Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had great feedback from my online post asking members from the Petrie electorate to tag an issue that they'd like me to speak about today. As your federal MP, I'll always raise issues in this place for you. Let me discuss a few of them.

Jill from Bracken Ridge wanted me to speak about the Voice. She says she does not support the Voice and that there are more important issues that affect all Australians around cost of living, schools, housing, roads and health care. Robert from Redcliffe also thought that everyone who had been elected as a representative in the House of Representatives represented those people and were their voices. The good news is that it isn't up to the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition or members of this House. When the government puts a referendum in place later this year, it's the Australian people who decide on the Voice. As I understand it, there will be no yes and no pamphlets provided to voters. I think there should be, and in past referendums there have been. But, ultimately, Jill and Robert, you will have your say at that referendum.

In relation to youth crime, Paul from Bald Hills wrote to me about that. Paul mentioned that he's very concerned about it. Susan Boyd from Griffin wrote about youth crime as well. It is a big issue. In North Lakes in my electorate a young mum was murdered around Christmas by young people under the age of 18 in a home invasion.

The reality is the Palaszczuk government in Queensland, Susan and Paul, are responsible for youth crime. In their three terms, in the 10 years that Annastacia Palaszczuk has been Premier, we've seen the youth laws watered down. They want to raise the age of criminal responsibility. The reality is we need a state government that will deliver laws for justice, not just about rehabilitation. I would encourage you to write to your state MPs. I have written to them about this as well.

Karen from Bald Hills wrote to me about family and domestic violence, saying there needs to be more housing readily available for women escaping DV and family violence. That's absolutely true. It is a big issue. I think all governments, state or federal, regardless of political persuasion, have been good at raising awareness around domestic violence. I think more people are coming forward now as more MPs speak about it.

When I was the Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services in the coalition government, we rolled out $60 million in funding for safe places to help 600 women and children escaping DV. Those places are built now—I'm sure most of them are built—and that's a good thing. There's always more work to be done. We need to make sure we have housing ministers who invest in public housing. We need to make sure the funding that we provide through the national housing funding—some $320 million goes to the Palaszczuk government each year—is invested in new housing and that stock is recycled.

In relation to mental health, Amaya from North Lakes said that wait times are too long in the public system. We know there are a lot of issues in the public hospital system in Queensland at the moment. Costs are too high, Amaya was saying, and the sector requires a massive overhaul. Now, Amaya, you mentioned you have some ideas. Please email me. I'd be happy to put them forward to ministers at the federal or state level.

We know that the Albanese government have reduced the Medicare rebates from 20 sessions down to 10. They had the opportunity to extend that. I think that was the wrong call from this current federal government. We also need to change the government in Queensland. You need to vote LNP in October next year, because the reality is that in the one term in the past three decades that the LNP has been in government, when Lawrence Springborg was the health minister, the public health system was running a lot more efficiently than what it is at the moment. If you're waiting too long to see a psychologist in public hospitals, change the government next year.

The other thing is that we do need to train more psychologists and provide recognition of prior learning for international arrivals. I have spoken to the current minister in the federal government about that. But industry bodies are often responsible there, and they're reluctant to change that, Amaya.

Lachlan in Griffin spoke about the cost of living. Obviously that is the No. 1 issue. There are some big issues there. That's all I have time to talk about today, but thank you to everyone who responded to my post. As your federal MP I'll keep raising your issues in this place.

House adjourned at 17:00

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Payne ) took the chair at 09:30.