Gabriel Ng
Menzies · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Labor stands for equality of opportunity, and at the heart of equality of opportunity is accessible, universal health care. That's why, from 1 July, we'll deliver over $25 billion in additional funding for public hospitals over five years, including $5.8 billion in Victoria alone for places like Box Hill Hospital, which do so much to supp…”
“Since we cut the maximum cost of PBS medicines to $25—and $7.70 for concession card holders—members of our community have saved over $600,000 at the pharmacy counter. Some of these medicines would have cost patients tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.”
“Happy financial New Year Eve, as everyone says. Every single day, the Albanese Labor government is focused on making things better for hardworking Australians in my community, in Menzies, and right across the country.”
“From tomorrow, the $20,000 instant asset write-off becomes permanent, helping small businesses right across the country with their cash flow. From tomorrow, paid parental leave reaches a full 26 weeks—six months of support for new parents to be shared amongst them, as they see fit.”
“A couple of weeks ago, I joined the Bulleen-Templestowe Basketball Club at their Big Freeze at the B to raise funds to fight MND. Coaches, clubs, volunteers and, yes, even their local federal MP put their hands up for the ice bucket challenge.”
“The good news is that survival rates have dramatically improved, with over 80 per cent of children surviving with treatment. That progress is a direct result of research, funding and the dedication of clinicians and scientists.”
The complete record
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“I rise today to recognise that it has been 50 years since the introduction of the Racial Discrimination Act, Australia's first antidiscrimination law. For most in this place there would now be broad agreement that we need laws to prevent racial discrimination. However, the Racial Discrimination Act is like many progressive reforms that are now such fundamental parts of Australian society that they are sometimes taken for granted. Reforms like Medicare and superannuation required sustained effort and a deep commitment to principle to get the legislation passed—the kind of effort and principle that only Labor governments show, in this case the Whitlam Labor government. Like other important Labor government reforms, it was opposed by the then Liberal Country Party coalition.”
“Neglect also extended to our local jobs and economic growth. The eastern suburbs should be a powerhouse of innovation and enterprise, yet little was done to cultivate new industries, to support our local retail and hospitality sectors or to attract high-value research and technology. Many small business owners— A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 13:21 to 16:06”
“In Menzies we pride ourselves on the schools across our suburbs. They are full of dedicated teachers and students who want to excel, and families move into the electorate for high-quality education. We have some of the top-performing public schools, in terms of VCE results, in the entire state. But this kind of excellence doesn't come without the necessary investments. For more than a decade, schools across Australia, including those in Menzies, were left underfunded. Liberal governments treated public education as an afterthought. We have delivered increased funding for every single public school in Menzies, closing the gap and increasing the proportion of federal funding to 25 per cent. With full and fair funding for every single school in Menzies on an as-needs basis, we're finally delivering on the promise of the Gonski model.”
“It is a foundation of a healthy society, yet those opposite froze the Medicare rebate for almost the entire time that they were in government last time—first under the previous opposition leader and then for six years under the current opposition leader. People across Menzies watched as public health funding was cut nationwide while they waited longer for GP appointments and sat on waiting lists for specialist services. Our government is turning things around. On 1 November our tripling of the Medicare bulk-billing incentive kicked in. We know that 17 GPs across Menzies have expressed interest in becoming fully bulk-billed, and that means that local families will be able to get the health care that they need when they need it, without out-of-pocket costs. What about education?”
“It was literally eaten by termites and falling apart so that, if you were walking around, you'd worry that your foot would fall through the floor. I'm proud to have been able to deliver $187,500 to repair this iconic local building and make sure that the pottery group can continue to use this space to grow their group and all the benefits that come from artistic expression as well as the community that it brings. Take as well our local health providers. Under the coalition government, Medicare rebates failed to keep pace with the cost of care, and bulk-billing declined. When I'm knocking on doors, local families, retirees and young people complain to me that they found themselves paying more out of pocket to see a doctor. We know that primary health care is not a luxury.”
“We also committed $3.9 million at the election for upgrades to RHL Sparks Reserve for their Box Hill United Football Club, which will mean that they can upgrade one of their pitches to a synthetic pitch, play and train more of the year, and have to play fewer games away. Planning is already underway with our great local councils on delivery of these commitments. Consider as well our arts community. We have a fantastic local arts community. Recently I've been able to attend the Box Hill artist association's exhibition, Box Hill South Neighbourhood House art show and the Box Hill Rotary art show. But again our arts infrastructure has been neglected, and there was no better example of this than the Warrandyte arts' old firehouse.”
“Speaking with these clubs, I heard time and time again how the growth in these sports meant that clubs were straining against the constraints of ageing infrastructure. There was increased interest from women and girls in participating in sports but no change rooms to accommodate them. Netball and soccer are absolutely booming in Melbourne's east, but the pitches couldn't meet the demand for training sessions and for matches, so people have had to travel far away in order to play a game. That is why I'm so proud to have been able to secure meaningful investment in our local clubs, including $3.5 million for key facility upgrades for the Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club, which will mean that they can have female-friendly change rooms and upgrade their facilities to meet regulations—go Boomers!”
“Manningham in the northern part of my electorate is the only electorate in metropolitan Melbourne that doesn't have a train station. That is why we are investing $2.2 billion in the Suburban Rail Loop East and why in recent weeks when the Prime Minister visited Melbourne he pledged further support for the Suburban Rail Loop, to be detailed in the upcoming budget. Consider as well our local sporting infrastructure. It has been a privilege to get to know our local sporting clubs better—to meet their volunteer committees and see how much their members, young and old, get out and participate in sport. Yes, there are health benefits, but more important are the benefits of being part of a community united around a shared love of footy, soccer, cricket, basketball or netball.”
“That is why this Labor government, with my advocacy, has committed $25 million for upgrading the five-way intersection at Warrandyte for planning and early works and committed $5 billion for the North East Link project. This will ensure that local trucks are taken off roads, and the widening of the freeway will make sure that local families can get home quicker and safer, and spend less time in traffic. That is what actual investment is and actual action looks like. That is what delivering for Menzies is all about. Congestion punishes parents on the school run. It drains productivity, and it costs tradies time and income. There has been a lack of investment in public transport as well, which forces people into cars even when they would rather use alternatives.”
“It creates a culture of arrogance—a belief that the community is not worth engaging with, listening to or advocating for. Consider, for example, our local infrastructure. Anyone who spends time on Ringwood-Warrandyte Road near the Warrandyte Five Ways intersection, or on the crowded corridors heading towards the Eastern Freeway, understands what long-term neglect looks like. For decades, locals have raised concerns about the Warrandyte five-way intersection. Over 8,000 cars go through there every day, but there are blind corners and near misses all the time. They raise concerns about safety and school drop-off congestion. They complained about more time spent in traffic than at home with family. Local Liberal MPs heard these concerns, acknowledged them and then did nothing.”
“That is why, as often as I am able, when I am in Menzies I attend community groups, schools, sporting clubs and citizenship ceremonies. That is why I knock on people's doors, call them on the phone and stand around on the street at places like Blackburn Market and Macedon Plaza. That is why, whenever I'm here, I take the opportunity to meet with ministers and other members of our caucus to raise the issues that my community raises with me and advocate for better services. For too long, successive Liberal governments treated the families of Doncaster, Doncaster East, Bulleen, and Templestowe, Warrandyte and other areas in my electorate as if they were safe political assets—an electorate to be banked, not to be invested in. When an electorate is viewed this way, neglect is inevitable.”
“I rise today to speak about the way that my electorate of Menzies was, for far too long, neglected as a safe Liberal seat since it was created in 1984. Sadly, being a safe Liberal seat meant that the people of Menzies were taken for granted. I have seen first hand, growing up in Doncaster and raising a family in Donvale, how much our area has been left behind and ignored by successive Liberal governments. Ultimately, this is one of the things that drove me to put up my hand. I knew our area deserved better and I remain honoured and humbled that the people of Menzies supported me to represent the area that I grew up in and that I love. I say to the people of Menzies: I will never take your vote for granted. I will never stop listening to you. I will never stop advocating for you and I will do everything I can to deliver for you.”
“But this investment—backed by record funding, a growing workforce and a renewed focus on lived experience—is a decisive step forward. Mental health is not a marginal issue; it is a national priority. We are tackling stigma, we are improving access and we are investing in the workforce, and, most importantly, we are giving Australians the confidence to seek help and the support they deserve when they do. This is the leadership in mental health our country has long needed. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 12:58 to 17:00 The House of Representatives having adjourned— Federation Chamber adjourned at 17:00”
“For someone in crisis the difference between being seen immediately and waiting weeks can be the difference between despair and recovery. For families these reforms mean hope and relief—knowing that help is nearby, free and available without stigma. This is what leadership looks like. It is about meeting Australians where they are and ensuring that no-one is left behind. Through new perinatal centres, kids hubs, expanded headspace sites and community based Medicare mental health centres, the Albanese government is creating a comprehensive national network of care that supports Australians from early childhood through to later life. We know there is still work to do. I want a society and a system where mental health is treated with the same priority as physical health.”
“That is why we are professionalising the peer workforce, establishing a new national peer workforce association and conducting the first ever census of peer workers next year. These changes are practical and far-reaching. They mean Australians will no longer have to wait for a crisis before accessing care. They will be able to find help sooner in their own communities from people who understand. The government is also improving navigation. The Medicare mental health phone line, which is 1800595212, and website will help Australians find the best service suited to their needs—whether that is walk-in care, a telehealth appointment or a local peer support worker. Accessibility and early support saves lives.”
“We know there are not enough services to help people with acute mental health issues and not enough beds that people can go to, and we know that there is a missing middle in terms of the support that's available for people with serious mental health issues. The government is funding more than 4,000 psychology scholarships, internships and training places to attract and retain qualified professionals across the country. We also recognise that clinical expertise is not the only form of knowledge that matters. Lived experience plays a vital role in recovery. At Box Hill headspace I met a peer support worker who was drawing on her own difficult experience and professional training to provide support to others. Sometimes it is only someone who has been through the same experience who can understand and who you can feel comfortable leaning on.”
“From early next year the government will introduce a national early intervention service. It will provide free phone based and online mental health support delivered by trained professionals. It is expected to assist more than 150,000 people every year. It will give Australians a way to seek help wherever they are, day or night. Together these initiatives will help reduce pressure on the private psychology service system and ensure that cost and location no longer determine who gets help. We are also building the workforce that will deliver this care. We know there is a shortage of mental health workers. It can often take too long to get an appointment once people take the brave step to reach out for help.”
“A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 12:43 to 12:53 I recently visited headspace in Box Hill alongside Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride. There I met the dedicated staff who are providing essential support and tirelessly reaching out into the community, including our multicultural communities, to increase awareness of their services. I also met their youth consultative committee, committed young advocates who are taking time out between exams to ensure the voices of young people are heard in designing services. Headspace has long been one of the most trusted youth mental health services, and this expansion means more young Australians will be able to access support in their own communities, rather than waiting months or travelling long distances.”
“We are creating 20 perinatal mental health centres to support new and expectant parents during what can be a very vulnerable period. For many Australians, parenthood can bring loneliness and anxiety as well as joy. These centres will be providing counselling and support close to home, helping parents care for both their children and themselves. We're also rolling out 17 Medicare mental health kids hubs to help children and families with behavioural, emotional and social wellbeing challenges. Early support in childhood can prevent more serious mental health issues later in life, and these hubs will provide that early family centred care. At the same time, we are expanding 203 headspace services across the country to support young people aged 12 to 25.”
“As part of our plan to strengthen Medicare, we've made a $1.1 billion commitment to deliver new and expanded mental health services across the country. This is the most significant investment in community based mental health care in a generation. It recognises that prevention and early intervention are just as vital as treatment. This investment will support Australians across every stage of life. We are establishing 91 Medicare mental health centres across the nation, including one in Box Hill, in my electorate. These centres will be free, will be open for walk-ins and will not require a referral or a mental health treatment plan. They will be staffed by multidisciplinary teams of psychologists, social workers, nurses and peer support workers who can provide immediate, practical and compassionate care.”
“If we are to build a more compassionate and resilient country, we must challenge that culture of silence and replace it with one of openness and support, where mental health is treated the same as physical health. Over recent years, the demand for services has grown sharply. The causes are complex. The pandemic, social isolation, housing stress and financial pressures have all left a mark. Young people face new pressures from social media, climate anxiety and disrupted education. Parents and carers are watching their children struggle too, often unable to find the right support. For too long, services were underfunded, fragmented and difficult to access. The system has not kept up with the level of need. The Albanese Labor government is changing that.”
“Maybe the reason it is not at the forefront of people's minds or they are reluctant to raise it is stigma. We've come a long way in a short time in reducing stigma. When some of my mates—women and men—were younger, they might have been reluctant to talk about seeing a counsellor or psychologist or needing medication. They are now much more likely to talk about their troubles openly. But across Australia too many people still face stigma when they speak about their mental health. Too many believe that seeking help is a weakness rather than a strength. Too many young people hide their struggles, fearful that others will not understand.”
“I rise today to speak on Mental Health Month, which, of course, occurred in October. Like most people in this House, I have family and friends who have been impacted by mental health issues. I understand the day-to-day impacts of mental health—how it can sap the joy from everyday activities, like spending time with family and friends, and how severe mental illness can be just as life threatening as a physical illness. Mental health is rarely the first issue that people raise when I speak to them, when I'm out doorknocking, at a street stall or visiting schools. But it is an issue that comes out regularly over the course of a conversation or when I tell people about our investments in mental health, particularly when it comes to young people or adolescents.”
“The Greens and the coalition have a choice about whether to play a constructive role in protecting the environment and improving efficiency for projects of national significance. The Albanese Labor government is getting on with the job of reform. I commend the bills to the House.”
“The EPA will also oversee the implementation of national standards under bilateral agreements with the states and territories, ensuring consistency across all jurisdictions. The bill also strengthens First Nations engagement in environmental decision-making. Traditional owners will be incorporated into environmental assessment and conservation planning. The Indigenous Advisory Committee will be formally consulted on the development of national environmental standards relating to First Nations engagement. This package of bills is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our environmental laws. It builds on decades of Labor leadership and responds directly to the Samuel review's call for comprehensive reform.”
“This new, independent regulator will be responsible for compliance, enforcement and oversight across key environmental laws. The EPA will have statutory authority to issue permits, licences and enforcement actions. It will act independently of governments in its regulatory functions, ensuring that decisions are based upon law and science, not politics. For the first time, Australians will have a national watchdog focused solely on protecting the environment. The EPA will also play a proactive role in helping businesses and the community understand their obligations. It will provide education and guidance, ensuring that compliance is achieved through support as well as enforcement.”
“It may also be used in rare circumstances where a project is clearly in the national interest and the minister provides a public statement of reasons. Approval can proceed even if all environmental standards are not yet met. It maintains accountability for the minister, but it ensures there is some flexibility for exceptional circumstances. The third pillar delivers one of Labor's central election commitments: the creation of Australia's first National Environmental Protection Agency. I was out doorknocking in Surrey Hills on the weekend just past in my electorate of Menzies, talking to people about the need for an independent EPA. Again and again, people agreed it was a reform that Australia needed, a reform that was overdue.”
“By working in close partnership with states and territories, bioregional plans will provide faster approvals and better outcomes at a landscape scale. These reforms will also streamline assessment pathways. Six outdated pathways will be replaced with one modern and efficient process supported by a simplified environmental impact statement pathway. The new system will reduce the approval timeframes by up to 20 days, cutting the statutory period from 70 days to 50 days or fewer. This will save businesses time and the economy an estimated $500 million each year. The bills will also provide flexibility for urgent national interest projects. This includes emergency situations, such as natural disasters like bushfires, when land clearing may need to take place to protect further destruction.”
“The second pillar focuses on fixing a system that has become slow, inconsistent and confusing. Under the current EPBC Act, project assessments can take too long, with duplication between Commonwealth and state projects. These delays hold back investment in housing projects and in renewable energy projects, and they do not deliver better environmental results. These bills introduce large-scale bioregional planning. Instead of assessing projects one by one, we will map entire regions to identify development zones, conservation zones and areas in between. In development zones, projects will be able to proceed after registration with the minister. In conservation zones, projects will be prohibited unless a specific exemption is granted.”
“They expand audit powers to allow both compliance and directed national environmental audits, and they strengthen the ability of courts to impose proportional and meaningful penalties. The bills also introduce a new principle: projects must deliver a net gain for the environment—not just 'no net loss', but real improvement. Proponents with residual environmental impacts must compensate those impacts to a net positive outcome. They can do so by either delivering their own offsets or paying a restoration contribution into a new Commonwealth fund. That fund will be used to deliver large-scale restoration projects that achieve the best outcomes for the environment. This approach is better for nature and it's more efficient for business. It allows for strategic and pooled investment in areas that most need restoration.”
“Businesses will know the rules, communities will know their rights and the environment will have guaranteed protection under law. To make sure the standards are never watered down, these bills include a 'no regression' rule. The bills also make it clear that some damage is simply unacceptable. Projects that cause unacceptable harm to protected matters will not be approved. These impacts cannot be traded away or offset. They must be avoided or mitigated before approval is granted. For those who ignore the law, there will be consequences. The bills introduce higher criminal penalties and a new civil penalty formula based on corporate law models. They establish new environmental protection orders that can be issued in urgent situations to prevent or remedy serious harm.”
“The Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and six associated bills are not just about protecting the environment; they're about safeguarding Australia's future and creating a system that can protect nature while supporting the economic projects that our nation needs. This package of bills remains faithful to the spirit of the Samuel review. It is built around three key pillars. The first pillar delivers on the central recommendation of the Samuel review: enforceable national environmental standards. The minister will be able to set clear, legally binding standards for matters of national environmental significance. These standards will apply to every decision under the EPBC Act. The goal is consistency, certainty and continuous environmental improvement.”
“They do not work for nature, they do not work for business and they do not work for communities. This was made clear in the Samuel review delivered five years ago to the then minister for the environment—who is now the opposition leader. The review laid out a comprehensive set of recommendations to fundamentally reform how environmental impacts and approvals are managed in this country. The coalition government sat on the review. Then they teamed up with the Greens and the Liberals to block reform when we brought it in the last term of government. We know that reform is needed—and we're acting.”
“While we might not always agree, we have a shared commitment to the future of Australia's environment. That is why it's important to make sure that people like Sally know that the Labor Party is the party for the environment. Every major environmental reform in Australia's history has been led by the Labor government. It was Labor that created Landcare, Labor that saved the Franklin, Labor that protected the Daintree and Kakadu, Labor that built the largest network of marine parks in the world and Labor that took real and measurable action on climate change. And once again, it is a Labor government that is taking the next great step to reform our national environment laws so that we protect nature for generations to come. Our current environmental laws are outdated, inefficient and ineffective.”
“Groups like Menzies for Climate and the Australian Conservation Foundation Eastern Rosellas have become familiar faces in Menzies. They care deeply about the land, the rivers and the future we will leave behind for our children and grandchildren. During the election campaign, you would see people like Sally, from Menzies for Climate, everywhere. She fights the good fight because she believes in protecting the environment. For her, it's personal. It's about the generations that follow, about her children and grandchildren. That is why I've always welcomed her and her group into my office to share their concerns and ideas. I've invited them to meet with the Special Envoy for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience, the member for Jagajaga, Kate Thwaites, so their voices can be heard at a national level.”
“In Menzies, the electorate I am honoured to represent, we are blessed with a beautiful natural environment. The mighty Yarra River forms the northern boundary of the electorate. It runs through Warrandyte, where you can swim in the river or hike on the Goldfields Track. It runs around the beautiful Westerfolds Park, around the gardens of Heide Gallery and Banksia Park. We've got great tracks for cycling and jogging like the Koonung Creek trail and Gardiners Creek trail. We also have fantastic green spaces, like Ruffey Lake Park, Box Hill Gardens and Wurundjeri Walk, that are well loved by the community. People in Menzies care deeply about the environment and the climate. Every Wednesday, people stand outside my electorate office holding signs and calling for stronger action on environmental protection.”
“It's also about protecting public servants, keeping up with technology and making sure that FOI in 2025 and the years to come looks like a tool of democracy and not a tool of disruption. Transparency must work in practice, not only in theory. The bill delivers that. It modernises the act, implements the Hawke review, future-proofs the system against automated abuse and keeps personal access free for the vast majority of applicants. It makes reviews faster. More importantly, it puts genuine applicants back at the centre of the FOI system. That is what good government looks like. It's transparent, accessible and effective. I commend the bill to the chamber.”
“This bill is not about making it harder for Australians to get information; it is about making it possible for Australians to get information in a system that is being overwhelmed by claims that do not reflect the genuine needs of members of the community to have access to documents regarding personal information, that do not reflect the genuine needs of the press to properly scrutinise government and that do not reflect the genuine needs of members of the community and community organisations to better understand government decisions. As I said before, for the number of requests we receive, the amount of resources that are going into meeting these requests is not sustainable. It is increasing at a significant rate, and we want to make sure public resources are used for what they are supposed to be used for.”
“This bill makes that plain. The content and the purpose of the document determine whether the exemption applies, not a label. That is a fair outcome. It protects cabinet where necessary and it prevents the misuse of the exemption. This is an important clarification of a term that has been ambiguous for a long time. Finally, this bill deals with what happens when a minister leaves office or changes portfolio. There has been uncertainty since the recent Federal Court decision. The bill sets out practical processes so outgoing ministers can facilitate access and so incoming ministers are not put in the position of deciding on sensitive material from a previous government. That respects long-standing convention and it gives applicants certainty.”
“When the FOI Act was first introduced, Senator Durack said, 'The general right of access must be limited for the protection of essential public interest.' That was true in 1981 and it is still true now. Cabinet confidentiality is really important to the proper functioning of government. Ministers must be able to test proposals, disagree, change their minds and finally reach a collective position. If every step of that process is exposed in real time, cabinet becomes performance not deliberation, advice becomes cautious, and collective responsibility weakens. Schedule 7 therefore clarifies the cabinet exemption so it protects what it is meant to protect and only that. It responds to the 2023 royal commission into the robodebt scheme, which identified that simply putting the word 'cabinet' on a document is not enough.”
“I'll say that again because I think there has been misinformation on this point: the bill is clear that requests for a person's own personal information will not attract a fee. In 2023-24, around 72 per cent of FOI requests were for personal information, so those requests will not attract a fee. Three out of four requests will still be free. There will be a provision for fee waivers, including for financial hardship. The principle of access is preserved and the principle of responsible use of public resources is also preserved. I want to turn to cabinet documents, because some on the crossbench and in parts of the community have been raising this.”
“All of this will allow the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to focus on real disputes and systemic issues instead of procedural clutter. Another important question is regarding fees. Schedule 6 of the FOI bill allows an application fee to be set in regulations for FOI requests, internal reviews and Information Commissioner reviews. Every other Australian jurisdiction except for the ACT already has some form of fee. The Commonwealth is the outlier here. A modest fee helps to deter frivolous or automated requests that chew up time and money. At the same time, the bill is crystal clear that requests for a person's own personal information will not attract a fee.”
“These are small-sounding changes but, together, they remove friction from the system, increase productivity and make the system more efficient. We are also improving the operation of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The bill gives the Information Commissioner the power to remit matters back to agencies with directions. That means a matter can be fixed where it started, instead of sitting in a long queue. It allows matters to be resolved by agreement, which is faster and cheaper than a full written decision. It limits automatic parties in a review to the applicant and respondent, which removes unnecessary complexity while still allowing affected third parties to apply to join.”
“However, where a single request would take days and days of an officer's time, the agency can limit it, explain why and then get on with the other important work they do in serving the public. Forty hours is a pretty reasonable amount of time to be able to spend on a single FOI request. This is good administration. This legislation will also improve the review processes. It stops concurrent internal and Information Commissioner reviews, which only create delay and confusion. It streamlines extensions of time. It confirms that an agency still has to make decisions, even if the deadline has passed, so applicants are not left in limbo—they're not left waiting too long. It also moves timeframes from calendar days to working days, reflecting how the Public Service actually operates.”
“An applicant will have to provide their name, and, if they are acting for somebody else, they will have to say so. This is a sensible reform. It prevents misuse, including by offshore actors, and it allows agencies to identify where one person is lodging multiple related requests to overwhelm public services. The bill deals with practical refusals and the use of public resources. We are clarifying how the existing practical refusal provisions operate and how the Information Commissioner should handle reviews of those decisions. More importantly, it introduces a discretionary 40-hour processing cap, as recommended by the Hawke review. This is a real balance point. Applicants retain the right to seek information and agencies retain the obligation to provide it.”
“This bill deals with the practical reality that agencies are being swamped. It modernises how FOI and review applications can be lodged with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. That will allow early triage and better digital processing. It ensures that employee-identifying information does not have to be published in every notice or release, except where there is a proper reason. That protects the safety and privacy of staff, which is increasingly important when requests are used to target individuals. We are also tackling abuse of process. Agencies will be able to decline requests that are vexatious, frivolous, harassing or simply an attempt to swamp the system. That power will itself be reviewable by the Information Commissioner so that accountability is preserved. The bill also ends anonymous FOI applications.”
“The bill does four important things: it modernises the framework, it streamlines access requests, it protects the integrity of cabinet-level decision-making and it implements longstanding recommendations from the 2013 Hawke review that every government since has been told to deal with. First, in regard to modernisation, we are making the foundations of the freedom of information laws fit for purpose. This bill will update the objects of the act so that it is clear that FOI is about both accountable government and effective government. It clarifies what is and is not a document of an agency. If something on a government system is purely personal and has nothing to do with the conduct of public business, it should not be dragged into FOI. This protects staff and keeps the act focused on government work. Second, it streamlines access.”
“It is sometimes used anonymously, which creates a serious integrity risk in a world where hostile actors can automate requests on a large scale. The current act did not anticipate any of that. Our job is to fix it. The bill does not walk away from transparency; it restores it. It restores it by making the system workable again so that real requests can be answered in a reasonable time. It restores it by making sure public money is spent on access to information that Australians actually need, not on administration generated by automated systems or by repeat applicants. It restores it by protecting public servants, who should not have their names and personal details published in ways that expose them to abuse.”
“Public servants spent more than one million hours on FOI processing in that year alone. We cannot continue on that trajectory. That is one million hours that these public servants could have spent delivering services to people. This was one million hours not spent on assessing payments, helping veterans, helping migrants, processing visas or helping a business or a community organisation. When every request, no matter how broad or vexatious or repetitive, must be treated the same way, the system is pulled away from genuine applicants. We also know—and it is time to say this plainly—that FOI is not always being used in the public interest. It is sometimes used as a political tool to tie up agencies. It is sometimes used to harass or contact public servants in unacceptable ways.”
“Their outdatedness risks creating an unsustainable impost on public services and public resources as well as on the budget. The sheer volume of electronic records generated by public sector agencies would have been unimaginable for the drafters of the FOI Act. Some requests for freedom of information can be large and complex. There are also increasingly vexatious or frivolous requests. This is exacerbated by the fact that the current FOI laws allow requests to be lodged anonymously, creating the risk that this could be exploited by offshore actors and through the use of Al. We now have agencies like the Department of Home Affairs holding close to one billion records in a single system. In 2023-24, the Commonwealth spent $86.2 million processing FOI requests, which was a 23 per cent increase on the year before.”