Zhi Soon
Banks · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Let's be clear: if these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws. It is important to note that the legislation passed by the parliament to institute this ban was the beginning and not the end of this reform. The same is true of the legislation passed yesterday.”
“As the compliance update demonstrates, the need exists, and the legislation passed by this House earlier this week is the consequence of big tech failing to respect Australian law and uphold the standards Australians expect.”
“They are worried about the type of content that is out there online that their children could inadvertently be exposed to. They want to see greater protections for their children online. Keeping Australians safe online, particularly children and young people, is a top priority for this government.”
“Unfortunately, though, in March of this year the eSafety Commissioner published their first compliance update, which contained some unwelcome news. The commissioner had serious concerns about compliance and the practices of some of the platforms in the tech industry.”
“I rise to support this profoundly significant matter of public importance put forward by my friend the member for Newcastle—not least because this is an issue that matters to so many people across our great country but also because it matters to so many parents in my electorate of Banks.”
“A number of locals in the seat of Banks were recognised as part of the King's Birthday Honours, and I want to acknowledge them here. Mark Connell of Oatley was awarded an OAM for services to youth through scouting, and, as an integral part of the 1st Oatley Bay Sea Scouts, he has contributed to the outdoor skills and confidence of countle…”
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“I rise to recognise the service of Councillor Khodr 'Karl' Saleh OAM, who is retiring from local government after more than 20 years of service to Canterbury-Bankstown Council and one of its predecessors, the City of Canterbury. Khodr, or Karl, migrated from Lebanon to Australia in 1985 and was elected to local council for the first of five terms in 2004, representing the communities in Beverly Hills, Kingsgrove, Roselands and Punchbowl in the north-east of my electorate. Karl has gone on to lead an incredible career in local government, including rising to the deputy mayoralty on four separate occasions. Always one of the characters of our Labor family locally, his time in public life is a demonstration of service and dedication to the community and to Australia more broadly.”
“Of course, as I've spoken about already, it's delivering higher education policy that works for Australian students by cutting student debt, paying students during their mandatory placements and, with the legislation before the House today, establishing a commission to make sure that the higher education system is working on filling our national skills gap and the advancement of our students across the country.”
“Education policy is something I spent a large part of my career working on prior to coming to this place. I am so proud to be part of a government with an agenda for education that will deliver in the tertiary system. It's delivering record investments in public education in the biggest commitment by any Australian government ever in order to fully fund every single public school in Australia by increasing the share of funding provided by the federal government. It's delivering greater access to early childhood education and getting fees down for parents to make sure that students, our young ones, our young kids, are ready to start school.”
“Further measures include increasing the number of free university bridging courses, requiring higher education providers to allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of student services and amenities fees to student led organisations, making demand driven Commonwealth support places available to all First Nations students where they have the marks to get in and making campuses safer by introducing the National Student Ombudsman and the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence. This is an agenda that is achieving results in Australia for Australian students. I spoke in my first speech to this House about my passion for education and making sure its transformational power is felt by as many young people as possible across our great country.”
“For students in courses including teaching nursing, midwifery and social work, completing mandatory placements meant stopping their regular employment. In some cases, it created a significant barrier to completing their courses and entering the workforce. From July last year, 73,000 students from across Australia have been eligible for the government's paid prac payment, the first ever financial support of its kind. To support construction and clean energy apprentices, payments of $10,000 assist with their studies. These measures all form part of the government's broader higher education agenda. When we look at the accord's recommendations, this Labor government, this Albanese government, has implemented 31 of the 47 recommendations in full or in part.”
“This is why the government established fee-free TAFE in the last term of parliament to make sure that students could get their qualifications in sectors with incredibly high demand without being saddled with debt. The results speak for themselves: more than 700,000 students across the country have enrolled since the start of this program. While some people in this place like to talk down this program, it is saving Australian students thousands of dollars and helping to fill our major skills shortages in the care, early childhood education and construction sectors. That is why this government legislated to make fee-free TAFE permanent. This government has also recognised that, if we want to see more students taking up courses for in-demand skills, we need to support them more effectively while they are undertaking their education.”
“The government's network of suburban and regional university study hubs offers an innovative solution to improving access by bringing universities closer to their students. They provide study spaces and support to navigate administration and improve academic skills, as well as general student wellbeing, for any student who might need it. These spaces have been a tremendous success, and this government is doubling the number of university study hubs by establishing 20 new regional hubs and 14 new suburban ones. The government understands that not everybody needs to go to university to get the qualifications that they need, and we are determined to ensure that Australians can lead successful lives without the need for a university degree.”
“At the most recent election, we made a clear promise that the first piece of legislation we would pass in the 48th Parliament would be a bill to take 20 per cent off the student debt balance of every single Australian who had one. This included cutting the debt of more than 20,000 people in my electorate of Banks. This side of the House recognises that the HECS system needs reform, and we are delivering it. By capping indexation on HECS debts to the lower of the CPI and the WPI, moving to a marginal repayment system and raising the minimum repayment threshold, we are making the system better and fairer for all. We also know that, for many students, even once they make it to university, there are barriers that prevent them from reaching their full academic potential.”
“Fiona Nash have recently been appointed commissioners, replacing Professor O'Kane and Distinguished Professor Behrendt as the commission continues to move forward. I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank all the hardworking higher education professionals who we will be relying on to do the work involved in achieving our skills goals, as well as the representatives in my state: the National Tertiary Education Union, the Teachers Federation and the United Workers Union. This government believes that, in order to achieve the goals we are setting—the experts tell us what we need to meet them—we have to set up our tertiary education system for the future. However, we must do so with a view to supporting students. The government has taken the needs of tertiary education students seriously, and the results are clear.”
“This legislation places equity at the core of the commission's work by requiring the improvement of outcomes for persons facing significant systemic barriers, including but not limited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, people with disabilities and people living in regional and rural communities. The bill provides the commission with the power to advise on improving participation from such groups. It should be noted that this concept is not being implemented untested. The interim commission began its work on 1 July last year, led by Professor Mary O'Kane, Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt and Professor Barney Glover. They have been working hard to lay the foundations for the permanent establishment of the commission. Professor Tom Calma and the Hon.”
“Such an approach will ensure national priorities and outcomes are met while still enabling higher education providers to pursue unique goals and missions of their own. These compacts are not without enforcement capabilities. Each will include a limited but meaningful set of performance objectives agreed collaboratively with the commission. Additionally, if a compact with the commission is not in force for a year, this could lead to enforcement action being taken under the Higher Education Support Act. Importantly, this government is focused on making sure that people from backgrounds where they previously might not have gone on to higher education can find their place in the system.”
“It is also intended that future legislation will allow the commission to allocate managed growth and needs based funding for domestic student places through higher education institutions as well as provide a framework for allocating international student commencements when directed by the government. The mission based compacts are an interesting concept and will be one of the key mechanisms for the commission's engagement with higher education providers. The purpose of compacts is to enable providers to demonstrate how their institution's core purpose and goals align with national, state and local priorities as well as industry engagement and innovations in teaching and learning, serving as a structured framework for interaction between providers and the commission.”
“Collectively, these commissioners will bring a balance of expertise and experience across higher education, vocational education and tertiary governance. The formal independence of the commission will be one of its key strengths, making decisions grounded in evidence and transparency. The commission will have a range of advisory and decision-making functions encompassing negotiation, mission based compacts with providers in the sector, provision of advice on requests to state and federal ministers, and making recommendations on updates to the Higher Education Standards Framework.”
“The primary bill establishes the Australian Tertiary Education Commission as a steward of the tertiary system. The commission will help deliver the reforms to our system that are needed to meet our future skills needs and reach that 80 per cent target by encouraging greater diversity amongst higher education providers, providing expert advice to government on higher education policy settings, monitoring targets and helping to deliver a joined-up system that makes it easier for students to get the qualifications they need. On a more technical level, the bill provides for the commission's structure, led by three independent expert commissioners, each appointed by the Minister for Education for a period of up to five years.”
“The legislation before the House responds to this gap and implements one of the report's key recommendations. The accord's report notes that in the years ahead more jobs are going to require more skills and that, to meet the needs of our economy, we will need to increase the proportion of people in the workforce who hold a certificate, a diploma or a degree to about 80 per cent. This inevitably means more students completing qualifications at our universities and at our TAFEs. The challenge we face as a government is how we set our tertiary education system up to meet the growing demand for higher education needed to satisfy the future skills needs of our country. The reforms contained in the bills before the House are part of this Labor government's answer.”
“Since the federal election last year, I have had the pleasure of serving as a member of the House Standing Committee on Education, and I am so pleased to rise in support of the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025 and the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025. Early in 2024, the government released the final report of the Australian Universities Accord. It is a blueprint for higher education reform over the next two decades. The report identified the absence of a dedicated steward as a critical gap in the tertiary education system and its ability to plan for future needs, improve equity and quality outcomes, and deliver on national priorities.”
“At the end of the day, those opposite have spent the last nine months fighting with and amongst each other. The coalition may be back together—for now—but the whole country can see that, while the Liberals and Nationals are focused on themselves, the Albanese Labor government is focused on fighting for the Australian people and the people in communities just like mine of Banks.”
“Labor is the party of economic management. This motion also talks about fiscal rules. This government's fiscal rules are clear, which include reducing gross debt as a share of the economy and limiting real spending growth. It is hard to believe those opposite have the temerity to talk about fiscal rules. Their approach promised budget surpluses and didn't deliver one in nine years. Their fiscal approach promised to bank receipts upgrades but only returned 40 per cent on average, compared to our 70 per cent. Their approach promised to reduce net debt, but debt doubled—even before the pandemic. If those opposite really believed in doing what's best for Australians, they wouldn't have taken the unbelievable trifecta of higher taxes, bigger deficits and more debt to the last election.”
“In fact, the RBA statement didn't even contain the words 'government spending' at all in any context. This is in stark contrast to the claims of those opposite. If anyone needed the advice to rein in their spending, it was probably the former members for Cook and Kooyong, because real spending growth under the former coalition was nearly 2½ times higher than it is under Labor. Even when excluding COVID era spending, which they claim as a defence, the opposition's average was 2.6 per cent per year, compared to 1.6 per cent. This is only possible because we have found tens of billions of dollars in savings, and $20 billion in the latest MYEFO alone, contributing to a grand total of $144 billion. And, as the House is no doubt aware, this Labor government turned a decade of Liberal deficits into two Labor surpluses.”
“We understand the pressure this puts on everyday Australians, and the decision being widely expected won't unfortunately make it any easier. The opposition insists that government spending is the problem. We saw a lot of talk about government spending's contribution to aggregate demand from those opposite at the House economics committee hearing last Friday. As the member for Casey on the other side helped prove for us, any year 12 economics students could tell you that government spending is a factor in aggregate demand. But the coalition's agenda of blaming it all on government spending does not align with the statement released by the RBA last Tuesday. That statement said very clearly that temporary factors and quicker-than-expected growth in the private sector were the primary drivers of the pick-up in inflation.”
“The shadow Treasurer has decided to bring us here today to talk about government spending, and it is my pleasure to join my friend the member for Forde in setting the record straight when it comes to some of the claims being made by those opposite. To begin with, the government has made no secret that inflation remains higher than we would like it to be. But that doesn't mean that we haven't made real progress since we came into government. The inconvenient fact for the opposition is that inflation is far, far below where it peaked under them and what we inherited from them. The decision of the independent Reserve Bank to raise the cash rate will be difficult news for Australian mortgage holders without doubt, including in my electorate.”
“There is plenty more work to do in this space to address this longstanding issue, and I'll be watching it very, very closely, including having conversations right here with my colleagues in Canberra to make sure they know what we're fighting for and that the people of Lugarno and Peakhurst Heights have reliable power for their families and for their businesses to ensure they have the services that they need.”
“Recently the suburbs of Lugarno and Peakhurst Heights in my electorate of Banks experienced two power outages in 24 hours. Unfortunately, they were not isolated incidents and were part of the latest string of outages caused by failures of our local grid infrastructure. Local residents have expressed just how challenging this has been for them, including the distress of not being able to operate vital medical equipment and the frustration of interruptions to the operations of their businesses. This is why I am so pleased to have worked with Ausgrid to secure action for our local residents and businesses, ensuring repairs to the local grid infrastructure, including pole and wire maintenance, vegetation management and more frequent inspections of the lines. This is the first step in building a more resilient local network.”
“It is only this side of the House, this Albanese Labor government, who will continue to be busy fighting for the Australian people, including in my great electorate of Banks.”
“We've opened 22 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and are in the process of opening 11 more across the country. We're making longer GP consultations possible for women experiencing menopause, and we're making both short-term and long-term contraceptives more affordable and accessible, making sure we're supporting women's health care at every single stage. In closing, this government took an ambitious agenda to the Australian people in May last year, and we are delivering on those promises that we made, be it investing in bulk-billing or cutting the cost of PBS medications—not for the first time, but the second—or making changes in the legislation before this House to improve access to medication and to utilise the skills of our healthcare workforce.”
“This investment in our public hospitals will improve care, cut waiting times and tackle ambulance ramping. It is a demonstration of what is possible when the government of the day is serious about health care. To make sure that those hospitals and the rest of our healthcare system have the staff they need to provide the high-quality care that every single Australian deserves, we are investing in our healthcare workforce as well, with an extra 17,000 doctors entering the system in the last two years. This is the biggest growth out of any time in the past decade. Finally, this government recognises that for too long many people in our community have not had their health needs taken seriously, principally among them Australian women. This Labor government is changing that with half a billion dollars of investment.”
“They're getting the support and care they need in a more appropriate setting and taking the pressure off our hospitals. While urgent care clinics are taking the pressure off our hospitals, we still need to make sure we are providing the comprehensive investment in our hospitals and healthcare system that Australians need. At the election we promised to put back every dollar those opposite ripped out of our healthcare system when they were in government, and last year the government delivered $1.8 billion in funding for hospitals, including $407 million for hospitals in my home state of New South Wales. Last Friday we saw the next step in this investment, with a historic deal to contribute record funding to public hospitals through another $25 billion across every state and territory in our great country.”
“When Australians need help that requires a little bit more than a standard GP consultation can provide—urgent but not life-threatening—they can turn to the government's network of fully bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinics, including the clinics at Bankstown and Carlton that service the people of my electorate. At every turn those opposite have tried to talk down these clinics, unfortunately, but the results speak for themselves. In October last year we saw the two millionth visit to an urgent care clinic. Given that a majority of visits have either been on weekends or after 5 pm on a weekday, when GP clinics are typically closed, this is literally hundreds of thousands of patients who would otherwise have ended up in a hospital emergency department or, worse, not getting any care at all.”
“Now the government has delivered on its commitment to make the largest investment in Medicare since it was created and extended the bulk-billing incentive to every Australian for the first time to make sure that 90 per cent of GP visits are bulk-billed by the year 2030. In my electorate alone, 18 GP clinics indicated that they were shifting over to becoming fully bulk-billing clinics, bulk-billing every single patient. With the launch of 1800MEDICARE, Australians have access to a 24/7 telehealth service when they need help after hours.”
“Additionally, the government has listed hundreds of medicines on the PBS over the last 3½ years, including treatments for prostate, breast and lung cancers, bringing medical breakthroughs within the financial reach of Australian patients. This is an agenda for the PBS that is working, and Australians are seeing the benefits to the tune of $1.7 billion saved nationwide, including $7.8 million in my own electorate of Banks. While Labor created the PBS, our agenda for Australia's health goes beyond access to medications. We are also investing in the nation's other great healthcare program: Medicare. During the last term of parliament, the government tripled the bulk-billing incentive for those in our communities who need access to a GP the most and saw the results of this.”
“Back in 2022, before this government was elected, people in my community and many others were struggling to afford to pay for their medications. Back then, a PBS prescription cost $42.50. For a script that was filled monthly, that was many hundreds of dollars a year annually. But since then, this government, this Albanese Labor government, has acted to address it with two cuts to the cost of PBS prescriptions. Australians are paying only $25 per script. That same monthly refill is now $200 cheaper over the course of the year. Importantly, the freeze for pensioners and concession card holders at just $7.70 has been extended to the year 2030.”
“It was one where many families enjoyed some fascinating food, some singing and dancing, and the appearance of Dorothy the Dinosaur. It was great to be able to celebrate Australia Day with so many people in our community. Congratulations to Canterbury-Bankstown Council.”
“The club is a great local institution that has branched out with clubs playing darts, golf and also organised fishing. The club put a great celebration on for Australia Day, including things like thong-throwing and many other activities for families across the area. Congratulations to the whole team, particularly the club president Bill Brown, who has done an amazing job leading that club. I finished off the day with a visit to Canterbury-Bankstown Council's Australia Day party in the park at Padstow. This gave a platform for local artists and included a variety of family activities, culminating in an amazing fireworks display. I take this opportunity to say congratulations to Mayor Bilal El-Hayek and the whole team at Canterbury-Bankstown Council for putting together a fantastic celebration.”
“Our local schools are the incubators of the transformational power of education. Thanks to the Albanese Labor government's Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, every public school in Australia will finally be fully funded. In my electorate, the federal government will be increasing the share of funding it provides to every single public school, making sure local students have everything they need to succeed. On Australia Day I had the privilege of attending a number of local celebrations. The citizenship ceremonies held by the Georges River and Canterbury Bankstown councils were great celebrations of national pride. Seeing the joy on the faces of hundreds of new Australians from all over the world who have decided to make our nation their home was fantastic. I was also able to spend some time at the Picnic Point Bowling Club's family day.”
“As members of this place, we all have the pleasure of attending end-of-year presentations at local schools. It has been one of my favourite things to do since being elected to this parliament. In December, I was able to make it to end-of-year presentations and graduation events at 27 schools across my electorate of Banks, from Panania in the west to Blakehurst in the east. It was fantastic to celebrate the achievements of so many students who excelled in 2025. I was so pleased to sponsor awards at each school, as well as a number of schools whose ceremonies I was unable to attend, to recognise things like student leadership and high achievement. Congratulations to all the students who were recognised for their successes. Congratulations for all the work that you put in.”
“We continue to expand bulk-billing, continue to make PBS medicines more accessible, continue to open more fully bulk-billed urgent care clinics and continue to make it easier for Australians to get mental health care when they need it. Enabling registered nurses to prescribe some medications is not the only PBS related reform that this government has completed. It is unacceptable to think that, in a country as fortunate as ours, a situation could persist where medications that people need are out of their reach because of cost. But, when Labor came into government in 2022— Debate interrupted.”
“As we make this advancement for Australia's healthcare system, I want to take the opportunity to make mention of our nursing professionals and thank them for their hard work—as well as their representatives in my state, the NSW Nursing and Midwives' Association, who have been advocating for nurses to be allowed to use all of their relevant skills and experience to the benefit of their patients for a very long time. Over two terms of parliament, this government continues to deliver on its promises to the Australian people to look after their health and the healthcare system after a decade of cuts and neglect from those opposite.”
“The final report to the government in 2024 provided recommendations to support greater productivity in our healthcare system while delivering improved, safe and affordable care for all patients. That report called on government to implement reforms just like these. The bill aligns with those recommendations as well as the objectives of the National Medicines Policy, which include promoting equitable access to medicines for all Australians regardless of where they choose to live.”
“Importantly, the bill will amend the Health Insurance Act to enable the Professional Services Review to examine the PBS prescribing of authorised nurse prescribers to ensure they are subject to the same level of oversight as every other healthcare professional. The reforms before the House are not flashy. You probably won't see them on any of the front pages of the newspapers across the country, but they will have a real and tangible impact for Australian communities. The U nleashing the potential of our health workforce : s cope of practice review , led by Professor Mark Cormack, explored what was enabling or preventing health professionals from exercising their full scope of practice in primary care settings.”
“Importantly, designated registered nurse prescribers must prescribe in partnership with an authorised health practitioner under a prescribing agreement, which would typically be a general practitioner or other doctor. When it comes to the technical aspects of the bill, it amends the National Health Act to establish a process by which registered nurses who meet the requirements can be approved as authorised nurse prescribers as well as the mechanisms by which the department can suspend or revoke their approvals should the situation arise. The bill also lists authorised nurse prescribers as a category of PBS prescriber and enables the minister to specify the pharmaceutical benefits that they can prescribe to patients.”
“While nurse prescribing as a practice in Australia is a novel concept, it is important to remember that these changes have come as a result of extensive research and consultation, led by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Australian chief nursing and midwifery officers, to ensure that appropriate standards are in place and, as a result, that Australian patients continue to enjoy the highest standards of care possible. In December 2024, health ministers from Commonwealth, state and territory governments came together to approve a new registration standard, under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act, which came into effect in September of last year. Under this new standard, registered nurses must meet specified qualifications and requirements to obtain and maintain their endorsement.”
“Importantly, this is not only a win for urban areas. Not only do registered nurses make up a majority of our healthcare professionals in this country but they are also the most geographically spread. This ensures that the benefits of this legislation will also be felt in regional, rural and remote communities where the nursing profession also enjoys a high level of trust. This includes my mum, who is now a retired registered nurse, as well as the wonderful member for Bullwinkel, who sits in the chamber with me this evening.”
“As Australia's population continues to age, there is a greater strain being placed on our health and aged-care systems, alongside a greater prevalence of chronic diseases. The challenge that we face as a government is how to improve timely and affordable access to medications whilst also minimising the pressure we put on the healthcare workforce. The reforms contained in this legislation before the House are part of this Labor government's answer. The bill both allows and creates the regulatory framework for nurse prescribing. As a result of these changes, those hardworking professionals, who make up approximately half of the nation's healthcare workforce, will be able to prescribe a selection of PBS medications. Through nurse prescribing, this Labor government is moving dramatically to enhance access to medications.”
“It is such a pleasure to follow on from the wonderful new member for Gorton. Since the federal election last year, I've had the honour of speaking in support of legislation in this House relating to a number of measures and bills in the health portfolio. Today, I rise to support the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 because it is yet another pillar of the health policy that this government promised at the 2020 election—and another one that is being delivered. The Labor government promised to prioritise reforms to the scope of practice for health professionals that are aimed at delivering real benefits to Australian patients by substantially improving their access to health care.”
“I was able to attend Lachlan's funeral on 14 January, and my thoughts are with his family, particularly his parents, Simon and Connie, and his brothers, Mathew and Jayden, who I had the privilege of meeting. At the funeral, many spoke about Lachlan's thoughtfulness and selflessness, whether at school, with his family or at table tennis. The room was full to the brim with family and friends, including countless members of Menai High School and of table tennis fraternities. Lachlan will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.”
“I rise to pay tribute to Lachlan Leong, who sadly passed away at the age of 17 earlier this year. Lachlan was a remarkable young man: caring, wise beyond his years and a much-loved member of the community in Padstow and at Menai High School. Lachlan was also an extraordinary table tennis player, ranked fifth in the country for his age group and 32nd in the country overall. The last two years had brought Lachlan much success in the sport, including wins in a number of national tournaments and wins over players that were several years his senior. He had a special talent that I was able to see, briefly, at the St George & Sutherland Shire Table Tennis Association last year. It earnt him wide recognition, and he will be sorely missed by many in the table tennis community who saw his boundless potential.”
“And I want to send thanks to the everyday heroes, such as the volunteer surf lifesavers from Bondi and North Bondi surf lifesaving clubs and Waverley Council's professional lifeguards, who sprang into action to shelter people and render medical assistance, and to all the doctors, nurses and emergency service personnel from hospitals across Sydney who tended to the injured from the event. Events like those that occurred on 14 December leave their mark on our national psyche, but as our country moves forward we must do so carefully. We must guard against our worst instincts. When we look on our neighbours with scepticism or suspicion we only weaken ourselves. Each time we are confronted with a choice between national unity and division we must always choose unity.”
“This is abhorrent, and we must do all that we can to ensure this is never repeated. To the Jewish community in Sydney and across Australia, who doubtless are still hurting profoundly, and the loved ones of all 15 victims we lost: my community is with you in your grief and your pain. May all of the innocent lives lost rest in peace, and may the memories of those lost be a blessing to those who remain. I want to send the thanks of my community to all of those ordinary Australians who took on extraordinary personal risks to protect others—heroes like Ahmed al-Ahmed, who has been recognised across the world for saving lives when he ran towards the gunman, not away, and Chaya Dadon, who shielded other children with her own body during the attack. They represent the very best of Australia.”
“In times like this, their pain, their grief is ours as well, not least because the shockwaves that ripped through Sydney last December left their mark all over our great city. One of the victims, Dan Elkayam, played football for Rockdale Ilinden FC, a club representing the St George district that forms half of my electorate but also a local Macedonian Australian community. I send particular condolences to the Jewish community not just in Sydney or the eastern suburbs but across the country, including in my electorate of Banks. In the Jewish tradition, as many have mentioned previously, Hanukkah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and freedom from oppression. To have that light dimmed by terror is a tragedy all of its own. The sad reality of the situation is that those terrorists went to Bondi to target Jews.”
“I rise on behalf of the people of Banks to add my condolences to those made by many members of this House who are contributing to this motion. The attack at Archer Park on 14 December was an act of despicable evil, one of the worst instances of terror this country has ever seen and the worst shooting in nearly 30 years. It shattered the peace of the festive season that so many Australians from all different faiths cherish. When I had the opportunity to lay flowers on behalf of my community at the memorial outside the Bondi Pavilion, the pain and grief were palpable. The community in Bondi is forever scarred by what took place. While the community I represent in south-west Sydney is in many ways very different to the eastern suburbs, we are all Australians.”