Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

This has been hurtful to the member for Mackellar. Hard truths are hurtful, but sometimes hard truths need to be told. With those contributions in mind, I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes:

(a) the Coalition Governments continued diminution of the Australian Public Service, including through its arbitrary staffing cap policy and growing reliance on private consultants, contractors and labour-hire to perform core public sector work;

(b) the complete aversion to transparency and scrutiny, and degradation of the Freedom of Information regime, experienced over the Government's time in office;

(c) the Medical Research Future Fund was credited with savings from Health despite former Prime Minister Tony Abbott repeatedly saying there would be 'no cuts to health' and when established was promised by the government to provide $1 billion in annual medical research funding, which is a promise this bill explicitly breaks by setting a $650 million annual research funding limit; and

(d) the Government has consistently left communities behind through its failures in emergency management and disaster relief, particularly in relation to the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires".

I commit to a courtesy that the member for Mackellar never showed me in my contribution and that is to remain silent throughout all of his contribution. I'm sure that will be a Herculean effort.

See this speech in context