I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this bill today. When you talk about the value of higher education, it is all too easy to just think in dollars and cents and the cost of an education. But it is vital that we look much broader than that and consider the…
Last Saturday, 30 August, I had the honour and the privilege of opening the redeveloped Jones Park. The redevelopment was achieved through a $3.5 million federal government grant and that was out of a total of $3.95 million for the total project. The funding enabled the construction of new fields, lighting, spectators’ stands, a new…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this bill. Unlike the previous speaker, the member for Lalor, I will not be speaking about hypotheticals. The Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014 certainly covers a number of issues, including addressing the current imbalance in union workplace access rules, right of entry and Greenfields agreements. However, I want…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. Can I say from the beginning that there are many large and vibrant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the electorate of Leichhardt. We rate sixth-highest in Australian for Indigenous residents. Issues of effective advocacy come up fairly regularly in my office, and that is…
On behalf of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia, I present the committee’s interim report of the inquiry into the development of Northern Australia. The committee has been tasked by the parliament to consider policies for developing parts of Australia that lie north of the Tropic of Capricorn, spanning Queensland, Western Australia, and the…
[Acknowledgements to Traditional Owners, and all organisations/individuals involved in this project]I’m very pleased to be here, it’s clear to see that this project has really brought the community together. Looking at the beautiful memorial here today, there’s no doubt that it will be a place for reflection and contemplation. Mayor Mene has already mentioned those…
I rise today to very strongly support a local artist in my region, Amanda Feher. Those who know me in this place know that I have a passion for the arts and supporting local artists. Anyone who has visited my office would be well aware that the walls are lined with pieces showcasing my region-a…
I rise to pay tribute to a remarkable family from the Far North, the Rossi family, who had two very sad losses in the last couple of weeks. Bob Rossi Snr, OAM, KC, passed away last month aged 90 years. His story highlights just what can be achieved through hard work and determination. The second…
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to follow the member for Brand. Listening to what he said, he was very informed, very thoughtful and very insightful on the needs of Northern Australia. This is clearly going to be reflective of the report we are putting out. There are a lot of members on…
I table a petition from the residents of Northern Australia. This petition has 4,146 signatures and has been found to be in order by the Standing Committee on Petitions. The petition calls on the Australian government to amend the zone allowance to make zone A $10,000 taxable per year, with other zones adjusted accordingly, and…