Address to Parliament-MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS – Closing the Gap
At the outset, I thank the member for Lingiari for her role in Northern Territory politics and the fact that she has been elected to this place. I wish her well in her endeavours, not just for Indigenous brothers and sisters but for all Northern Territorians, all Australians. I want the member for Lingiari to […]
Address to Parliament- MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS – Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide
As a former veterans’ affairs minister and a former Assistant Minister for Defence, I say at the outset one of the words that sometimes seems to be the hardest word to say in this building, and that is: sorry. I am sorry for things that have happened to veterans. I am sorry—and, of course, was […]
Address to Parliament- Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia Funding Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
You learn new things every day in this job. I learned this afternoon that the minister at the table, the member for Sydney, is in fact a beekeeper, an apiarist—a farmer! I’m impressed. Indeed, that’ll be the subject of future media releases, I’m sure, when I question the government about certain things agriculture related. But […]
Address to Parliament- Bali Bombing: 20th Anniversary
It was one year and one day after the terrible tragedy at the World Trade Centre in New York and other associated terrorist attacks in the United States of America. Those attacks changed the way we lived. Thereafter no-one could go to an airport without being totally and utterly screened, without having all of those […]
Address to Parliament- Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Radio) Bill 2022
The coalition recognises the important, essential and critical role that community radio broadcasting plays throughout Australia, especially in regions. When in government, we provided a funding increase of an additional $4 million per annum over two years in the 2021-22 budget. This was on top of the existing funding of a little over $16 million […]
Address to Parliament- Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Information Disclosure, National Interest and Other Measures) Bill 2022
Just very briefly on that, and in response to the previous member: I fully concur and agree. You cannot place enough importance on the fact that mobile phone technology can be used to find missing persons—indeed, to find those people who may have been murdered and whose bodies may be buried in shallow graves somewhere […]
Address to Parliament- Statements on Indulgence – Vanuatu General Election
Recently the member for Tangney and I were asked to oversee the Vanuatu election process, which took place on 13 October. It was a short, sharp 10-day campaign followed by a snap election being called. Vanuatu has a 52-seat parliament serving a population of 300,000. Australia stood tall in these elections to help that process. […]
Address to Parliament- Statements by Members – Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network
The Murray-Darling rural medical school’s network has been delivered and the construction is about to begin in Wagga Wagga. The Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network was announced in the 2018 budget, and included the establishment of a rural medical school in Wagga Wagga, administered by the University of New South Wales. I was proud on Friday […]
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS – Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network
The Murray-Darling rural medical school’s network has been delivered and the construction is about to begin in Wagga Wagga. The Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network was announced in the 2018 budget, and included the establishment of a rural medical school in Wagga Wagga, administered by the University of New South Wales. I was proud on Friday […]
Address to Parliament- Matters of Public Importance – Workplace Relations
I’m glad my good friends the member for Macquarie and the member for Richmond are in the chamber, because when I was the small-business minister I visited the member for Macquarie’s seat and the member for Richmond’s seat, conducting small-business round tables. They were very productive. Indeed, there were other Labor members too: the member […]