Speeches

Infrastructure and Communications Committee - November Report

Friday, 25 November 2011 16:09 in Speeches

This inquiry into cabin crew ratios on Australian aircraft was about safety. It was not an inquiry into minimum standards; it was not an inquiry into employment in the sector; it was not an inquiry into commercial imperatives and cost pressures in the aviation industry; and it was not an inquiry into other safety aspects of airlines and terminal security. The committee's terms of reference were quite clear; they included the role of cabin crew in managing passenger safety and security.

National Archives of Australia

Wednesday, 23 November 2011 11:47 in Speeches

It is now ten months since I was honoured by the House of Representatives by their appointment of me to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council. I have had big shoes to fill, as the previous representative, the member for Fairfax, served in this position for 14 years. Despite leadership changes in 2011, with both a new chairman and our previous director-general, Ross Gibbs, now taking on the position of state director in the Melbourne office, the acting director-general, Dr Stephen Ellis, and his team have overseen a very active and successful year.

Scouts and Girl Guides

Wednesday, 23 November 2011 10:49 in Speeches

The Scouts and Girl Guides movements have long been a quintessential part of an Australian childhood. They encourage our younger generations to engage in community service, support their peers and learn valuable life skills, including teamwork and leadership. Scouts and Girl Guides provide a wonderful outlet for our children and at the same time teach them invaluable life skills. My electorate of Ryan was hit hard by the floods in January, affecting homes, businesses, livelihoods and, of course, community organisations. In particular, local Scouts and Girl Guides groups lost many of their halls and facilities. These groups are not-for-profit organisations, so this damage has had long-term detrimental effects.

Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill 2011 and related legislation

Wednesday, 23 November 2011 10:38 in Speeches

The coalition opposes the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill 2011. This is a flawed tax derived from a flawed process and it will have a detrimental impact on our economy through its multiplier effects and unintended consequences. It is being imposed on one of the most important sectors of the Australian economy—one that until now was succeeding, despite the federal government's poor and reckless management of the Australian economy. This tax is a result of an extremely flawed process. The resources super profits tax, the predecessors of what we are debating today, was announced with no consultation with industry and no consultation with stakeholders. There was no consultation with the state governments and no consultation with territory governments, despite the tax having significant impacts on their own revenue—the revenue which funds our schools, hospitals and local roads.

Asia-Pacific Region

Monday, 21 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

Like others in this chamber I applaud the sentiment and goals expressed by President Obama in his address to the Australian parliament last week. His words do bear repeating, so I quote:

As two global partners, we stand up for the security and dignity of people around the world.

Tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea

Monday, 21 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest international neighbour, and our countries have always had a close association both in times of war and in times of peace. As the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's own website states, 'geographic proximity and historical links have given Papua New Guinea a special place in Australia's foreign relations'. With this in mind, I condemn the Commonwealth and Queensland governments for their indication that they will terminate tuberculosis clinics on Saibai and Boigu islands, which currently provide vital tuberculosis surveillance and clinical care for PNG nationals.

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Royal Life Saving - National Drowning Report

Thursday, 03 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

The Royal Life Saving National drowning report 2011 has recently been released. Tragically, last year 315 deaths occurred in Australian waterways, and it is uncertain whether we will reach the Water Safety Council's target to reduce the number of drowning deaths by 50 per cent by the year 2020 as the drowning death toll has continued to rise over the last three consecutive years.

National School Chaplaincy Program

Thursday, 03 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

The National School Chaplaincy Program is an important part of our school education system, providing vital support in an environment that places ever-increasing pressure on both students and teachers. In the lead-up to the 2010 federal election, Prime Minister Gillard promised that the program would not be secularised; yet recent government announcements on the program do exactly that. The truth of the matter is that the chaplaincy program is not a religious program.

Condolence Motion for our Fallen Soldiers

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

I rise to mark another sad day for Australia, to share my condolences for three brave young men taken before their time and the seven diggers who lay wounded far from home. We are a nation with a heavy heart as we mourn Captain Bryce Duffy, Corporal Ashley Birt and Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, who now join 29 others who have fallen in Afghanistan. The deaths of these young men occurred in circumstances that make it more confusing to accept, not killed in the battlefield but by a rogue ANA soldier —an experienced ANA soldier who had already served for three years and who was part of the force our diggers are mentoring. It is frightening to imagine those minutes, the uncertainty about whether it was the beginning of a Taliban attack and seeing your mates falling around you.

Higher Education Bill

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 12:00 in Speeches

Tertiary education brings invaluable benefits not only to those who pursue a degree but also to the entire nation. Our Australian universities are world class. Our top-performing institutions consistently rank in the top 50 in the world. Our Group of Eight research intensive universities are at the forefront of research and innovation. I am proud that my electorate of Ryan is home to the University of Queensland whose breakthroughs are world renowned. Professor Ian Frazer's HPV and cervical cancer vaccination is just one of many discoveries that will undoubtedly change lives and, indeed, the world as we know it.