright is here, there and everywhere in this era, for better or worse. We can all lament it.”
“It certainly removes any scope for doubt as to the intended application of this regime in the educational environment, which is an incredibly good thing. The reality is many of us are using copyright materials every day. I've seen many colleagues retweeting or reposting images. It's in good faith. It's not to make money, and no-one's losing anything. But that's the world we're in. It is all copyright. It is someone's original expression of an original idea. It is their property. Part of respecting that is a discipline that we all do need to get better at in an environment where things are just moving about so quickly. We write all the time. We take photos all the time.”
“Yes, exactly— Get S mart , and other things as well. The passage of time does cause difficulties in sourcing things. While many archivists have, in decades gone by, done a very, very thorough job in cataloguing their works, it is more and more difficult to be able to precisely source some historical images that have just been uploaded with mass uploads of old materials. Sometimes even the best endeavours just cannot find the origins of these things, and sometimes copyright works can be incorporated in other copyright works. There are various complications that can exist in that environment. This is a very, very welcome piece of reform, and there are some amendments around this that clarify its role in the education space for when there is overlap between the statutory licence and this orphan works regime.”
“Those do have different dates. We're making it clear that, if it is a piece of copyrighted material just purchased in the ordinary open marketplace, that doesn't change. If the origin is a work done for public purposes, then it is subject to that shorter time limit. That also reflects the public interest by making sure that, in the long term, we, the taxpayers, get to enjoy the benefits of those things that we have paid for and that, after a period of time, we then just collectively own that material and can use it as we see fit. Once copyright ceases to exist, it then becomes public domain and can be used however you wish. Fifty years is not a very long time. Some of my favourite shows are over 50 years old. Copyright is very important, but when it's gone, it's gone. An honourable member: Get Smart !”
“No-one's harmed by the fact that a parent sees an image that their kid sees while learning history or something. There is no mischief created by that scenario. This, again, is applying common sense that reflects the realities of modern life in a society where we are often not only teachers, there to entertain and to parent; we're also TV presenters a lot of the time. Not only are we teaching a classroom full of young people; we're also creating engaging audiovisual learning materials for those who aren't in the classroom at the time to learn from—and to do so in an enriching way. It is important that we give them every support, including this regime, so they are able to do that in an effective way. There are technical amendments in this bill as well that go to public ownership of certain works—things created by the ABC and the like.”
“There were times when I had to edit what I'd delivered in the classroom to make sure that what I was transmitting by video and through our online learning spaces wasn't inadvertently breaching copyright, so I'd have to edit out bits of the presentations and the like. It meant that it diminished the experience that those other students were having, because they weren't able to see the full presentation. This also made the job harder for teachers. I think anyone who's worked in our profession knows that we should be doing everything possible to make that job easier, not harder. So this is a reasonable and decent thing to do. It reflects the realities of modern education. Students who aren't in the classroom will often be learning from home and, more often than not, will need the support of a parent or carer in that environment.”
“There is no substitute for putting the work into finding out exactly where an image, a video or a clip has come from, because misinformation and disinformation are a very real problem in our society right now. To maintain trust, we need to make sure that we know what images we are using and that there are incentives in place to do the diligent thing and to properly source the material that we have. The orphan works scheme is an incredibly important addition to intellectual property law. Another key aspect of this bill is the additional protections for educators. Even in the time I was teaching, the nature of classroom work changed significantly. I taught history for a long time. We were using images a lot. But as students became ill, it became normal practice to record our lessons and to share them.”
“AI presents a new challenge that we haven't seen before, where small adaptations of existing works or recreations of existing works can sometimes be mistaken for the real thing. But I think that, if we want to maintain truth in the way we do media, we have to make sure that proper, original material is there and that we are diligently looking for the sources of those materials. So this will be good discipline, no matter what kind of work you do, because you'll be maintaining that discipline of finding out what the origin is, getting the story behind the work and making sure that you're putting things on air that do have integrity. We've seen plenty of examples of news coverage that is pulled—AI videos and other things where things have been mistaken.”
“Sometimes, if you come up with an idea, it might actually end up being the property of your employer, for example, because you might have done it in an employment context, and that company might have ceased existing—it might have gone into liquidation; it might have been sold. Sometimes it can be a nightmare to find the true owner of a copyrighted work. So this is a wonderful import of common sense into intellectual property law. It's a wonderful thing to be able to come into the House and say, 'This is uncontroversial. It makes sense. We're all just going to do it because it is the right thing to do and it just makes sense here and now.' There are challenges, obviously, in terms of copyright.”
“So this clearly defines what we ought to do—what we have to do—in order to enjoy the additional protections of this scheme, and that is to conduct reasonably diligent searches for the owner and then to seek to contact them to get their permission to use the rights. But sometimes that is impossible, either because time has passed or because it's just passed through so many hands, and even the best of searches can't yield a result. And sometimes the original author may have passed away or simply doesn't want to be found. These all happen. These are all real-life examples. We need to have a system that enables these important works to be utilised at the same time as having protections in place for the proper owners. And sometimes, even if you do cover the author, it's not always possible to track the chain of ownership of an idea.”
“In most cases the person who's come up with the idea owns the copyright, and it's up to them whether they give others permission to use it, to spread it around and to incorporate it in their own work. Some will say, 'Go ahead,' do it for free and feel quite privileged that that's happened; others will request a fee. It often depends on the kind of work involved. Is it a really cool hit song, or is it just a photo taken at an event, or is it just a tweet shared at a particular moment? All of these can be covered by copyright and are covered similarly by the legislative provisions, but, obviously, all have their very different contexts.”
“It's all too easy to say, 'Well, if you don't know who the author is, just don't use the copyright material.' In some cases that's appropriate, but sometimes there is something so unique—a bit of vision that captures corrupt behaviour, or something that captures a very specific moment in time, which it is uniquely capable of encapsulating—that it is legitimate and reasonable to use it. We need to make sure that that opportunity is available in circumstances generally when there is not an assertive intention to exercise those copyright protections. But we also want to make sure the owners have those legal rights—and it is a suite of rights that come with owning copyright.”
“But we know that, even if we were to confine this to copyright material from the last two years, we're talking about millions and millions of images and ideas. It's not always possible to trace their origin. We're also in a world where, if it's not simple enough to use a genuine image, it's all too easy just to use AI to make a replica. And we don't really want to be doing that. We don't want textbooks full of AI images or impressions of what our source material should be. The trustworthiness and integrity of those materials, whether it's a school textbook or newspaper, sometimes does require the use of primary source material or reliable secondary source material. Sometimes only an image or an expression of an idea will do.”
“The idea of an orphan-work scheme has been floated since the 1990s, so this is nothing new. It really does not cross party lines in our country's politics or any other like country. This is simply updating what is a very complicated legal regime made only more complicated by the changes in technology that we've seen and the way we use that technology. There's also the free trade agreement with the United States, for example, which also means that copyright subsists for a very, very long time—70 years after the person has died. We are now living a very, very long time. Members of my family might have written something when they were 30, and they're still going 70 years later. These intellectual property rights can exist for a very long period. We've got to make sure that the regime that sits around it is very, very clear.”
“Those of us who learned history, whether at school or at university, will think back to specific moments in time like the Great Depression and the Vietnam War, and many of us will have the same images in our head that encapsulate those times. Important pieces of copyright material really aid and assist a full understanding of what's gone on in that period of time. But it's not always possible to find out who wrote it. This requires and clearly defines what constitutes reasonable efforts to find out who the owners are and seek their permission to use their original property, whether it's in a textbook or other endeavours. It's important that we balance those two rights together. This bill really does get it right. There have been consultations going on since 2023.”
“Sometimes, as we now see overseas, the original author wishes to express an idea—share an image that captures a moment in time—but it's not safe for them to share who they are because of the situation in which they find themselves. Nevertheless, they do so not to create a piece of intellectual property or to assert any kind of legal right but as part of communication and to share that idea—to share what's happening to their fellow human being. But copyright does cover all of those original expressions. Therefore, the scope of these laws is very, very real. We've got to make sure that the individual property rights of those who come up with ideas are appropriately protected at the same time as we as a community are able to benefit from what are sometimes really important expressions of ideas.”
“I rise to speak about what I agree to be an incredibly important topic. We are, at the end of the day, talking about individual rights—the right of an individual to benefit from the product of their own labour, their original expression of an idea. Copyright has an important role, but there is just so much material that copyright technically covers now. We're producing images, expressing our thoughts and sharing our ideas at a pace unbelievable to those who were alive even only 30 years ago. The world we live in, in this space, has completely changed, and the laws have to adapt with them. We have images that are shared, cropped, shared again and moved between accounts. There is no way we can possibly source the original author.”
“Read the full document, and then we can have a serious adult conversation about what steps to take next. We should be taking the politics out of this. We should be a solutions focused parliament. It is the least we can do for the hardworking Australians who are having a very, very tough day today.”
“It's not one where any of us should be saying, 'Job well done.' The job is nowhere near done. There is a lot of work to do. The good news is that this government is doing it. We are focused on the task of improving the economy, improving the impact that has on households in Australia. Things are getting more expensive because of inflation. We need to deal with inflation, which means we have to take it seriously. Misdiagnosing it is not the solution to that problem. Simply throwing out political tropes, cheap tricks and saying, 'Your fault, your fault, your fault'—that does not get anything done. We need to invest the time in reading the full report by the RBA. Rather than drawing our own conclusions, rather than cherrypicking quotes from economists here, there and everywhere, the RBA tells us why they have made the decisions they have.”
“We also know there are variations between states in terms of what's going on in their economies—housing prices and increases in other particular prices. It is a complex set of circumstances, and that is why we have to work to deal with it in a very serious, very methodical way, rather than relying on what has, frankly, become cheap theatrics and predetermined indignation. We've got to take this job seriously. Governing isn't as simple as throwing away lines that might make the other side feel a little sad for a moment; it is about getting the important work done. It is about identifying what we can do to support the success of Australians and ensure that our economy is going at the best pace possible. When we look at today's announcement, this isn't one of glee.”
“It is looking at doing what we can to support a reduction in inflation over time, ensuring we are resilient to global headwinds and making sure we are building productivity in our economy across the board—and that is exactly what we're doing. Today is a very serious day, and that is why we need to talk about serious solutions rather than relying on tropes and cheap tricks and trying to throw blame about—'Is it the amount of money?' or things like that. The RBA has said the reasoning for its decision—the fact that private consumption has gone up in relative terms to public is there in black and white. It wasn't only in recent data; it was in the last monetary statement as well. It's right there in the ABS data. It's not a mystery.”
“We have focused on the impact of households, ensuring that medicines are cheaper and that young people and people returning to the workforce have access to the skills they need to get the job they deserve—and that in turn means employers have access to the labour they need in order to improve the way their businesses are operating and to maximise their profits in the long term. Inflation is the most pernicious tax. It is something that affects all of us, and we as a country get nothing in return. The fight against inflation is real and important, and it's been one of the three focuses of the Treasurer in recent times.”
“Since the productivity roundtable last year, we've seen a number of measures begin looking at simplifying government processes, ensuring that pieces of information don't have to be inputted more than once—time-wasting silly forms and things like that. They have been a focus of our government because we know that in order to support our industry, to support our economy to get that kickstart it needs at this point in time, we need to ensure we are as productive as we can possibly be. That means working with the private sector. It means ensuring we, as government, are setting an example by ensuring we're as being as efficient and effective as we can be. But we don't let fairness go by the wayside.”
“There are many people in my electorate, often described as part of the mortgage belt, for whom today is going to be a really difficult day—another weight on the shoulder. When something that serious happens, we have to take the issue seriously, which means we have to look at the driving factors that have led to it. The RBA says it's largely from the private sector this time—and that's not about a blame game or saying, 'The private sector has done the wrong thing'; it means we have to dig a little deeper. What are the issues? One of them is that our demand is starting to be too high relative to our productive capacity. Where do we go from there? The Albanese Labor government has been investing in the productive capacity of our economy, skilling up our workforce with free TAFE and working to cut red tape.”
“This afternoon, we have outrage unencumbered by self-awareness. The assistant minister asked earlier why the member for Hume wasn't in the chamber before. I think I can guess: it may have something to do with the fact that he, as the shadow Treasurer at the last election, proposed a budget that would have had a $7.9 billion deterioration in the first two financial years of a hypothetical Dutton government. When they wave the finger at big spending, they forget the fact that they were kind of for it only a few months ago. This isn't ancient history, and we're not going back to 2022 or 1981; this is recent history. They did not propose responsible spending measures. Now we have yet another misdiagnosis of economic reality. Today is a tough day for mortgage holders; we shouldn't walk away from that.”
“My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. How is the Albanese Labor government's policy of free TAFE supporting Australians to get the skills they want and need, and are there any threats to the future of free TAFE?”
“But hopefully these reforms, which go to the key concerns of many in the Jewish community about these hate groups openly and unashamedly spreading hate in ways we have not seen before, are something we can at least get behind. One would hope that, when Neo-Nazis are calling for this bill not to be passed, we take the clue. Perhaps it's best not to be on their side. Perhaps it's best that we stand up and address these hateful organisations without delay and stand up for our nation's values at this horrible time. This is a sensible bill. I commend it to the House, and I hope it receives support from across the parliament.”
“It goes to the seriousness of the offence, it goes to its repugnance and it goes to the importance of ensuring that the denunciation and punishment reflect the severity of what's been done. These are sensible, pragmatic reforms. They reflect the values that we should really all share. They balance rights of freedom of association. There are existing defences under the Criminal Code that protect legitimate expressions of political discord, legitimate arguments, artistic expressions and all of those things. These bills can't be seen in isolation; they form part of a criminal code which contains defences around good faith. It is just a shame that we couldn't come together to deal with vilification. It's something that I hope that we can revisit another day.”
“It is hoped and expected that this can be a moment of national unity, where people on both sides of the House can stand up for foundational principles, and where we can at least agree that groups dedicated to spreading hate are not acceptable in our community; that lines that were previously unsaid but understood by all have been crossed; and that lines need to be drawn in the sand to make sure that hate is denounced, that it is considered unacceptable and that the promotion of it is dealt with under law. It's also important that these sentencing factors be changed. It is a more serious affront to the community and our society if a criminal offence is committed with racial hatred as its motivation. It is a legitimate sentencing factor.”
“Do we sit by and allow it and pretend that the status quo is acceptable, or do we take meaningful and substantive action to address this social ill that has, since October 7, reared its ugly head in ways that we have not seen before in this country? It's appropriate for this parliament to stand up for the values of Australia, for the things that we hold dear, and this bill does just that. We're hoping that this can be a moment of national unity. We have split the bill, when a lot of us on this side of the House think it should have remained as it was before, to get rid of the roadblocks that prevented real action being taken by this parliament.”
“For those who needed support, there are plenty of people around who can explain things. I get that it's complicated, but, now that we're facing two bills that are less complicated, there really is no reason for us not to pass these important reforms. When we are talking about rights, yes, there is often a balancing act. Hate speech will almost inevitably, to some extent, impact on the freedom of speech. The balancing act is the subject of legitimate discussion, but it's not intellectually complex; it's a choice that has to be made, and leadership is about choices. What do you do to stand up to the challenge of antisemitism in our community at this moment in time?”
“It should be uncontroversial that people who come into Australia as guests be expected to conduct themselves in a way that does not undermine social cohesion or act as a direct attack on our nation's values. We need to ensure that we are addressing opportunities and loopholes that exist in the current law and that have enabled organisations that have preached hate for a very long time to fall just under the criminal thresholds. It's time that we stand up as a parliament and address these obvious evils in our society. These are sensible reforms. I appreciate that these have happened at a greater pace than some are used to, but there has been sufficient time to get across the detail. We do not have a lawyer shortage in this building. We do not have a shortage of people who can understand and comprehend legislation.”
“I commend the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 to the House, knowing that we could and should have done more as an institution. We had the opportunity to stand up to hate speech and vilification, and we fell short. Sadly, the political reality of this parliament means that we couldn't get done everything we thought we needed to; however, this is an important step. It should be uncontroversial that hate groups should not be given the capacity to spread that vile hate across our community and to undermine social cohesion in some of the most heinous of ways. It should be uncontroversial that people in positions of power should be prevented from spreading that hate to vulnerable young people and using their positions to inflict the worst of pain on fellow members of our community.”
“There is going to be a lot of work in the days ahead to measure up to the goodness and kindness exhibited by the Australian people all this time and the good sense exhibited by the Australian people, that we are strengthened by embracing one another, taking care of each other and showing love to one another during these very difficult times. I wish I could give words of comfort, but I don't think this is the time for us to feel comfortable. We should be uncomfortable. As long as antisemitism lives on, we should feel uncomfortable. We should feel it as a call to action and do everything we possibly can to end this horrible scourge on our society. It shouldn't have taken a horrible event like this to turn our minds to it, but now there is no more room for doubt. There is no more time for delay. There are no more excuses. We have to act.”
“We've got to make sure that we are doing everything we can as leaders—not just as legislators but as people who have influence in our communities and who are selected by our communities to represent them—to make sure that we are setting the right example, taking the right approach, knowing when there is a moment for debate and when there are moments for deliberation and knowing that, when tough decisions have to be made, we sometimes have to look at different competing rights and principles and make tough calls. That's what leadership is. It is very easy to demand leadership from others, but we do have to display it ourselves.”
“Sadly, antisemitism is not new. That lie that has recurred throughout history—that turns neighbour on neighbour, that turns truth into conspiracy and that makes others suspicious of one another for no good reason—is something that has repeated itself throughout history. We have seen it become particularly pervasive following 7 October.”
“If we're going to succeed in defeating this horrible phenomenon, we need to double down on who we are, on our values, and make sure that we are unapologetically Australian in the way we go about this, without forgetting who we are fundamentally but understanding that lines must be drawn—that hate speech is unacceptable and that it is not acceptable that members of the Jewish community do not feel like they can live their lives in safety and security as open and proud Jews in our society. That strikes at the heart of what our society is, and we have to do everything we can, beyond words and beyond expressions of sentiment, to make sure that these feelings turn into action. While reactionism isn't the call for the day, we do need to make sure that there is a response. We have to learn the lessons of history once again.”
“I believe that our desire to help each other, to be there for each other, is stronger than the fear that those two hateful antisemites poured into our country on 14 December. We've already seen this in the emergency service workers and volunteers all around the country fighting floods, weeks after volunteers on the beach in Bondi did everything they could to save lives in an extraordinary effort. Australians from all backgrounds are expressing their sorrow, supporting their fellow Australians and doing what they can to make this country a better place. That is the country I know, that is the country I love and that is the country we have to defend. Terrorism aims to sow mistrust, fear and division; to make us turn against our neighbour; and to make us a little less ourselves.”
“It has touched everyone who feels more hesitant about openly practising their faith, going to places of worship or even going to public spaces. It has touched everyone who walks down the street and feels like a stranger in their own community, avoiding eye contact and keeping to themselves where previously they greeted others with a smile. The evil of terrorism cuts lives short. It leaves the lives that remain strained, and the bonds that bind us together stretched to their limit and threatening to break. It can push us to retreat from one another—to close ourselves off from our fellow Australians. Terrorism challenges our belief in the fundamental goodness of humanity, a belief that underpins our ability to live our lives freely and with security. But I believe these bonds ultimately won't break.”
“I rise this evening to share my grief and shock and that of my community in Deakin at the horrific antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December. Fifteen lives so cruelly and hatefully ended—15 innocent people who should still be with their friends and family; 15 people who should have been able to practise their faith openly and with pride, not fear. The violent hatred unleashed on 14 December will forever leave its mark on the victims' families and communities. I extend my solidarity and support to Jewish Australians, and I've received countless calls and emails from members of my community who feel just as strongly—shocked, angry and wanting to see change happen, and I share that sentiment. Of course, the impact of this horrific terrorist attack has reached every corner of this country.”
“But it's something that needs to be done in a steady, responsible way, because all actions have effects. In my view, this is a fantastically calibrated intervention. It not only ensures that it is consistent with our targeted approach to cost-of-living relief but it also reflects an approach by good, steady government that has real results and is calibrated to supporting communities in a way that does not have broader negative implications on our local economy. I commend the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer for the work they've done with this measure. I'm also proud to say that it was a promise made and a promise kept by the Albanese Labor government. We're not the party of core and non-core promises. We say what we mean and we will deliver on the commitments we made to the people at the 2025 election and will continue to do so.”
“I cannot think of a thriving small town in Australia that doesn't have a pub or two or three at the centre of it. This initiative to support those businesses, those largely small businesses—we're saying, of about 10,000 taverns, about 7,500 of them are small family business making modest profits but keeping the doors open, and they have done so through very, very tough times over the pandemic. They are the great survivors of our industry. We know the hospitality sector has been doing it tough for the last few years. The stats on that are very plain. If we can bring in a measure that is not inflationary, that is supportive of that industry and that will also help to protect jobs and the community benefits, then it's something everyone in this chamber should be supporting.”
“We need to ensure that those essential businesses, those community hubs, are supported to be successful and that they are supported to continue doing the important work they do for their communities, and that includes not only the services they provide directly but also the sponsorships they offer to sports clubs, to community groups, to the Lions clubs and to the Rotarys. Often the first sponsor on the list of a given footy club, whether it's in the country or in the suburbs, is the local pub. They have been community benefactors for a very, very long time. They are not only an important part of our economy and our employment sectors, but an essential part of local communities. They're the places we meet, but they're also the sponsors and the employers, and they are sometimes the beating heart of industry in a small town.”
“We've seen declining consumption of alcohol in many areas of the country, although I note that there is more work to be done in rural and regional areas, but the mission of all of those measures remains as it is. Temporarily pausing the increase in the beer excise and equivalent customs duty is a sensible, responsible and proportionate measure at this point in time that will have a significant and profound impact for the very people we're trying to support—the hardworking small-business owners who are employing locals all around the country, not just in suburbs like the ones I represent, but in the small country towns where we all know the pub is really the heart of the town. If the pub closes, community life dissipates and people just stay home.”
“We're reviewing about 400 different regulations at the moment to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness at a government level as well. We are a government that is focused on supporting small business in any way we can. By cutting inefficiencies, we are ensuring that government is a facilitator and is not unnecessarily getting in the way, and, every now and then, you just need a bit of an economic break, and that is exactly what this important measure does. It provides a break at a time when it's needed most. It is temporary. It's impact on the budget is going to be negligible compared to the benefits, and it's something that is well targeted, given the very real and important role alcohol taxes play in the health of our nation.”
“Whether it is health care, whether it is education, whether it is free TAFE or whether it is ensuring that people on practical placements receive $331 a week of support, we're focused on those who need assistance to build the best life possible for themselves so they can liberate their talents, and this is just one of the many measures. Cost-of-living relief is also given with the Medicare urgent care clinics. It's given to small business through unfair contracts legislation. There is so much reform across the board, and, for small business, this is also one of many measures. We're working with them to increase their cybersecurity. We've changed the tax settings so they have that extension of the instant asset write-off. We're working with business to ensure regulations that are duplicated and don't make a lot of sense are being cut.”
“We know that inflation over a number of years post COVID meant that CPI increases were significant, and so putting a pause on them is a reasonable response to ensure that we can still achieve the important health incomes of having the alcohol excise and the relevant customs duties but, at the same time, give businesses a break when they need it and give consumers a break when they need it. It shows that the Albanese Labor government is standing up for small business, it is standing up for consumers, and it is ensuring that prices remain as low as they can for all involved. As I was saying, this is not an isolated measure; this is part of a narrative of a government that has been laser focused on the cost of living.”
“While I know that secondary impacts are not something considered in Treasury modelling or other things we read, they are real and they are profound. We're talking about livelihoods, we're talking about jobs and, in the case of pubs and clubs and other venues, we're talking about community life. We're talking about togetherness—maintaining opportunities for people to get out of the house, meet with one another and gather. We achieve that by ensuring that the venues that they do that in are sustainable, that the costs are moderated as much as possible and that we acknowledge times that are challenging.”
“It is simply giving them some breathing space so they can know what the future holds with a little bit more certainty and can invest in their businesses and organisations. The bowls clubs can continue to provide affordable hospitality services, engage their communities, support some of our most vulnerable people and provide a meeting place—in good times and bad—for members of our community. It's amazing that something that is really quite a modest measure can have such a powerful and profound impact across so many people, but that is the genius behind this temporary measure. It's one of those 'from little things, big things grow' scenarios because this small measure will have so many secondary impacts.”