Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill
I spoke in support of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill 2023 and the associated Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023. This legislation represents the latest of the many legislative reforms required to implement the AUKUS security arrangements between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Royal Commission into Defence
The royal commission ran for over three years. It received thousands of painful submissions discussing suicidality among serving and ex-serving members of our Defence Force.
Gender Equality
I spoke on this issue in relation to the gender pay gap. I want to first of all acknowledge that data recently released by the ABS does show that the national gender pay gap is the lowest on record. It's now fallen, based on those statistics, to 11.5 per cent. This is good news.
National Security, Economy, Cost of Living
A government's most important obligation is to keep its citizens safe. This MPI today concerns both the safety of Australians and the disposable income and wealth of Australians. I have two questions. Do Australians feel safer now than they did in May 2022? Do Australians feel poorer or better off than they did in May 2022?
Hughes Electorate: Health Care
At the heart of our health system in Australia is our local GP and the services provided at those local clinics. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis a Department of Health report has now revealed what Australians have known for two years: that the number of GPs bulk-billing is not increasing, as the Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Prime Minister claim; and also, worryingly, that Australians are not visiting their doctor because of the cost. In my electorate of Hughes, in southern and south-western Sydney, this has been obvious for a while. We are seeing the declining wealth of Australians—caused by the cost-of-living crisis—now impacting their health.
Economy
The Albanese Labor government has now been in power for more than two years, and I just want to remind this place what Anthony Albanese said on 17 March 2022, which was, 'A Labor government will lower the cost of living,' and 'a Labor government will deliver cheaper mortgages and cheaper rents.'
Housing
I was in the chamber when my friend the member for Bennelong was talking about the fact that the current housing crisis is due to poor government. It's certainly something that I do agree with him on, because, after two years of Labor and now a second Minister for Housing, housing affordability does indeed remain a national crisis in our country. This is a crisis that the federal government can fix and has failed to fix.
Cost-of-Living
Australians continue to live under the Albanese Labor Government’s cost-of-living crisis, as Labor's three failed budgets and overspending have led to rising inflation, hitting Australians hard in the hip pocket.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
I rose in Question Time this week to ask the Prime Minister to clarify his current position on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Empowering girls in sport and celebrating future stars
Last Sunday, it was a privilege for me to attend the presentation day of the Sutherland Shire Junior Cricket Association. The association fields 1,000 players in 97 teams in their Saturday-morning competition, including 95 girls. The growth in women's cricket is truly inspiring. Congratulations to the association in all of its forms: the players, the parents, the scorers, the managers, the coaches, and the administrators.
Save Our Koalas!
Koalas are an iconic but endangered Australian native. In the electorate of Hughes, we have healthy colonies of koalas in the Heathcote National Park. However, about 10 per cent of these koalas are killed each year on Heathcote Road. The solution is simple: we urgently need a fence built around Deadmans Creek to prevent the koalas from crossing the road. Despite my appeals to both federal and state governments, action has been deferred for years. It is not an expensive solution, but it is critical. I call on the state and federal governments to fund this project to keep our koalas safe into the future.
Hughes Electorate: Cricket, Koalas
I rise to speak about two national icons within my electorate of Hughes. The first is cricket, our national sport. As a self-confessed cricket tragic, last Sunday it was a privilege for me to attend the presentation day of the Sutherland Shire Junior Cricket Association.
Bundeena and Maianbar Mobile Reception
I will remain committed to fighting for better mobile and internet coverage services for the residents of Bundeena and Maianbar.
Hughes Electorate: Community Services
Local charities like Vinnies and the Sutherland Rotary are overwhelmed by increasing demands due to rising inflation. These organisations do invaluable work. I stood in Parliament to address growing inflation under the Albanese Labor Government and its impact on families and households across Hughes.
I also spoke on the imminent closure of the Woronora RSL Club and how I am committed to advocating for its survival.
Woronora RSL Club
I rose in Parliament to speak about the urgent need, and my commitment to save the Woronora RSL Club, a vital part of our community in Hughes.
Lucas Heights
The Prime Minister does not understand the importance of our nuclear medicine industry and the lifesaving work that is carried out at Lucas Heights.
• X-rays
• Scans
• Radiography
All used to diagnose and treat cancers and a range of other diseases are all possible due to nuclear medicine.
Question Time - Nuclear Waste Management
In Question Time this week, I asked the Prime Minister about the future storage of medical nuclear waste in Australia. Not only did the PM fail to answer the question, but he also failed to display an understanding of our local area and the importance of our nuclear medicine industry and the lifesaving work carried out at Lucas Heights.
Superannuation
The Albanese Labor government's new superannuation taxes, a broken election promise, will unfairly burden younger Australians already struggling with the cost of living, eroding their retirement savings.