I rise to speak on the Banking Amendment (Unclaimed Money) Bill 2013 currently before the House. But before I do I would like to place on the public record, being a new member in this House, that I had the privilege of witnessing three excellent, outstanding valedictory statements by men who have served not only…
I continue my remarks on the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2013. There is an element of commonality that links this bill to most bills that are brought before this House by this government. The commonality is that it is a bill that introduces a new tax, or it is a bill that looks to increase…
I rise to speak on the Australian Education Bill 2012. Within the Australian psyche Labor owns the education portfolio. That is one of their cornerstones. The great reformist of education was Whitlam with free universities. They have a track record on education. With the bill before the House tonight, which is no more than nine…
It is a privilege to stand in order to support the bill that is currently before the house, the Statute Stocktake (Appropriations) Bill 2013, which will repeal 84 old annual appropriation acts, from 1999-2000 to 2009-10 inclusive. I find myself as a regular occurrence standing to support bills, because the reality is the coalition supports…
I join with my colleagues in supporting the Parliamentary Service Amendment (Parliamentary Budget Officer) Bill 2013. Like it has done on many occasions, the coalition has come into this House and supported legislation by this government. I think we support 87 per cent of the bills that come before this House, so it perplexes me…
I would like to thank and congratulate the Boonah and Fassifern Valley community for throwing yet another fantastic annual agricultural show celebrating no fewer than 113 years of showing. There were concerns that a date clash with the much larger Ipswich Show would result in lower crowd numbers and fewer exhibitors, but that was not…
I rise to advise the House of a little-known organisation that does a mighty effort in communities right around Australia. I speak of our school chaplains. Last week was Chappy Week, which is an annual event held to raise awareness of school chaplains and the valuable service they provide to students, parents and teachers in…
Regretfully I stand in the parliament to highlight the desperate plight of a group of Australians who live in our midst. These Australians currently work for between $4 and $7 an hour. They are subjected to Mafia-like commercial bullying. They are a group of Australians for whom the financial pressure is becoming so great that…
This afternoon I rise to speak on the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 on behalf of our local agribusinesses in my electorate. According to a recent Australian Bureau of Statistics survey, 16 per cent of all businesses in my electorate are agricultural in nature. They represent a significant sector of our local…
I rise today to highlight the plight of a group of my constituents in relation to access to broadband internet access. Now, the one thing that everyone in this chamber can agree on is that fast, reliable and affordable broadband is absolutely essential for businesses and for households. No question about it: being unable to…