This government was elected on a very clear promise: no changes to capital gains tax, no changes to negative gearing. The Prime Minister didn’t say it once; he said it more than 50 times. But now—’We’ve changed our position. We’ve changed our minds.’ This is yet another grievous broken promise, and it’s one among many. […]
Ms BELL (Moncrieff) (13:11): I do feel the need to rebuke the member for Solomon for his assertions about the Northern Territory government. I would extend my great support to the Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, on the great job that her team is doing for Northern Territorians, including in the electorate of Solomon. We send […]
Rhonda Sharratt:
Angie Bell MP, good morning.
Angie Bell MP:
Good to be with you.
Angie Bell MP:
I’m very proud of it. This is the largest IMPACT ever with 220 young people here today and tomorrow. And I am sure next year will be bigger and better again.
Young people aged between 15 and 24 on the Gold Coast to be Impactors in our community. To have new opportunities to meet others, to expand their outlook and skills, and use those skills into the future.
Today I recognise the extraordinary work of the Women’s Legal Service Queensland and wish to commend their powerful community initiative known as the Epic Walk for domestic and family violence. The Epic Walk brings Queenslanders together to walk five kilometres from North Burleigh Surf Club in my electorate to Burleigh Headland in the member for Macpherson’s electorate and back, standing in solidarity with women experiencing domestic and family violence and raising vital support for the free legal services WLSQ provides.
I rise to pay tribute to Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark on their recent state visit to Australia. Thank you to the Member for Cunningham, Alison Byrnes as Co‑Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Denmark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, members and senators- for attending the event held in their Majesties honour at Parliament House on Monday March 16th. Her Excellency Ingrid Dahl-Madsen for her great deal of work on Denmark-Australia relations and the state visit.
Australians have been under enormous pressure every time they pull up to the bowser, and, after months of delay, the Prime Minister has finally acted to halve the fuel tax. But—let’s be clear—this announcement, while welcome, has come far too late and has only done half the job, because cutting the tax means very little if Australians can’t access affordable fuel in the first place. Right now, the real concern is supply. Families, tradies and small businesses don’t just need cheaper fuel; they need certainty that, when they turn up to the servo, the fuel will actually be there. This is where the government is still falling short.
JOSH MARTIN:
Angie, National Cabinet is meeting today, what are you hoping comes from the meeting?
ANGIE BELL:
Well, we know that the Prime Minister has no plan, there’s no urgency and he’s not showing any leadership on this issue of fuel insecurity in our country. What he needs to do is move the fuel where it’s needed and slash that fuel excise, so that Australians can afford to fill up their cars, and that they can actually access fuel.
I rise today to speak on the High Seas Biodiversity Bill and to outline the coalition’s position on this important legislation. The coalition supports this bill. It’s necessary legislation and it’s legislation that will finally put in place the high seas treaty negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations, a treaty that has been a long time in the making and one that, frankly, has been unnecessarily delayed by the current government. This is not a new conversation. This is not a new issue.
Fine words from the Minister for the Arts. Perhaps he should consider a career post politics as a writer, with such wonderful words and his contribution this morning. As an author myself, I’ll try and do my best, but I don’t think I can match that poetic speech that the minister’s just delivered. Australians are indeed known for punching above their weight on the world stage in the arts. We’ve seen it time and again across the different subsectors of the arts, including our Australian actors like Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, for example, who are household names, and many, many artists across all the different disciplines within the arts.
I commend the minister on his very fine words, and I have some words to say from the coalition. I acknowledge the passing of Rhoda Roberts, AO, a remarkable Australian whose contribution to our nation’s cultural life cannot be overstated. A true trailblazer, artist, storyteller and, indeed, a cultural leader, her passing at the age of 66 marks the loss of one of Australia’s most influential voices in the arts and in the elevation of First Nations culture in our country.