Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (18:01): I certainly welcome the opportunity to speak on the Migration Amendment (Temporary Sponsored Visas) Bill 2013 today. Skilled migrants play a very valuable role in my electorate of Leichhardt. Whether it is as the chef at the local restaurant, a sugarcane worker, bed-and-breakfast operators or an engineer at one…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (21:28): In the early hours of 21 June 2010 a US Black Hawk helicopter was flying low and fast to avoid enemy detection in the forbidding mountains of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan. In the pitch-black surroundings there was no room for error, and when the helicopter crashed it took the…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (11:59): We have heard a lot over the last couple of weeks about the budget-and there is certainly no hiding the fact that Labor’s financial and budgetary management is in total chaos. We have heard all the figures: total gross debt to breach the $300 billion ceiling, record net debt…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (17:59): I certainly welcome the opportunity to speak on the Aged Care (Living Longer Living Better) Bill 2013 and related bills today. However, I have to express my concern that it has taken over a year for the government to bring this legislation to the parliament, and now it wants…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (17:00): I was certainly privileged to attend the national apology for forced adoptions in the Great Hall on 21 March in the company of many of those who had undergone a forced adoption experience. It was certainly a very humbling and touching event. I am glad that we, as a…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (19:38): I rise tonight to acknowledge World Tuberculosis Day, this Sunday, 24 March. It is with great sadness that I highlight the case of Catherina Abraham, a 20-year-old girl from Daru Island who last year made a desperate journey to Australia to seek treatment for this killer disease. She had…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (10:30): I rise today to add my voice in support of those who seek a peaceful resolution in the crisis in Tibet. It is very distressing to hear the human rights situation is driving a number of Tibetans to self-immolate. On 25 February, Tsesung Kyab, a farmer, and Sangdag, a…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (19:39): I rise tonight to speak on an issue that is very close to my heart. The mental health of our young people is something that cannot be neglected and we need to be proactive in the very early stages. That being the case, I would like to highlight the…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (12:14): In rising to speak on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012, I am by no means the first, and I certainly won’t be the last, to stand in this chamber and say that the current system of support for people with a disability is definitely broken. We have…
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt-Chief Opposition Whip) (18:53): I rise this evening to talk about some serious health issues that have arisen in my electorate and the failure of this government to provide sufficient funding for programs to address them. As anyone who has experienced a serious illness knows, poor health can impact on many areas of…