Alice Jordan-Baird
Gorton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“This includes incentives like the Commonwealth Prac Payment, which means students on their mandatory nursing and midwifery placements will be paid for their work, making life easier for our nursing and midwifery students.”
“We took health care to the election, and right across the board we're legislating change. We've capped the cost of PBS-listed medicines at just $25, the lowest it's been since 2004—when I was in primary school—which has seen a saving of more than $14 million in my electorate of Gorton.”
“With competing cost-of-living pressures, these families shouldn't be worrying about the cost of seeing a doctor as well. These families deserve regular access to affordable GP appointments, and that's why this bill matters.”
“Our green and gold Medicare card means opportunity. It means receiving high-quality health care, regardless of your bank balance. I'm so proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which is committed to strengthening Medicare for generations to come, and this bill, the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measur…”
“It means that, in Melbourne's western suburbs, people in our community have access to free walk-in care when they need it. With this budget, we're making urgent care clinics like the ones in Melton and Sunshine permanent. Urgent care clinics play a really important role in taking the pressure off our emergency departments.”
“Our introduction of Medicare bulk-billing clinics is really making a huge difference in our communities across the country. I'm really proud to report that, in my community, there are now 24 Medicare bulk-billing practices—up from 13 before our bulk-billing changes were introduced.”
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“Dorothy should have had stronger regulations in place to prevent the scam in the first place. She's not the only one. Scammers have also impersonated exchanges, informing users that their accounts have been breached and directing them to transfer their cryptocurrency to a 'trust wallet' belonging to a scammer. Scammers have even created fake crypto trading apps, targeting potential investors and then leaving them with significant losses. We've got to do better for Australians. So that's what we're doing now. This bill is good for consumers, it's good for business and it's good for Australia's reputation as a leader in financial regulation. And it's an overdue change—one that the sector has been calling for, for some time now.”
“These Australians have invested their hard-earned money, hoping that a new technology would lead to beneficial outcomes, advancements and efficiencies in digital payment systems. However, what we know is that many consumers have experienced immense volatility and risk not found in traditional investment opportunities. Take 72-year-old pensioner Dorothy. In November last year, the ABC reported that Dorothy had lost $12,500 to a crypto ATM scam. Dorothy was instructed by a scammer over the phone to withdraw all of her savings and deposit the cash into a bitcoin ATM machine. For Dorothy, this has had really real impacts. These scams put Australians in an incredibly vulnerable position. Dorothy did not deserve to lose that financial security, and she certainly deserved better from our legal systems.”
“If we also get this right, which this bill intends to do, we'll be attracting investment, creating jobs and positioning Australia's financial system as a leader in innovation. Global institutions are experimenting with tokenised securities, central banks are exploring digital currencies, and investors are demanding safe, regulated ways to participate. It's unlocking capital markets, and when we do it too it'll be strengthening Australia's competitiveness as a financial sector. Unfortunately, a factor that we're dealing with is that cryptocurrency remains a vector for scams and fraud, and it's a serious risk. Australians have lost millions to schemes that exploit gaps in regulation and consumer understanding.”
“The EU has already legislated the markets in the cryptocurrency regulation. This mandates that crypto asset service providers must be authorised to meet transparency and consumer protection standards. It protects consumers by introducing rules around transparency and information, asset safeguarding, marketing and advertising, complaints, and more. These rules seek to ensure that in the crypto space consumers are: properly informed of risks; not misled by marketing and advertising; won't lose their assets if insolvency occurs; and have a pathway to raise issues with providers when they arise. The UK is also looking to regulate this space by 2027. And, do you know what? The UK is getting it right. We should be meeting the regulation standards set by overseas jurisdictions.”
“We're giving businesses certainty to invest and innovate in Australia, knowing the rules are clear and globally aligned. This is not regulation for regulation's sake. It is smarter regulation building on proven financial services laws that Australians trust—and trust matters. Trust means increased trading. It means attracting investment, creating jobs and growing our digital economy. Without this sector gaining the trust of consumers and businesses, we can't reap these benefits. That trust is born from regulations that are there to protect consumers and businesses. That's what we're introducing. We're not alone in this legislation. This bill is aligning Australia with global standards set by the Financial Security Board and IOSCO. It's here to keep us competitive with jurisdictions like the US, EU, UK and Singapore.”
“While we're ensuring digital trading is matching those same high standards which already exist for financial service providers, we're also ensuring it matches the standards which protect Australians deposits in banks and investments in the stock market. These are the standards Australians expect, and we are matching those standards in the digital trading economy. We will not rest on our laurels when we see these new technological innovations come through. This is a change that the sector has been asking for, for a long time. We're giving Australians confidence that when they use a regulated platform their assets are protected by strong standards—the same standards that protect their deposits in banks and their investments in the stock market.”
“The key risks associated with these custody focused arrangements—credit liquidity, counterparty, operational fraud and cyber risks—are the same types of risks already mitigated by Australia's financial services laws. By extending Australia's financial services laws to better cover these, we're giving consumers and industry the certainty that the same consumer protections and licensing obligations apply to comparable custodial activities. This includes prohibitions on misleading or deceptive conduct, unfair contract terms, and requiring providers to hold an Australian Financial Services licence. These measures ensure that operators of digital asset businesses are held to the same high standards of fairness, transparency and integrity as other financial service providers.”
“It's worth noting that digital investments—all investments—do inherently involve risk, but involvement of risk does not negate the need for adequate consumer protections, and it does not absolve the service providers from the responsibility to conduct their businesses fairly and with a degree of transparency. That's why in Australia we have minimum standards in place to protect consumers, and it's why this bill is extending those consumer protections to the realm of digital finance. This is the reason it's so important that we're legislating the two new types of financial products into Australia's financial services laws, DAPs and TCPs. DAPs and TCPs are where operators hold client digital assets to facilitate trading, lending or other transactions.”
“This means that, just as all other financial service providers do, they'll also need to hold an Australian financial services licence and they'll be subject to those same measures of accountability. Operators and service providers should be acting efficiently, honestly and fairly, and this legislation is ensuring that those expectations are met. On top of that, they'll meet tailored obligations for digital assets. This includes minimum standards for custody, segregation, reconciliation and transaction settlement. This is good for consumers. At its core, this legislation is about protecting consumers by mitigating risk.”
“This bill also accounts for licensing, which is another measure for accountability and transparency that does not currently exist in the industry. Operators will need an Australian financial services licence. This ensures that they manage conflicts of interest and have dispute-resolution systems in place. We're using the existing licensing framework, which avoids the need for a new regime and which reduces complexity and compliance costs for businesses. We're also expanding who these licences should be held by to anyone providing services in relation to digital assets or tokenised custody platforms. That means if they're advising on, dealing in or arranging for others to deal in digital assets they will be treated as providing a financial service.”
“This will ensure that businesses holding and dealing in clinical digital assets are subject to the same consumer protections and licensing requirements that apply across the financial system, including prohibitions on misleading and deceptive conduct and unfair contract terms, design and distribution obligations and supervision and enforcement by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. We use this kind of regulation to prevent businesses from gaining an unfair advantage and exploiting consumers by making misleading claims about their products or services. It means that consumers are more aware of the risks that they are taking when they interact with digital assets as well as their own rights they have under the financial services laws.”
“Online assets are readily available and accessible, and provide individuals and businesses with equal measures of opportunities to use financial services. To fully reap these benefits, now and into the future, we need to build trust in the system, and the system needs to be held accountable. To do that, we need to introduce regulations. If you want to regulate something that is not currently properly regulated, the first step is to define what that thing is. That's why we're introducing two new types of financial products into Australia's financial services laws: digital asset platforms, DAPs, and tokenised custody platforms, TCPs.”
“Where digital connectivity blurred work-life boundaries, we legislated the right to disconnect, and the digitisation of assets and currency is no different. Right here, right now, we will legislate to introduce regulations to protect people's assets and livelihoods. This bill is about trust. It's about transparency; it's about accountability. We're futureproofing our financial system so it remains strong, fair and competitive in this rapidly changing world. We're also reducing and closing loopholes in the digital assets system. Again, there are benefits to digitised assets. When you're trading online, you're getting more efficient and faster transactions and there are reduced costs for you on those transactions. It also allows for increased financial inclusion.”
“FTX collapsed over 10 days in November 2022, which exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts. This was a colossal fraud. Consumers were devastated and confidence was shattered. There was a massive loss for customers as their funds were misappropriated and mismanaged by the company. Take this as a cautionary tale, because one of the most devastating parts is that regulation could've provided the oversight needed to prevent such fraud and mismanagement. We need our legislation to adapt to the emerging facets of society. As a Labor government, we're not new to this. Where social media created challenges, we legislated a minimum age ban to protect Australian children. Where gambling online became too easily accessible, we introduced the self-exclusion register BetStop to mitigate harms on individuals.”
“But the problem here—and there is a problem—is that the digitisation of assets and currency has emerged without regulation. Put simply, financial markets and the way people hold and exchange value have changed, but our laws have not. The legislation has not kept up, and we need it to because without clear rules there are risks. We're talking about a high volatility in markets, concerns about privacy and risks of cyberattacks. And this all comes alongside a lack of regulation or oversight. People are accumulating digital assets without financial law safeguards. We need this now more than ever because, as more people interact with unregulated digital assets, more people are exposed to these risks. And this has real world impacts. Take the collapse of the FTX exchange, the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange at the time.”
“We're interacting with blockchain technology, the decentralisation of banks as intermediaries and tokens that represent real-world assets such as property and bonds being traded instantaneously. It has picked up globally, and we're seeing it in Australia too. Last year, the Independent Reserve's cryptocurrency index report reported that approximately 6.2 million Australian adults now own or have owned cryptocurrency. That's 31 per cent of the adult Australian population. Digital finance is unlocking new ways to invest, trade and transfer wealth, with faster settlement and lower costs. Right across the world, central banks are exploring digital currencies, and global institutions are experimenting with tokenised securities. This is all great. It's unlocking capital market and bringing new investments.”
“I rise to speak in support of the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025, brought forward by the Minister for Financial Services, and I commend him for doing so. We live in a digitised world. We've seen these developments, and we've lived them. I remember getting my sister's hand-me-down LG flip phone. My first experiences on the internet and social media were ranking my top friends on Myspace, joining Facebook in early secondary school and my first smartphone. Right now, we're experiencing the AI revolution. We've seen technology develop leaps and bounds over the last few decades. In financial markets, it's no different. Digital assets are reshaping finance right across the globe. We've seen the digitisation of assets—cryptocurrencies, virtual currencies and central bank digital currencies.”
“I'm excited to talk to the older Australians, like the residents of the Burnside Retirement Village, who might be able to have their prescriptions written at home instead of waiting at the doctor's office; to the nurses in my electorate, who'll have the opportunity to see more patients and use their full scope of practice; to the almost 30,000 people living with chronic conditions, who'll have more options to receive their long-term prescriptions; and to all of my constituents, who'll benefit from relieved pressure on our healthcare system. I'm really proud to support this bill, and I commend it to the House.”
“It's taking pressure off the system down the track and making the future of our healthcare system more sustainable. It's good policy underpinned by the principle that no matter who you are or where you live you deserve access to quality health care. I'm so passionate about improving access to quality health care for my constituents and all Australians. Those opposite are fighting amongst themselves. Health care is the last thing on their minds. That's actually a good thing for Australians, given those opposite voted against cheaper medicines six times. But we're not worried about that; we're getting on with the job of delivering for Australians with the bill before us. I'm so excited to go back to Gorton and talk to my constituents about this bill.”
“In my electorate of Gorton, the GP bulk-billing rate was 88.8 per cent in June 2025, and an additional 17 GP practices in Gorton indicated their intent to become a Medicare bulk-billing practice. I'll keep visiting these medical centres in my electorate and talking about the benefits of bulk-billing so that as many of my constituents as possible know they can access free primary health care. Nationally, over 3,300 general practices now bulk-bill every single one of their patients—1,300 of which are new as a direct result of our tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. This is huge for Australians. It's accessible primary health care. It's not worrying about money when you get sick. It's more people going to the doctors when they feel unwell. It's about proactively looking after your health—and making that easier to do.”
“Last week, I was lucky enough to visit Our Medical in the heart of Caroline Springs, a bulk-billing clinic. They have 22 bulk-billed GPs, as well as bulk-billed radiology and pathology and a bulk-billed respiratory specialist. There is no need to make an appointment; you can just walk in and see a GP until 10 o'clock at night, every night. They have a pharmacy open extended hours, a full dental clinic, physios and a dietician. Quality local care is so important to the health and wellbeing of a community. For Caroline Springs residents, having a bulk-billing clinic in the heart of the community, right across the road from Lake Caroline where locals walk, cycle and use the outdoor gym equipment, makes it easy to prioritise health. That's why it's so important to continue our investment in bulk-billing.”
“For my constituents in Gorton, that's money flowing to Sunshine Hospital, Werribee hospital and the brand new Footscray Hospital, just a hop, skip and a jump away in the inner west, which will open for patients in the next few weeks, making sure that, as we look to the next five years, access to high-quality public hospitals and health care is a certainty. We'll also keep working to take the pressure off these hospitals by opening more urgent care clinics and Medicare mental health clinics across the country. As of this week, we've now opened 120 of the 137 Medicare urgent care clinics. We've opened 50 of the 91 Medicare mental health clinics in our national network, and we're making strides towards our commitment of 90 per cent of GP visits bulk-billed before the end of the decade.”
“I couldn't be happier to return to work in 2026 knowing that I'm serving alongside so many other brilliant women in our government. We know our own value, the value of the work we do and the value of our health. Because we're here representing these things on a national stage, our policy reflects the value of women too. This bill is part of our broader commitment to ensure that, when it comes to affordable and accessible health care, no Australian is left behind. Last week, National Cabinet reached a landmark agreement to deliver record funding to state and territory hospitals—$25 billion in additional funding for public hospitals, three times more additional funding for public hospitals than under the last five-year agreement.”
“We're a government that recognises the value of these things, a government that's invested in landmark commitments in women's health after decades of neglect, including $573.3 million to deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for women; the first new contraceptive pills added to the PBS in 30 years, Yaz, Yasmin and Slinda; the first new menopause treatments on the PBS in 20 years, Estrogel, Estrogel Pro and Prometrium; better access to IUDs and birth control implants; and 22 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, with another 11 opening soon. We also brought in paid prac for nurses, teachers and social workers because we understand that doing hundreds of hours of placements without being paid and without time to work is another way that women experience disadvantage.”
“It's a commonsense change that recognises the potential of women in the care sector to bring even greater benefit to our society, and it's a recognition of their value. It'll also benefit those women needing prescriptions. Women are 10 per cent more likely than men to be dispensed medication prescriptions. That means more time at the doctor and less money in their pockets. For many women, this change will enhance their safe and timely access to medicines. It's another piece of the puzzle of addressing gender inequality and ensuring that women's time, money, health and expertise are properly valued.”
“The underpayment of workers in this female dominated sector accounts for a significant part of the persisting gender pay gap in Australia, alongside other factors, including persistent differences in pay for the same work, higher rates of part-time work due to caring responsibilities, lack of flexibility to accommodate caring and other responsibilities in higher paying roles, and more. The compensation and opportunities we afford workers in the care sector speak to how we value them. They speak to how we value women. Empowering registered nurses to prescribe on the PBS will bring financial benefit to women, and it'll also mean the chance to put the full breadth of their expertise to use.”
“For older people in my electorate, such as the amazing folks at the Burnside Retirement Village, this will be a huge help too. Many retirement villages, like Burnside, have a registered nurse who make the rounds to residents. Under this new legislation, that nurse may be able to redo the resident's prescriptions, meaning no need to hike over to the GP just to get a new prescription. For those residents on pensions, it'll mean more of that money in their pocket. For GPs in the surrounding areas, it'll mean newly available appointments to service other people in the area. This will be a big change for women too. According to the NMBA annual report, women made up 87.9 per cent of nurses in 2025. In nursing as well as in other segments of the care sector, including aged care and disability supports, women are hugely overrepresented.”
“In the city of Brimbank, a staggering 28 per cent of residents 18 and older have been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases, conditions they'll need to manage for the rest of their lives. Some of these conditions might have been prevented with greater access to health services earlier on. That's why record investments we're making into bulk-billed GP clinics, cheaper PBS scripts and hospitals are so incredibly important. But these Australians need support to manage these conditions right now. For my constituents with chronic conditions, this will make a huge difference. They'll have another option to have their long-term medications prescribed to them, and it'll take pressure off the health system they rely on, meaning better access to doctors and hospitals when they need them.”
“For everyday Australians it will mean more available appointments with your GP, with RNs helping out with long-term prescriptions, easing the pressure on GPs. And it will relieve pressure on our emergency departments so you can see a doctor faster. For older Australians, it could mean having your medicine prescribed in the comfort of your own home instead of making the trek out to the doctors. And, for nurses, it'll mean the opportunity to use the full scope of their practice. In my electorate of Gorton, access to health services is an area that's struggling to keep up with demand. According to the last census, more than 28,000 people in Gorton have a long-term health condition.”
“This registration standard was developed in consultation with numerous stakeholders in the industry, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Medical Association, palliative care services, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives and the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association. I'm really proud to be up here supporting this bill. This bill brings in practical, grounded change that will have real-world impacts when it comes to affordable, accessible health care for all Australians and, so importantly, support for Australians managing chronic health conditions. It's us looking at the system, recognising that there's potential for the better use of resources and effectiveness and making a change that will have an immediate impact.”
“It seeks to implement reforms identified by the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and the subsequent scope-of-practice review. It's also underpinned by comprehensive research and consultation by the Nursing and Midwifery Board, who investigated the potential for registered nurses working to their full scope of practice to better health outcomes for Australians. A designated RN prescriber registration standard has been developed and came into effect in September 2025. The standard describes the necessary qualifications that a registered nurse must demonstrate when applying to the NMBA to attain and retain the endorsement of scheduled medicines.”
“Allowing them to prescribe under the PBS will boost efficiency, strengthen care coordination and free up GPs and nurse practitioners to focus on patients with more complex needs, as well as support the discharge and outpatient processes in hospitals so that more people can be seen quicker. And it will strengthen the health system by easing workforce pressures and building long-term capacity and sustainability. This change has been landed on after extensive research and consultation. In 2022, we announced that, if elected, we would establish a strengthening Medicare taskforce to provide advice on boosting affordability, access and support for patients with ongoing and chronic illness in primary care. This bill is the product of our continued commitment to better health outcomes for Australians with ongoing and chronic illness.”
“It's the largest clinical workforce in Australia. Registered nurses go through intensive training, often including more than 800 hours of clinical placements. And I know my friend the member for Bullwinkel is a wonderful nurse. We have many nurses in the House on our side of the chamber. There's no doubt they are highly skilled and highly educated. They work in many contexts, including hospitals, clinics, general practices, residential aged-care services, urgent care clinics and also in the House of Representatives, yet their expertise has not been fully utilised in primary care.”
“We also amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to include registered nurses, enabling review of the provision of their prescribing services by the Professional Services Review Scheme. This bill will allow registered nurses to prescribe medicines under the PBS, and the medicines able to be prescribed under the PBS will be considered by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, or PBAC. With this legislation, registered nurses will be empowered to deliver high-quality care directly to people in the community. For those who receive care from RNs, it will mean less GP visits or long waits in hospital emergency departments. For others, it will mean better access to doctors and emergency care when they need it. In Australia, we have a workforce of more than 450,000 registered nurses and midwives.”
“This bill is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the Albanese Labor government delivering on our commitment to make sure that health care is affordable and accessible for every Australian and that, for Australians with a chronic health condition, looking after their health is easier and more manageable. It's a practical bill which mobilises our existing workforce of registered nurses to deliver timely, affordable and accessible prescriptions and delivers for all Australians. With this bill, we amend the National Health Act 1953 to allow a registered nurse endorsed against the registration standard to prescribe certain medicines that can be supplied under the PBS and attract Commonwealth subsidy.”
“I rise to speak in support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 brought forward by the Minister for Health and Ageing, and I commend him for doing so. This bill is about making it easier for Australians to access the prescription medicine they need. It's about lightening the load for hospital emergency departments and GPs. It's about empowering our highly skilled, highly educated workforce of registered nurses to do what they were trained to do. It's about equitable access to health care for all Australians, including those managing chronic diseases and health conditions and those living in regional, rural and remote areas, who feel issues with access to health care even more keenly.”
“My question is to the Minister for Education. As students across the country head back to school, what is the Albanese Labor government doing to ensure Australian kids get the best start possible? Why is it so important to deliver, rather than divide, on school education?”
“They struggle to find a coherent position to scrutinise the government from. Last month brought us a clear example. They insisted we recall parliament early. Fine. Done. Then, when we recalled parliament early, they told us it was rushed. There is no consistent position in the 'no-alition', and it's no wonder because, looking over there at the Libs and way over there at the Nats, right now, I can't see a coalition at all—and I'm wearing my contact lenses today! Their inconsistency on key issues and their failure to form a functioning opposition is not helping Australians. This motion is not government scrutiny; it's a thinly veiled attempt to distract from their own political infighting and, quite frankly, it's just not working. I thank the House.”
“These are real cost-of-living measures that are making a difference to household budgets around the country, real cost-of-living measures that those opposite consistently voted against. Tell that to the families in Melbourne's western suburbs. Tell that to my community. We are listening to communities like mine, and we are responding. Meanwhile, by the way, we're appropriately managing inflation. When Labor came to government in 2022, the inflation rate had a six in front of it—a six. Now it's got a three in front of it. We've had two budget surpluses, and we've used those to pay down debt. Compared to what we inherited, wages are up and unemployment is low. To be clear, those opposite call this reckless spending, yet they can't string together a reasonable policy agenda. They're inconsistent.”
“It's why we've delivered a tax cut for every Australian and will deliver a further tax cut this year and another one next year. Then there's the three-day childcare guarantee, paid prac and the biggest ever investment in Medicare so people can see a GP for free. And then there's free TAFE. It's actually free TAFE's third birthday. That's three years of free vocational education and training for Australians—something that unlocks doors and something that I know well. Thanks to free TAFE, my husband, Chris, can retrain to become a sparky. All this comes alongside our most recent announcement of $25 billion to state and territory governments for public hospitals as part of a landmark agreement. I could go on, but the point is that this is not reckless spending.”
“In my own electorate of Gorton, Labor's expanded home guarantee scheme has meant more than 1,800 people have been able to buy their first home. That's real change for real families. And we're building more homes. In Labor's last term in government, we built 500,000 homes, and we're delivering more than 21,000 new social and affordable homes right across the country through round 3 of the Housing Australia Future Fund, its largest round yet. There's no doubt today is a tough day for mortgage holders. It's why we've cut student debt by 20 per cent. It's why we've given every Australian household energy bill relief. It's why we've added more medicines to the PBS and capped costs for PBS listed medicines at $25. It's why we've increased the LISTO and raised the eligibility threshold to give low-income workers a superannuation boost.”
“If the new season of Married at First Sight tanks, channel 9 has some new material to draw from right across this chamber. Those opposite want to talk about Labor's cost-of-living relief. Sure—I'd be more than happy to oblige. The Albanese Labor government is delivering real cost-of-living relief for all Australians. As the member for Gorton, I've spoken to many members of my community about the cost of living—young people struggling to get into the housing market, people on pensions struggling to make ends meet when they pay their bills, a generation saddled with student debt. People are doing it tough; there's no doubt about that. That's exactly why we've introduced the five per cent deposit scheme and expanded eligibility to all first home buyers, so more people can break into the housing market.”
“I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for this fantastic opportunity to talk about the important measures the Albanese Labor government has taken to ease the cost of living for families right around the country. We have spent this entire term in government focused on the needs of the Australian community, delivering for all Australians. The Liberals and the Nationals—the 'no-alition'—on the other hand have spent their entire time in opposition focused on themselves and their own political infighting. If those opposite want to talk about failure, they should be focusing on the failure of their own coalition. There have been so many break-ups, reshuffles, get-back-togethers and will-they-won't-theys that I'm not even sure who's on the front bench any more. Seriously, I cannot handle another seating plan.”
“Hanukkah is a story of survival—of hope and light, and of good triumphing over evil. We will let that message of hope and unity guide and inspire us, and we will act on it. I commend this motion to the House.”
“Like young Matilda's parents, who left Ukraine for a safer life in Australia, many of my constituents came to Australia to build a better life for their families. About one-third of people in my electorate of Gorton were born overseas. What we saw at Bondi was the worst of what hatred can become. People in my diverse community are no strangers to the everyday experience of hate. It is unacceptable that fear should shape the lives of any Australian. In moments like these, how we respond in this chamber matters. The country looks to us, and we set the tone for the nation. After the Port Arthur massacre, the Bali bombings, the Lindt Cafe siege in Martin Place in Sydney and during COVID there was unity in this place. I thank my colleagues for standing united. We stand together in grief and in action.”
“We are a nation built by migration and strengthened by multiculturalism. We are a nation of resilience, strength and endurance, where we look after each other and where hatred and extremism will not be tolerated. A month on, this is what we will choose to remember from that dark day. But the attack didn't come from thin air. Children aren't born hateful, they learn it. And this kind of hatred is not Australian. Neo-Nazis proudly showing their faces outside a state Parliament House is not Australia. Attacks on places of worship are not Australia. Terror attacks in our cities, on our streets and on our beaches are not Australia, and we refuse to let those be Australia. I'm proud to represent one of the fastest-growing diverse electorates in the country.”
“And then there's the heroism of everyday Australians, the men and women who responded at the scene: those who ran towards danger and those who comforted and protected others. Those like Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled the gunman and wrestled the gun out of his hand. Despite being shot twice, he kept going and, in doing so, saved the lives of countless people. Or like Jessica or 14-year-old Chaya, who each shielded toddlers they had never met before; they held and comforted them during the attack. Jessica and Chaya were both injured protecting the children. Or like Constable Dyson, a police officer who was profoundly injured while trying to protect his community. These acts of courage are essentially what it means to be Australian. In a moment that tested us, true heroism, bravery and selflessness came through. That is who we are.”
“Australia is braver than those who seek to make us afraid. I cannot express enough gratitude for those who risked their lives in aiding the victims, including members of the local lifesaving clubs; frontline responders such as New South Wales police and New South Wales ambulance and healthcare workers; and community groups such as Community Safety Group and Hatzolah. I want to repeat a statement made by the New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns, that members of the New South Wales police force, including two who were left in critical care, were shot in the front and not in the back. When our Australia was tested, our selfless public service ran towards the violence—risking their own lives to save others. That is the true meaning of public service.”
“I rise to speak on the Prime Minister's condolence motion this afternoon and, like my many colleagues before me, express my deepest sympathies for the families and loved ones of the 15 innocent people murdered at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025—15 innocent lives lost: Boris and Sofia, Rabbi Schlanger, Dan, Peter, Alexander, Reuven, Rabbi Levitan, Tibor, Marika, Edith, Boris, Adam, Tanya and darling Matilda. To these families, the Bondi community and the entire country: we mourn with you, and we commit to doing everything we can to prevent something like this from ever happening again. This is a dark moment for our nation. This horrific act of terrorism on Jewish Australians was an attack on every single Australian. There is no place for this antisemitism, hatred, violence and terrorism in our country.”
“As we head in the Christmas break, what have the coalition achieved? They've spent most of this year fighting amongst themselves and badmouthing each other. We've seen little tangible policy or meaningful scrutiny from them at all. Today they lost a member! If they want to know what it looks like to represent their constituents and Australia's interests part time, they only need to look at themselves. We on this side of the House, our government, will continue to work full time on building Australia's future. (Time expired)”