I rise to support the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment Bill—it's not the catchiest title that we've had before us, but it's a worthwhile evolution of that agency—and to support the amendments moved by this side of the House. What concerns me is the fact that we are talking about this today
Read MoreThe Australian music industry contributes nearly $6 billion to our economy. The live music industry alone supports around 64,000 jobs in Australia. It's a thriving industry and one that governments should provide smart, modest support to help the industry grow, just like we should for other important industries like manufacturing or agriculture.
Read MoreIn my first speech to this place 2½ years ago, I spoke about the belief that we needed to do something different in the way that we deliver mental health services. There's been a lot of words spoken in this chamber since then by many people, but the reality remains that the gaps in how we prevent mental illness, treat it, support those with episodic or chronic mental ill health and their families are still too great—and we all know it.
Read MoreFor nearly 10 years I've been fighting for the people of Macquarie, both in this chamber and before coming to this parliament.
Read MoreI'd like to thank the people who contributed to or appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade in the investigation into this PFAS issue, and I rise to discuss some of the recommendations in and issues surrounding this report and how it affects my community in Macquarie.
Read MoreWe'll be watching that closely and making sure that the new scheme has no negative impact on students, that these costs aren't—as so many things are—passed through to the consumer, in this case the student, in the form of higher fees or higher charges for services and that ultimately they don't undermine the equity in our university system.
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