Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

IOT (—) (): Following on from the member for Lyne, who, I note, dedicated his entire speaking time to talking about nuclear power—I know he and many of the National Party members do like to spruik nuclear power everywhere—can I make it really clear that my opinion and the opinion of people in my area is that nuclear power is too expensive and far too dangerous. That is a view that has been echoed many, many times right throughout the North Coast of New South Wales. One of the reasons people are such strong opponents is that we do know that it must be based in close proximity to water. So coastal areas, indeed, such as the member's electorate, would be a prime location. I did want to put on the record, given the previous speaker's strong commitment to nuclear power, how much I oppose it, considering how dangerous it is.

Today, for the address-in-reply, I would like to particularly thank the people of Richmond for entrusting me to be their representative here in the federal parliament and, very importantly, for their strong voice for the Albanese Labor government. It is indeed a great honour to represent your community here and one that I take very seriously.

Of course, in the election in May last year, people in my region voted for change, for a new government and a new direction for this country. I would like to acknowledge and thank the Prime Minister for his leadership and commitment to improving the lives of all Australians, no matter where they live. Those of us in regional and rural Australia certainly know what a strong understanding the Prime Minister and the entire government have of the needs of people in regional Australia.

When it comes to my area, the Prime Minister has been to the New South Wales North Coast many, many times over many decades. He certainly understands the people and the issues. He was there on the ground a year ago, particularly, soon after the very devastating floods that we had. Indeed, we are coming up to the first anniversary of the floods that hit the North Coast very hard. There is still a lot of widespread trauma across the region because of the floods. Many people are still looking to get a lot of their premises and residences repaired. As we often say, when it rains, everyone panics across the North Coast because of the extent of that devastation. The Prime Minister was there soon after, on the ground, listening to locals about the impact of the floods. We're talking about the area from the border region right through to Ballina in the southern part of my electorate and, of course, the adjoining area in Page, Lismore, which was severely devastated. The Prime Minister was there listening and talking to people right throughout the region, in my area, in Ballina and in Murwillumbah. Indeed, many others from the Labor team came to hear firsthand about the impact on our community. Since being elected, the Albanese Labor government has delivered much-needed funding to the region to assist with the recovery.

As I said many times during the federal election campaign, only voting Labor will ensure that you get a Labor majority government to deliver on our commitments. It is the only way we can deliver on our agenda to improve people's lives. I really want to acknowledge and thank particularly all the many Labor members and volunteers who worked very hard for my re-election and the election of the Albanese Labor government. I would especially like to acknowledge my incredible, hardworking and dedicated staff.

As I said before, our region has been devastated by the floods, and, as I've said many times to people in my community, I'm here with you every day, every step of the way. It has been a very long year and a very difficult year, but we are a very resilient, very close community and we look out for each other. What I would like to point out is that there is still a lot of widespread concern that the former Morrison government failed to provide the support we needed on the ground at the time, especially by denying us extra disaster payments, which were made to people in areas south of my electorate of Richmond. To this very day I find it absolutely staggering, as do people in my region, that the former Prime Minister, the member for Cook, played politics with people's lives when they had been devastated by floods. You just can't do that. Indeed, we saw a similar tale in New South Wales with the former Deputy Premier of that state, when we were made aware of the rorts that he set up in relation to the bushfire grants. What I say to all of those in the Liberal and National parties is that this is above politics. When people are hit with natural disasters, you need to (1) be on the ground and listen to them and (2) provide the support and services they need, because this impacts people for a long time. At the time when the member for Cook denied us that extra funding, it was a really significant blow to those people who had lost so much.

In terms of the flooding and its impact, we do need to see greater planning from the New South Wales government around emergency management. That was certainly highlighted at the time and in all subsequent inquiries. What was exposed was that the New South Wales government had really nothing in place to provide the immediate support needed, the recovery or the rebuilding. We were left on our own. The community rightly demanded a lot better in terms of that planning and resourcing. This is an issue on which the state government certainly needs to place a greater emphasis.

At the federal election, the people of my area voted for change, for a new government and, of course, for our plans to build a better future for everyone. Since the election, we've hit the ground running and demonstrated the approach to the values that really do shape this government and that we really want to get things done in a determined way to improve people's lives. After that decade of waste, inaction and delay from the previous government, we inherited a whole range of problems that we got to work on immediately. The previous government left us an economy with a trillion dollars in debt, declining productivity, wages going backwards and Medicare in crisis, as well. There are so many issues right across the board. Aged care is in crisis as well. We inherited this from the previous government, because of their inaction. It always does fall to Labor governments to make the big reforms that create lasting prosperity and a better future for everyone as well.

We've really hit the ground running across a whole range of different areas, and here we are now, on the first sitting day of 2023, looking back on all of the commitments we've delivered on since being elected. There have been so many changes that have improved people's lives. One of the most important things in my area is investing in secure local jobs. In the regions, it's vitally important. We've delivered investments in skills and training, including fee-free TAFE in areas of skills shortage. That's really important to support local jobs and protect local regional economies.

Also, of course, we've delivered real action on climate change—an issue that so many people in my area and across the country have been calling out for such a long period of time. Many issues that we're addressing relate to the cost-of-living increases, like cheaper child care. Again, this is another issue that families have desperately called on for so long. Fixing the aged-care crisis is vitally important for our older Australians when they need to access that care. When it comes to health care, we're providing cheaper medicines and working to fix Medicare and all of the problems that we inherited because of the inaction of the previous government. Another really important issue is housing affordability, which we are acting on through a whole range of different measures. This, particularly in regional areas such as mine, is incredibly important.

Another reform that people have called for for a long time is the federal anticorruption commission. Finally we have that underway in this country, because of the Albanese Labor government. Many people have been calling for this for a long time. We are very proud to have been delivering on that, as well as the 10 days of paid domestic violence leave and paid parental leave, which are so incredibly important. Also, advancing the Voice to Parliament is a really important initiative that I hope all members of this House think seriously and deeply about. I hope they embrace that and stand with us to get the Voice to Parliament. It is such an important issue as we move forward.

One of the many things that we have achieved is scrapping the former Morrison government's cruel cashless debit card. We committed to doing that, and we have done that. In doing so, we protected many pensioners from being forced onto that card. We knew the Morrison government's agenda was to force our aged pensioners, particularly, onto the cashless debit card. People elected us to get rid of it, and we have done that. Many of our initiatives, like our Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022, have been about getting wages moving, helping close the gender pay gap and promoting job security.

On a local level, we are delivering on all of the commitments that I made during the election, and they will mean big improvements for the North Coast. First is the $5 million for the one-stop veteran wellbeing centre in the Tweed Shire. It will be a one-stop shop for veterans and their families to access a range of services, including wellbeing support, advocacy, employment, housing assistance and social connection. It's so important to have this veterans hub. These are people who have sacrificed so much for our nation. They need to have that dedicated space to have that assistance provided. All that work is underway in consultation with our local RSLs to make sure that we have in place the veterans hub they need.

Another election commitment was $1 million for a new pound and rehoming centre at Murwillumbah. This has been desperately needed since the old pound closed in September 2019. This $1 million election commitment comes on top of another $1.76 million in federal funding, a significant amount of federal funding for that new pound. The new pound will have 16 dog pens, 11 cat cages and a brand-new facility that includes a Friends of the Pound shelter, with up to 28 dog and cat pens, two stables and paddocks for farm animals. I'd like to take the opportunity to acknowledge Friends of the Pound, an incredible animal rescue charity that works very closely with the community and the council to ensure these beautiful animals are cared for and rehomed. That's a centre that we will be very pleased to see open.

Another election commitment was $750,000 for a new social enterprise commercial laundry in Bangalow, which will be run by social enterprise organisation White Box Enterprises. This project will provide long-term unemployed locals with an opportunity to build their work experience in Bangalow. Another election commitment was $1.5 million for the Lennox Head village upgrade. Lennox is one of our many special, beautiful coastal villages. This upgrade, which is underway and looks amazing so far, really does complete the Lennox Head village project. I am very pleased to have been delivering on all my election commitments. Also, just after the election, I announced some vital funding for headspace: $2 million for an expansion of headspace Tweed Heads. And, a few months ago, I announced $3.4 million for a new headspace in Ballina, which is desperately needed in that area.

I'm also very honoured to be the Assistant Minister for Social Services and the Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence. In terms of women's safety, this government has had many achievements since we were elected. First of all, last year we delivered the National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children. It's a shared vision of all Australian governments to end gender based violence within one generation. It provides the blueprint for the next 10 years to end family, domestic and sexual violence. In our budget in October we announced a $1.7 billion investment to make sure there were more women and children's safety measures to support the plan. That delivered our election commitment of 500 frontline service and community workers. It's an important initiative to have those extra workers throughout the country.

Last year we also announced Australia's first Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner. Micaela Cronin commenced that role in November and is one of only three national domestic violence commissioners worldwide. Micaela Cronin is doing an outstanding job in that role, and that role is central to the oversight of our national plan. Across so many areas, we are delivering so much and delivering on all of those election commitments.

In the remaining time that I have, I would like to talk about the current state government of New South Wales, the Liberal and Nationals state government. The fact is that in New South Wales we need a new government. We have the tired, old Perrottet government that's run out of steam—scandal after scandal. We need to see them gone and we need to see a Minns Labor government elected on 25 March.

Aside from all of the rorts, we've seen many plans they've had that have been so detrimental to the people in my area on the north coast. I did refer earlier to the Perrottet government's lack of planning, when it comes to preparation for natural disasters such as flooding. In fact, they have no plans. When our community was hit by the floods, the state government were nowhere to be seen. Their response was inadequate. People will remember that—and they'll remember that when they go to vote in March.

We've seen another range of measures from the New South Wales Liberals and Nationals that have hurt our community. First and foremost, wages have been cut to public sector workers through the wages cap. This impacts so many frontline workers and means they are getting less in their wages. It's an issue people raise with me every day and it's impacting so many people across the board. When it comes to frontline workers, we've also had a lack of police, nurses and teachers, because the Perrottet government and governments before that have failed to invest. They've failed to invest in these services. They've failed to provide adequate wages and conditions. We have so many of them leaving northern New South Wales. We're on the border. They go to Queensland because they have better wages and conditions for so many of the frontline workers. So, again, we need to have a new government.

We particularly need to have more police and policing resources. I say that as a former police officer. It's an issue that community members raise with me every day, that crime is out of control. I hear it every day. I see it in all of the community Facebook groups, constantly, about the lack of resources. Our police do an incredible job but they have a government in New South Wales that does not support them and does not provide enough resources for them. Police numbers are so incredibly low, within our region, and that's added to it.

They've gone down over the last 10 years. Only a few months ago, we found out that in our district—the Tweed-Byron Police District—there are 181 sworn police. This compares to February 2012 when we had 198 officers. That's how far it's gone down. The New South Wales government tries to hide these figures all the time. The reason they try and hide them is that they keep going down. Our community are calling for more police resources, and they're calling for a new government. They're calling for a Minns Labor government.

These are some of the many issues that highlight why we've been failed by the Perrottet government—not to mention their great big new housing tax as well, which will impact the pensioners in my region. People are particularly terrified of that.

There's also the closure of the schools at Murwillumbah. This is an issue that I have previously raised in this House. In October 2020—without any consultation, without telling anybody—half of the National Party rolled up at Murwillumbah. This included the Tweed Nationals MP, Geoff Provest, and the then leader of the Nats and the education minister. They announced—without talking to anyone—that all four public schools in Murwillumbah were going to close and, instead, they were going to build a mega school.

That was it. They didn't talk to anybody and they've refused to consult with people since then. It's completely insulting to the community. We have concerns about why they're doing that. There are some big land grabs, we think, underway at Wollumbin High. They want to flog that one off, for sure. It's part of their privatisation agenda we see right throughout the state, and we see it time and time again.

This shameful act by the New South Wales Premier and the Tweed Nationals MP, Geoff Provest, must be stopped. The fact is that their government is unfit, unwilling and unable to govern New South Wales with cuts like this. Shutting those four schools not only hurts the children and the community but jobs will be cut there. It is devastating for the whole community.

People have an opportunity to stop this. New South Wales Labor will not allow these schools to be closed at all, and that is a very strong point that's been made by the state member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin. She is a fantastic Labor member—outstanding—and has talked a lot about the fact that these schools will all remain open under Labor. I urge people in Murwillumbah and right throughout the North Coast to make sure they change the government. Get rid of this old, tired Perrottet government and get a fresh new start with Chris Minns and all the incredible agendas he and his team have for improving health, education and frontline services, and ending privatisation.

We particularly need to see, in our region, these schools saved. Who in their right mind shuts four schools and forces everyone into one campus? We're talking about very young children right through to high-school children. The level of trauma this has caused the community is absolutely massive. This has been going since October 2020, and they have refused to come and listen to people. It shows what they think of us and how insulting they are to regional and rural people that they behave this way. The question is: whose school will be next? Where else throughout the New South Wales North Coast will they be shutting schools? Tweed? Kingscliff? Pottsville? All the way down to Byron Bay or further and beyond? It shows how insulting they are.

In fact, the only people that can really provide that assistance for regional and rural Australia are the Labor Party. We've shown at a federal level how committed we are to the people of the regions. We know a Minns Labor government will be equally committed to the people of the regions. It is only Labor that will stand up for the people in regional and rural Australia.

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