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.”
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“The freedom of information regime is vital to the functioning of our democracy. It allows members of the public to better understand government. It provides people the opportunity to obtain personal information held by government agencies, including decision records from Centrelink and immigration and other government services, so that they can understand and, if they feel the need, appeal decisions that have profound effects on their lives—for example, whether or not they are allowed to access family tax benefits or be granted a visa to remain in Australia or be granted access to disability supports. The freedom of information regime also provides an important tool for the press to scrutinise government. However, our freedom of information laws are no longer fit for purpose.”
“I rise today to speak in favour of the Freedom of Information Bill 2025. The Freedom of Information Act is over 40 years old—even older than me, and that is saying something! In 1982, when the Freedom of Information Act was legislated, the first computers were just being invented, there were no electronic records, and we were on the cusp of entering the first glorious years of the Hawke government. This bill creates the necessary and overdue reform to our freedom of information laws, which are a cornerstone of a transparent and accountable government. Since its election, the Albanese Labor government have demonstrated time and time again our commitment to restoring trust and integrity in government. We understand that governments must be willing to be open to public scrutiny and answerable to public accountability.”
“It was heaps of fun, but I know that it took a lot of work on the part of the Jackson Court Traders Association. It wasn't just about providing a great event for children. It was about promoting local businesses and connecting the community with some of those local businesses, like Sportsafe mouthguards, Royal Stacks hamburgers, Three Monkeys Place and all the traders in Jackson Court. I say thank you especially to Con, the president of the Jackson Court traders for playing such a big role in organising everything. We are really lucky to have an entrepreneurial and innovative but also community-minded business sector in Menzies.”
“I rise today to congratulate the Jackson Court Traders Association on a very successful Halloween Spooktacular. I popped down to Jackson Court in Doncaster East on Friday with my kids. My daughter was dressed as a little witch, my youngest was a little grim reaper and I had a Mario hat. It was clear from the moment I arrived that the event was a roaring success. Jackson Court was absolutely packed with kids dressed up as werewolves, superheroes and aliens. There was a little dog dressed as a pumpkin. The court had been decorated with cobwebs and skeletons. There were dinosaurs roving around, animatronic monsters and face painting. All the stalls were open and giving out sweets to kids and giving them stamps to encourage them to visit all the traders and finish the trick-or-treat trail.”
“It must protect the vulnerable, it must safeguard public funds, it must safeguard people's privacy, it must safeguard people's identity and medical records and it must enable innovation. This bill does that. It supports faster services, stronger integrity and a fairer economy. It does that by making sure that information is shared across government services, across health services, and that people's digital records—whether in health or if their bank account details are needed for government services—can flow freely between departments, reducing the amount of time that people need to spend online, filling out forms or filling out paper forms or standing in line at Services Australia offices or waiting on the phone to Centrelink. This is why I commend this bill to the House.”
“We are building a government that connect programs and systems so people can move through life's stages without getting lost in bureaucracy and a government that understands that every form filled out, every call made and every appointment delayed is time taken away from what really matters: spending time with friends, working, playing sport, getting involved in the community and spending time with family. These are the sorts of things that we want Australians to be able to focus on, not having to spend time filling out forms and navigating government bureaucracy. This is what a Labor government does. We make a government that works for people. Those opposite will talk about deregulation as if it were an end in itself. We understand that regulation is about fairness and function.”
“At its heart this bill is about trust. Australians should be able to trust that, when they deal with their government, they will be treated fairly, their time will be respected and their information will be secure. They should be able to trust that their government will help them, not hinder them. We are building a government that talks to the Australian people and that listens to the Australian people so that Australians do not have to tell their story twice and that information is shared across services.”
“They mean a single mother can update her details once instead of five times, they mean a pensioner can get their healthcare card re-issued without having to fill out another form and they mean a doctor can access accurate patient information without delay. This shows that good government is not just about cutting services; it's about improving them. Those opposite often argue that cutting departments, cutting government services, will make them work better. We reject that. You do not improve the Public Service by hollowing it out. You improve it by designing systems that work for the people that use them. This bill is proof that smart reform can deliver better outcomes without cuts. It demonstrates that regulation, when done properly, can empower rather than constrain. It can make government more human and more efficient at the same time.”
“The reforms confirm that healthcare identifiers can be used in insurance or employment settings only to support ongoing treatment not to make adverse decisions about a person's care or work. This protects patients from discrimination, while ensuring their care is continuous and properly recorded in the My Health Record system, ensuring better sharing of health information. These are just some of the reforms under this bill. The bill will help increase government efficiency and improve productivity in a range of ways. Taken together, these reforms represent a government that values inefficiency, integrity and fairness. They are about more than a process; they are about putting people at the centre of what we do.”
“The legislation authorises secure information-sharing between the department of health, Services Australia and other integrity bodies, implementing the recommendations of the Philip review. This will strengthen Medicare's integrity, allow earlier detection of fraud, protect public funds and maintain confidence in a system that millions of Australians rely on every day. This legislation improves access to health and child care by making the rules simpler and more practical, but also kinder. The Additional Child Care Subsidy now replaces the phrase 'child at risk of abuse or neglect' with 'child in need of wellbeing support'. This small change removes stigma and encourages families to seek help. It keeps the same eligibility rules but uses strength based language that supports dignity and supports trust.”
“This strikes the balance between ensuring people attend vital diagnostic scans and making sure that there is not too much burden on them. It gives people a bit more breathing room. People won't have to return to their GP for a new referral if a week passes, and, in that way, it will reduce costs, save time and keep the focus on care rather than on paperwork. It also addresses non-operational pathology collection centres. If a centre is closed, inaccessible or no longer collecting specimens, the minister will have the power to revoke its approval. Pathology centres play an important role in health care for diagnosis, treatment and management of medical conditions. This ensures that new functioning centres can open and patients can access services when and where they are needed.”
“The secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will be given new authority to set national data standards after consulting with state and territory governments. Health information across Australia is currently fragmented and inconsistent. National standards will enable secure, accurate data-sharing so healthcare professionals can access what they need when they need it. This will lead to faster diagnosis, safer treatment and better health outcomes. The bill also doubles the timeframe for diagnostic imaging referrals from seven to 14 days. This is an important reform that will reduce the burden on GPs and their patients. We know people have busy lives and it can be difficult to make time to see a doctor—let alone if you need to have multiple scans or appointments.”
“Home Affairs will be able to build a secure system that issues digital certificates while safeguarding personal data and preventing fraud. Our government is about making modern reforms to keep up with technology and risk. We are a government that will always invest in health care. It is always looking for ways to make our system better. This bill modernises healthcare information systems. The Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 will be updated so healthcare providers automatically appear in the national H ealthcare P rovider D irectory unless they choose not to. This opt-out model ensures a complete and accurate directory, making it easier for doctors, pharmacists and allied health professionals to connect, coordinate care and use secure digital tools such as electronic prescribing and referrals.”
“We're also amending the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 and the Electronic Transactions Act 1999. Australians currently rely on paper certificates that can be lost or misplaced. This amendment is for anyone who has dived into a desk drawer or ruffled around in a filing cabinet to dig out a birth certificate or a citizenship certificate. We know, too, that these documents, particularly the older ones, do not have the security features that we would expect in modern life. My birth certificate looks like it could have been typed up on any computer, with a font that looks like a typewriter's. This will clear the way for secure digital proof of citizenship. It will make it easier to confirm identity when applying for jobs, passports or government services. It will reduce costs, strengthen privacy protections and increase reliability.”
“Each of these reforms—while, admittedly, pretty technical—builds a government that listens, adapts and respects people's time. Each reduces barriers, simplifies access and restores confidence that government services can be fast, fair and reliable. I recently visited the Services Australia office in Box Hill with Assistant Minister for the Public Service Patrick Gorman. There I saw dedicated public servants focused on supporting people who came to them for assistance. I saw client-centred innovations, such as recruiting staff with language skills like Mandarin, or Farsi, that were appropriate to the community. I saw the co-location of services such as NDIS. I'm pleased to see the government is matching the dedication of our frontline staff with reforms which will make their lives—and, more importantly, their clients' lives—easier.”
“A person escaping family violence will have to update their relationship status, address or bank details only once and authorise these changes to apply securely across programs. It reduces the burden on people during some of the most difficult times in their lives, and it reduces the risk of them having to recount difficult details repeatedly. When a person moves from one payment type to another, verified information can now be reused, instead of requiring a new claim. This means faster processing and less frustration. Older Australians who lose their Commonwealth seniors health card due to temporary overseas travel will have it automatically reinstated upon return, if they're still eligible, sparing them unnecessary paperwork.”
“It means less time and stress standing in line or being on the phone or entering details into government forms. So, for example, when someone updates their bank details with Centrelink, that information will be automatically shared with Medicare. This will have tangible flow-on effects beyond just efficiency and saved time. Around 980,000 Australians—so almost a million Australians—are owed $270 million in unpaid Medicare benefits; many may not even be aware that they are owed these entitlements. Thanks to these changes, someone owed, say, unpaid Medicare benefits can have those funds deposited into the same verified bank account used for family tax benefit payments.”
“I thank the member for Wentworth for her contribution talking about reduced regulation, and the member for Wentworth would be happy to hear that this bill contains 60 measures across 28 acts, it repeals two acts entirely and it affects 13 agencies. These are reforms that cover a broad range of areas, from health care to citizenship, from digital identity to child care and social security, all to make things easier. This bill simplifies information-sharing across government, taking an important step towards the implementation of a tell-us-once approach across government. For too long, Australians have had to repeat their details across Centrelink, Medicare, child support and paid parental leave, and this reform ends that duplication. It saves time for the public, like the members in the gallery, and for staff.”
“It's a role that I'm happy to play, and it's an honour to be able to serve my constituents. But government services shouldn't be so hard to navigate or understand that people need an interpreter in order to be able to access them. Every interaction with government should leave people feeling supported, not frustrated. It should be designed with empathy and efficiency to make life easier. This bill builds on the work that the government began following the economic reform round table, which focused on streamlining services, getting investment flowing and boosting productivity. The bill delivers better regulation, less red tape and higher productivity, while keeping the focus on people.”
“I was recently at a Halloween celebration at Jackson Court in my electorate, in Doncaster, and somebody came with a pretty clever costume: they had a couple of pieces of cardboard; the front said 'myGov' and the back said, 'You have a message from myGov,' because that was supposed to be a scary costume! We don't want people to have that experience of government. We want government to be a helping hand, not a bureaucratic labyrinth to navigate. In an age when there's declining trust in government, this is more important than ever. As a former public servant, I know how important it is that Australians can depend on services that are reliable, fair and trusted. People regularly contact my office—just as, I know, they contact the offices of the other members here—asking for assistance to access government services.”
“I rise today to speak on the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025. I stood for election and became involved in politics because I believe government can be an enormous force for good. Good government encourages the flourishing of society, community and the individual. It is focused on serving members of the community and on being accessible and accountable. Good governments make good regulations, achieving the big picture by paying attention to the details to disincentivise negative behaviour and incentivise good outcomes. That is what this bill is about at its core: making sure that governments are working for individuals and working for business. My purpose has always been to make sure that people can rely on the systems that have been built to serve them, because trust in government is built through access, accountability and fairness.”
“We're also supporting organisations to get their paperwork in to deliver on our election commitments. That includes for Box Hill United soccer club to resurface Sparks Reserve for a synthetic pitch so that they can play more of the year and practise more of the year. Soccer is absolutely huge in Melbourne's east, so we want to make sure that more people can get out and play. We've committed $3.5 million for Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club for female-friendly change rooms and $187,500 for Warrandyte Arts to upgrade their pottery centres, and there are many more election commitments that we're delivering for the people of Menzies and for Australia.”
“I was out doorknocking in Surrey Hills on Saturday, a part of my electorate that cares deeply about climate change and cares deeply about the environment. Again and again, I heard from people who said: 'Yes, we need an independent environmental protection agency. We don't want the Liberals and the Greens to team up to block this important legislation again.' The message was really clear—we need to get this done. We're also getting on with delivering election commitments in Menzies. In the election campaign, we committed $1.1 billion to mental health support. It's a really important area of health care. This includes new and expanded Medicare mental health centres, which will include one in Box Hill in my electorate of Menzies and a further 31 around the country.”
“This included Glen in Templestowe Lower, who was really proud to show us his solar home battery system and talk about how it's going to save him hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per year on his power bills. In Menzies, 536 people have got themselves a solar home battery—again, thanks to our reforms. Last Friday, we introduced the environmental protection biodiversity and conservation bill into this parliament, delivering on our election promise that we were going to prioritise the environment and that we were going to make sure that we're protecting Australia's beautiful natural environment and unique biodiversity. This will, importantly, create an independent environmental protection agency. Again, it's because we listen to our voters and we listen to the Australian people.”
“It will get first home buyers into their first home sooner and give them a leg-up over investors. Nationally, over 190,000 first home buyers have taken advantage of this scheme, including 300 in my electorate of Menzies. I'm so glad that there are more people buying their first home thanks to our support. We've also rolled out the solar home battery program. It has been a huge success. Over 100,000 people around the country have taken up our 30 per cent rebate, that price point providing a real incentive for them to get a solar home battery. It's good for the environment. It's good for the hip pocket. When I've been out doorknocking in my electorate, in Warrandyte, so many people expressed interest in getting in on it.”
“This includes 17 clinics in my electorate who have expressed interest in going fully bulk-billed—more free GP visits for people across my electorate in Box Hill, Blackburn and Doncaster. We're continuing to roll out our other reforms. We delivered 87 Medicare urgent care clinics in our last term of government, and we're slated to open 50 more across the country in this term. We're delivering cheaper medicines as well so that Australians will save on out-of-pocket costs, with PBS listed medications costing only $25 per script to fill. Not only are we delivering, but we've moved forward some of our commitments so that from 1 October we're helping Australians buy their first home with only a five per cent deposit. This will cut waiting times in saving for a deposit and, importantly, save on expensive mortgage lenders insurance.”
“I thank my friend the member for Banks for moving this motion to mark six months since the re-election of the Albanese Labor government. While those opposite cherrypick facts and only look at the negatives, we haven't wasted a day delivering what we promised at the election. As members opposite would know, on the Saturday just passed, 1 November, we delivered on our commitment, with the largest investment in Medicare in its history, to triple the bulk-billing incentive to address exactly the kinds of declines in bulk-billing rates the member opposite raised. We do things about the issues facing Australia; those opposite just complain about them. We know our reforms will mean that there's more bulk-billing and that, by 2030, nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed.”
“ABI deserves to be better recognised in our national discussions on disability and neurodiversity. Awareness would reduce the social and emotional costs of exclusion and misunderstanding. We need education, training and public awareness, so that employers, teachers and health professionals can better understand ABI. Thank you, Nicola, for sharing your story and for your advocacy.”
“Because there may be no visible signs, this can lead to misunderstanding and stigma. Unlike conditions such as autism or ADHD, ABI does not have the same recognition or public profile. Many people with ABI spend their lives trying to appear normal. Every day is spent managing fatigue, confusion and mental overload. It is exhausting, and yet they are too often judged as lazy or unmotivated. In reality, ABI can reduce executive functioning, making it harder to plan, to remember and to control emotions. For many, nothing feels automatic anymore. Every task requires effort and concentration. ABI also increases vulnerability. People with ABI are more likely to be taken advantage of, manipulated or abused. Inspired by Nicola, I stand today to raise awareness.”
“It was only when she saw a psychologist 30 years later that she learned she had been groomed and that her dismissal was related to concerns that she might have reported what had happened. This is her story, and she continues to live each day with the challenges that come from having something invisible to others but which has a profound impact. Her story is one of frustration at being constantly misunderstood, but it is also a story of incredible strength. Nicola not only shared her story but also strongly advocated for better understanding of her condition. One in 45 Australians live with an ABI. It can result from trauma, stroke, infection or substance abuse. Yet, despite how common it is, awareness and understanding remain very low. ABI is often called a silent injury. There are often no signs or symptoms on the outside.”
“I rise to speak about acquired brain injury, also known as ABI. I recently met with a constituent, Nicola Harris, who bravely and generously shared her story with me, to advocate for better awareness and support for people with ABI. She gave me permission to share her story here today. Nicola was nine years old when she was run over and sustained a brain injury. Later, when she was working at a hospice, she was groomed by the head of pastoral care. The abuse continued for 15 months and left her deeply traumatised. She disclosed the abuse to a friend. Two weeks later, she was dismissed. For many years, she believed it was her fault that she had been dismissed; she thought she was not good at her job because of her injury.”
“We are delivering for young people. We've halved inflation from what we inherited from those opposite. We've introduced a five per cent home deposit discount to help first home buyers and reserved 100,000 homes just for first home buyers. We've had three interest rate cuts as a result of our responsible management of inflation. We've cut student debt by 20 per cent for students and graduates, and increased the threshold at which student debts are repaid. We've made fee-free TAFE permanent so more Australians can gain practical skills. These are just some of the ways the Albanese Labor government is investing in the future for the next generation of Australians like Hasmik and Hrug.”
“This week I had the privilege of meeting Hasmik and Hrug, youth advocates from the Armenian National Committee of Australia's Job Shadow Advocate Program. We spoke about the challenges facing young people today, and I learned more about their community's proud history. They told me that the cost of living continues to rise, noting that even a simple bottle of water can now cost $5. They said it feels like their money does not go as far as it once did. They told me that, as young Australians, they feel shut out—working hard, studying and saving, but still worried they will never own a home. Yet they also said they had not lost hope. With smart decisions and leaders who listen, they believe the future can still be fairer and brighter. A better future is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is delivering.”
“It is important that things such as visa applications are assessed not just correctly but also quickly so that we avoid some of those unintended consequences that can arise through delays in processing. We are committed to restoring faith in institutions and ensuring those institutions are fit to adapt to new challenges. This bill provides the flexibility to extend on-the-papers review to other visa case loads, because we recognise that international migration syndicates can adapt their business models quickly to exploit loopholes in the visa system. So this is an important provision in this bill. For these reasons, I commend the Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 to the House.”
“It ensures that Australians and those who choose to study, work or build a life here can have confidence in a review system that is fair, efficient and well administered. In an age when people have declining trust in institutions, it's incredibly important that Australians can have confidence that, where they have doubt that a government decision has been made fairly, they have those avenues for appeal and those appeals will be heard by people who are suitably qualified, who have suitable experience and who have suitable oversight to be able to make the right decision in those cases. The bill also prepares the tribunal to handle future challenges. It embeds balance and helps prevent the return of large backlogs that can weaken public trust and undermine government programs.”
“It also ensures that genuine applicants are not disadvantaged by those who seek to manipulate the system. Finally, the bill reinforces public confidence in Australia's administrative review system. It demonstrates that fairness and efficiency are not opposing goals but complementary ones. The Albanese Labor government believes that justice must be timely, accessible and proportionate. This bill achieves that balance. As a government, we act because Australians deserve institutions that are fair, efficient and accountable. As the saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied. Our reforms will allow genuine applicants to have their matters considered quickly and fairly without being caught in unnecessary delays. This bill is about getting the fundamentals right.”
“It will make the ART a more modern, capable and trusted institution. Firstly, it increases efficiency. Allowing matters to be determined on the papers means decisions can be made more quickly, reducing wait times for applicants. It frees up tribunal members and staff to focus on cases that require oral hearings. Secondly, it improves fairness and accessibility. Applicants will continue to have the opportunity to present their case and respond to any adverse information. Written procedures are often less intimidating, less costly and more convenient for applicants, especially those overseas. Thirdly, it strengthens integrity within the migration system. Faster and more proportionate decision-making discourages misuse of the appeals process and reduces the incentive for non-genuine applicants to exploit procedural delays.”
“It will also allow the tribunal to focus its resources on complex or sensitive matters. The third reform in the bill gives the minister the power, through regulation, to apply similar on-the-papers review processes to other categories of temporary visas in the future. This provides flexibility to respond to emerging pressures in the migration system while maintaining parliamentary oversight. I know that international migration syndicates can adapt their business models with alarming speed. Importantly, this power does not apply to protection visa matters. As I said, these cases often involve complex humanitarian issues and vulnerable applicants, and the government recognises that these cases require the full procedural safeguards of an oral hearing. This bill delivers broad benefits across the administrative justice system.”
“This change responds to the unprecedented surge in student visa appeals, which now make up nearly 40 per cent of the tribunal's case load. Requiring oral hearings for every case is unsustainable and has contributed to growing backlogs. The Nixon review found that temporary visa categories, such as student visas, are well suited to written review because they rely mainly on documentary evidence and objective facts. Applicants will still have the opportunity to make written submissions, respond to adverse information and provide supporting material. The tribunal will make decisions based on written records. This reform will deliver faster outcomes. It will reduce misuse of the review process and ensure that genuine student visa applicants are assessed fairly.”
“This can occur if the issues can be resolved without the parties present, and if it is reasonable to do so. Safeguards are built in to preserve procedural fairness. The tribunal must give parties the opportunity to make submissions, and it must consider those views before proceeding. The reform will help the tribunal manage its workload more intelligently, focusing its hearings on complex cases while resolving simpler matters faster. It is not about limiting access to justice; it is about improving it, by reducing delay and unnecessary bureaucracy. The second major reform in the bill focuses on migration reviews, particularly student visa refusals. Under the amendments to the Migration Act, the ART will be required to determine all student visa refusal matters on the papers, without an oral hearing.”
“Such challenges highlight the need for reform that will allow the ART to operate efficiently while maintaining fairness and accountability. That is why the Albanese Labor government has brought forward this bill—to ensure that timely and efficient decisions are made. This bill responds directly to those challenges through targeted amendments to both the Administrative Review Tribunal Act and the Migration Act. These proposals are informed by the experience of the tribunal since its commencement, as well as the recommendations of the 2023 Rapid Review into the Exploitation of Australia's Visa System, also known as the Nixon review. The bill introduces a new discretion, allowing the ART to decide matters on the papers, without an oral hearing, where appropriate.”
“Allowing such matters to be reviewed in writing would streamline the process and reduce inefficiencies across the system. The current inflexibility, combined with a surge in applications, particularly student visa refusals, has placed enormous pressures on the tribunal. In 2024-25 nearly 40 per cent of all applications before the ART related to student visas, up from 22 per cent in the previous year. This sharp increase has stretched resources and again created long wait times. As I know all too well, this creates unintended incentives for non-genuine applicants, who may exploit lengthy wait periods to extend their stay in Australia. This in turn undermines fairness for genuine applicants, whose education and future depend on timely decisions.”
“We as a government are committed to rebuilding confidence in public institutions by ensuring that fairness is matched with confidence. Our work did not end with the establishment of the ART. While the new tribunal represents a significant improvement, it faces real operational pressures. Currently the ART has very limited flexibility to determine matters without holding an oral hearing. It's required to conduct a hearing even in situations where issues are straightforward, wasting time and resources. For instance, many student visa cases depend entirely on very straightforward documentary evidence, such as whether an applicant has submitted the correct form or proof of enrolment. In these situations a full oral hearing provides little value but consumes considerable time and resources.”
“For those with genuine grounds to study in Australia—with genuine grounds to remain in Australia—it's incredibly important that, again, they have avenues for review where decisions have been made that don't reflect their grounds for a visa. So it was clear that the AAT could no longer act with efficiency and integrity. That is why the Albanese Labor government acted decisively to restore public trust in the system of administrative review and establish the ART. The difference with this new body is that we have introduced governance processes that prioritise merit based applications and appointments: no more jobs for mates, no more hacks, and decision-makers who are experienced and who can be professional and independent.”
“Long wait times incentivised international migration syndicates who helped people come to Australia on a tourist or student visa and then would submit bogus protection visa applications, sometimes without the applicant even knowing—migration fraud on an industrial scale, incentivised by cronyism. Worse, people with genuine grounds to remain in Australia would be delayed because of the sheer volume of cases waiting for a decision. My electorate of Menzies, like that of the previous speaker on our side, the member for Gorton, is incredibly diverse. Over 60 per cent of people in the electorate have at least one parent who was born overseas. So migration decisions will be incredibly important to them.”
“Sometimes genuine problems with the initial departmental decision were identified. But, too often, the AAT also sent back decisions that made no sense. It was clear that the AAT members did not have the proper training, did not have the proper expertise and did not have proper oversight. Poor decisions undermined trust in the AAT but, worse, undermined government policy. I am a strong supporter of Australia's refugee program, but protection visas have criteria, and it's important that those criteria are applied fairly. This is the result of the previous coalition government stacking the AAT with failed candidates and political operatives. Worse, underresourcing and poor performance by AAT members meant that backlogs grew for decisions in reviews of protection visas and other visa categories.”
“Protection visa decision-makers must elicit an asylum seeker's account of why they require protection, and they must determine if they're telling the truth and assess any evidence that someone is able to provide to support their claims. Where someone's claims are accepted, they can be assessed against information from their country of origin to see if there is a real chance that they would be harmed if they returned. All of that is to say they are complex decisions. Decision records could stretch to anywhere between three and 50 pages or more. There is no visa area that required more training or where staff received more ongoing support and mentoring. At that time, our decisions were subject to review from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Where the AAT disagreed with our decisions they would send them back to the department.”
“Without going into a second-year law degree lecture, to successfully appeal a decision in court under administrative law it's necessary to prove legal, factual or discretionary error. This is a very technical area and a high bar which would generally require legal representation. Whatever the administrative review body is, it is vital that the Australian public have confidence in the integrity and capability of its members. This brings me back to my role as a protection obligations decision-maker. Assessing protection visas also requires a degree of skill and knowledge. Legal training isn't necessary but it helps. You're determining if someone has 'a well-founded fear of persecution'; this is one of those phrases that is dense with legal meaning.”
“The ART, as did the Administrative Appeals Tribunal before it, performs an important function. It provides de novo, or fresh, reviews of government decisions in areas like the NDIS, Centrelink, taxation and immigration. The reality is that government decision-makers don't always get it right, and it's important that the public be given avenues for review of decisions that can have a profound effect on someone's life, such as whether they'll have access to disability or veterans supports and whether or not they'll be given a visa to study in Australia or remain in Australia. The ART is more accessible than a court. It's not subject to complicated rules of legal procedure and evidence.”
“I rise today to speak on the Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. As some of the members of this House may know, I used to be a public servant. In my last job I worked at the Department of Home Affairs, assessing protection visa applications. Because of this, I understand the importance of having a trustworthy, efficient body for reviewing government decisions. I saw firsthand the consequences of the stacking by the previous coalition government of the previous body, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, with unqualified political appointees. The consequences were poor-quality decisions that undermined government programs and delivered unjust outcomes. That is exactly why this government created the Administrative Review Tribunal, the ART.”