David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For a moment I was concerned that we might have daylight saving to blame for the reliability of solar power as well! I rise this evening to bring a number of issues to the House's attention.

Firstly, I want to speak on the important work this government is doing to build a future made in Australia. I am aggrieved that this is a controversial topic being held up in the other place. The plan for a future made in Australia is about attracting and enabling investment; making Australia a renewable energy superpower; value-adding to our resources and strengthening economic security; backing Australian ideas, innovation, digital technology and science; and investing in people and places. These are not controversial matters, you would think. This country has critical and abundant natural endowments and a highly skilled workforce. It is well positioned to strengthen priority supply chains and become an indispensable part of the net zero global economy. This isn't about government replacing private investment. This is about government being a catalyst for investment, unlocking the private capital to build new projects, create new jobs and drive growth and prosperity. This will be complemented by a reform that holds no-one back and drives progress that leaves no-one behind, doing so in a way that better aligns our national security with our economic security.

Just as the US, UK, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada and so many nations around the world are safeguarding themselves against the next global shock, whether it's conflict, a pandemic, a cyberattack or another international energy crisis, Australia must follow suit. To do this, the government is investing $91 million over the next five years to accelerate the development of the clean energy workforce through expanded access to the New Energy Apprenticeship Program and investments in VET clean energy courses. It will mean investing in our people and in places like the CIT in Woden, in the heart of my electorate of Bean.

We are expanding support for women training in male-dominated industries through $55.6 million for the Building Women's Careers Program and $38.2 million to support diversity in science, technology, engineering and maths. It's a part of the government's targeted approach to meeting skills needed for a future made in Australia, including $68.4 million to attract and retain the skilled industrial workforce needed to support Defence industrial priorities.

I had the privilege of joining the Prime Minister a number of weeks ago on his visit to Geoscience Australia in my electorate—he is the first Prime Minister to visit Geoscience Australia, if you can believe that!—to see how we are making the most of our natural resources. We learnt how minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt are essential components in many clean energy technologies, from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles. We were treated to a demonstration of how lithium is used to power batteries, along with the sediment exhibition, an ores map with samples and an opal. What can I say but this visit rocked!

Apologies, Member for Werriwa. It was a reminder that we have a unique opportunity to build on our vast minerals to fuel not only Australia's transition to net zero but the world's.

Making more things here in Australia, making our nation a renewable energy superpower and making our economy more resilient and more secure is something that we should all be able to support. It shouldn't be controversial to ensure that we seize those opportunities and share them with people and communities in every part of our nation. I urge those in the Senate to support our government's plans for a future made in Australia.

This year, I'm participating in Raise Our Voice's Youth Voice in Parliament campaign, and tonight I am proud to read out some speeches, or grievances, if you like, written by three students from the Charles Weston School in Coombs. Angela, aged 11, says:

My name is Angela, and I am a student at Charles Weston.

I am writing to express my concerns about the health and well-being of teenagers, particularly regarding smoking and vaping. I frequently see teens engaging in these activities, which worries me because of the potential health risks, including lung cancer, asthma, and other respiratory issues.

Many teenagers are influenced by peer pressure, online content, and even family and friends, leading them to smoke or vape.

If this trend continues, we could see a significant increase in the number of young people who smoke or vape, which would have serious public health implications. I urge the Parliament to take action to address this issue, online and at all schools tell teens about the health risk, to protect the health of our youth and the future of our country.

Shreyam, also 11, says:

Respected Members of Parliament, I am Shreyam, a concerned student from Charles Weston School in Coombs. At only 11 years old, I am deeply troubled by the escalating issue of cybercrimes and cyberbullying. It's time to take decisive action to tackle this growing threat.

Every day, people are falling victim to online harassment and hacking, and it's an imperative that we put an end to it. Recent research has revealed that the likelihood of being hacked online is a staggering one in five. This unsettling statistic is a cause for great concern, and it's clear that immediate action is needed.

Furthermore, the presence of hackers within online communities is deeply alarming and has led to a pervasive sense of fear and vulnerability among internet users, myself included. If we fail to address this issue now, we risk a future where online spaces are overrun by hackers and viruses.

Finally, Sahasra, says:

Hello, my name is Sahasra and I am 11 years old. I am writing from Charles Weston School Coombs.

Deforestation is an important matter that needs to be discussed as it impacts many people and creatures. My hope is that in the next 10 years, parliament will do its best to plant trees, as a replacement for the chopped down ones.

This impacts us humans as we will have good oxygen to breathe through. This will also impact animals in good ways by having a habitat to live in. This is an important matter because we and animals depend on trees as a source of good, fresh oxygen. Parliament can help by encouraging people and maybe even schools to plant trees.

Thank you, Angela, Shreyam and Sahasra, for taking the time, sharing your concerns and raising your voice to parliament. You have raised issues which have been incredibly relevant this year and the subject of much ongoing debate.

Finally, tonight concludes the first day of pre-poll voting for the ACT election. It marks the beginning of the end of the 2024 ACT election. The voters could not have starker choices. I want to raise the importance of having a strong Labor government on a federal and territory level and what happens when they work together. Our Labor Prime Minister is one that knows and understands Canberra. He doesn't use this city's name as a punching bag. Canberra should serve as a beacon to the nation, not an easy put-down for politicians to play one group of Australians off against another.

Australia very much remains a federation, and this Prime Minister has proven that. He leads this Labor government from the Lodge. He walks up Mount Ainslie, Red Hill and even Mount Taylor in my electorate of Bean, like thousands of Canberrans do every day. He leads a government that works with Labor and coalition territory and state governments, in our case ensuring that our national capital gets the investment that is befitting of a national capital. That's why after a decade of neglect of the national capital by the previous government, this federal Labor government is working with Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister of the ACT, investing in Canberra to support a more livable, connected and thriving city.

We know that the Canberra Liberals do not represent the progressive identity that territorians have forged for ourselves. We must not run the risk of having a territory Labor government lose re-election. We have seen in the last two years what federal and territory Labor governments can do for Canberra. Thanks to these two Labor governments working together, Canberra in the ACT is getting the funding it deserves, from infrastructure to services and education. Andrew Barr and Anthony Albanese continue to work together to deliver for Canberrans.

In my part of Canberra, the electorate of Bean overlaps with Murrumbidgee and Brindabella and, in 2024, has produced some excellent candidates. In Brindabella, Labor candidates include Brendan Forde, Caitlin Tough, Louise Crossman, Taimus Werner-Gibbings and Minister Mick Gentleman. In Murrumbidgee, Labor candidates include Minister Chris Steel, Marisa Paterson MLA, Nelson Tang, Anna Whitty and Noor El-Asadi. They would all make excellent members in an ACT government post the election in a couple of weeks time. To Joy Burch, who's using this opportunity to retire: thank you for all you have done, not just for the government and for your electorate but as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for the longest period.