I have a couple of upcoming events that I wanted to share with you and also a wrap of what I found out during a huge couple of weeks at Senate Estimates.
We've got a big final fortnight of Parliament sitting from next week before the winter break. There are some big pieces of legislation on the horizon including the budget centrepiece Future Made in Australia Bill and legislating the Net Zero Authority.
I’ll be continuing to consult on key bills and, as always, pushing for amendments to improve them and I’ll provide an update coming out the other side.
Upcoming events
Community Independents Project People Powered Politics Online Convention
I’m looking forward to speaking at the Community Independents Project People Powered Politics Online Convention this weekend. I’ll be on a panel with the Member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan MP, on Saturday afternoon about doing politics differently and the role of the Senate.
You can find out more here.
Parliamentary Screening of How to Poison a Planet
At 5.30 pm on this coming Monday (24 June), I’ll be hosting a special screening of the new Stan documentary, How to Poison a Planet in the Parliament House Theatre. The documentary is a groundbreaking investigation into PFAS; the forever chemicals that have created an international health and environmental catastrophe.
It will be followed by Q&A with investigative journalist Carrie Fellner, director Katrina McGowan and members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community, who have been living with the consequences of PFAS contamination for decades.
Tickets are free and they are running out quickly. If you would like to come along, please reserve your free seat here.
Next Mobile Office
I’ll be holding my next mobile office from 11am - 1pm on Friday 5 July at the Mura Lanyon Youth and Community Centre in Conder. All welcome but please RSVP here so I can let you know if there are any last minute changes.
Community campaigns
Funding for frontline domestic violence service providers
I’m also launching a crowdfunding campaign to support our frontline domestic and family violence crisis services here in the ACT. In this year’s budget, the Government committed $3.5 billion to energy bill relief for all Australians. Many people are struggling, so for a lot of people this relief will be welcome. But others on a higher income feel that they simply don’t need it and would like to see it go to those in need. If you’d like to use yours to support the ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service, the ACT Women’s Legal Centre and Yerrabi Yurwang Child & Family Aboriginal Corporation, you can do that here.
Community-led early education at ANU
Yesterday I met with families and staff at University Preschool and Childcare Centre (UPCCC), one of four community-led early childhood education and care centres alongside Heritage Early Childhood Centre, Cubby House on Campus and Acton Early Child Care on the ANU campus.
The ANU announced last week it would not be renewing the licences and leases for these four centres and would instead be going through a tender process and relocating to two new facilities. A number of families have contacted me expressing their distress at both the decision and the process leading up to it. I have written to the Vice-Chancellor conveying these concerns and asking for a number of actions in response. If you want to support impacted families you can do so through this petition they have launched.
Housing
Housing Australia Future Fund oversubscribed
Housing Australia told me they've received 673 applications for 50,167 new social and affordable homes in Round 1 of the Housing Australia Future Fund which is only financed to deliver 30,000 over 5 years.
The Federal Government needs to double the HAFF now as I've said from day one. I’ll continue to push them on this and increase their ambition when it comes to delivering social and affordable housing. There is clearly the capacity to do this and the support from the crossbench - we just need the political will from Labor.
No money spent from Social Housing Accelerator Fund
The ACT Government has not spent a dollar of the $50 million it received from the Federal Government 11 months ago to provide social housing.
With more than 3,100 Canberrans on the social housing wait list coming "soon" doesn't really cut it. We’re in a housing crisis, help is urgently needed and there are projects ready to fund today.
The ACT Government must start funding housing from the ‘use it or lose it’ Social Housing Accelerator - particularly as all funds must be committed by 30 June 2025.
Health
Modest boost in GP bulk billing rates, but still more to do
Good news - we have had a promising 5% bump in our GP bulk billing rates. However, we are still the lowest bulk billed jurisdiction by a huge margin, with the next lowest jurisdiction sitting some 20 points above us.
Many Canberrans may be able to afford to pay a gap, but I’m concerned lots of people who are doing it tough - and who aren’t covered by a concession card - may be putting off seeing a doctor because of cost. We all pay the price when someone doesn’t get the care they need early.
It’s made worse by the fact that our GP numbers are still relatively low per capita - and I’m hearing reports that some GPs are starting to feel burnt out by the sheer workload caused by this shortage.
We have to turn this around by properly investing in practices to provide the type of care that keeps people out of hospital. I’m concerned the Federal Government doesn’t have a plan to fix this yet so I’ll keep pushing them on it.
Surging surgery costs
As the saying unfortunately goes in the ACT: if you’re in pain, get on a plane. Canberrans are slugged with the largest out of pocket fees for surgery in the country, even though a huge percentage of us pay steep premiums for private health insurance.
Last week, I tabled data showing just how bad the ACT is compared to other jurisdictions. If you need a shoulder reconstruction or repair, you’re likely to pay $2,500 MORE out of pocket than the Australian median. For cataract surgery, it’s $1,000 more.
Lots of Canberrans are telling me they have found it cheaper to travel to Sydney. I don’t think that’s good enough and believe it shows the market is not operating the best it can for patients.
At Estimates, both the Minister and the Department all but confirmed this, putting it down to a lack of specialists. That’s a contributor, but I’m not seeing any plan to address this for the ACT, with all the strategies solely focussed on regional and remote areas of the country.
As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, supporting an even larger region, we need to fix this. I’m going to keep pushing, as I don’t think it’s right that we have a system that pushes us toward private health insurance (through the Medicare levy surcharge) but then does little to ensure we are protected from out of pocket costs that are massively out of step with the rest of the country.
I’m keen to do some further work on this - if you have a story or a perspective to share, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Shopping around for surgery
Just for interest, if you’re told to shop around and to compare fees on the Medical Cost Finder website, be wary. This website is supposed to help you compare fees, but I found out at Estimates that it only contains the fees of just 20 doctors nationally.
The kicker is that it has also cost $24.2 million - over a million dollars per doctor listed. It’s hard to see how it is supporting people to shop around, but I am pleased Minister Butler has now confirmed that he’s asked for advice on how to fix this up.
Wait times for aged care assessments in the ACT
Recently, I’ve received quite a few emails from aged care providers on how long it’s taking for people to receive an aged care assessment - known as “an ACAT”. An ACAT is the first step someone needs to take to apply for a Home Care Package, which is a small budget senior Australians can use to get support at home.
Here in Canberra, the ACT Government is contracted to provide ACATs, but they are massively behind. At estimates, I found out that wait times have blown out to 75 days, up from 35 last financial year - the longest wait times in the country.
The Department is very clearly unhappy with the ACT Government’s progress in fixing this. I was actually told by officials that the wait times are likely to get worse in the short term.
If people can’t get support at home, they are more prone to injury and are more likely to end up in hospital. That’s not good for senior Canberrans, and it’s not good for our strained health system.
I’ve written to the ACT Health Minister to see what plans the ACT Government has to get this back on track as soon as possible, and to seek her assurances that they have allocated enough assessors to get the job done.
Education
HECS, Paid Placements, R&D Review
Canberra is, among other things, very much a university & research town so the 47 recommendations coming out of the government’s Universities Accord released in February this year is something our community has taken a keen interest in.
It’s also important because it goes to the question about intergenerational equity that is a growing concern - from housing to climate to education.
In the Budget, the Government announced it would introduce a weekly $319 paid placement payment for eligible nursing, midwifery, social work and teaching students and change the rate at which indexation is applied.
I’ve been pushing them to go further, extending paid prac placements to other professions, changing the timing of indexation so people aren’t being indexed on compulsory amounts already repaid and scrapping the failed Job Ready Graduates (JRG) program.
The Department of Education confirmed they:
- did not include other care professions like psychologists, occupational therapists, or GPs as recommended by the Universities Accord because they took "care" to be code for social workers in the Accord recommendation. This is pretty extraordinary given that Jobs and Skills Australia list OTs and physios as among the top 20 professions in demand (alongside nurses).
- have NOT modelled what it would cost to extend paid placements to professions outside nursing, midwifery, social work and teaching.
- have NOT commenced work with universities and employers to introduce payment for unpaid placements as recommended by the Accord.
- have NOT modelled how much additional student debt people have accumulated as a result of the JRG changes
- the R&D strategic review (also announced in the budget) has not yet commenced, though the announcement of terms of reference and expert panel is expected soon, and it will be completed by the end 2025.
CSIRO
Government investment in research as a percentage of GDP is at record low levels, and Australian business spends less than half the OECD average on R&D. CSIRO is no exception, suffering a 9% reduction in funding under the 2024/25 Budget.
The result is less research and job cuts at our much-loved national science and research organisation. Concerned about the impact that this is having on people and on the quality of research, I put questions to the new CSIRO CEO, Dr Doug Hilton.
Dr Hilton confirmed that there will be cuts and that the CSIRO is looking at ways to do it. But Dr Hilton is in a difficult position, having to find savings to plug a hole in the CSIRO budget left by inadequate investment. However, I remain concerned about ensuring that care is taken to engage with CSIRO staff and that further funding is sought should it be needed.
I will also continue to push the government to increase investment in research and development. In the face of slowing economic growth, the climate and biodiversity crises, and developments in AI, investment in research is more important than ever.
Climate and Environment
Future Gas Strategy
On 9 May 2024, the government released a Future Gas Strategy, which is essentially the Coalition Gas-Fired Recovery plan reheated. Under the plan, there is to be continued expansion of the gas industry and gas as a key part of our domestic and international energy mix past 2050.
I put questions about the strategy to three different departments. What was clear is that no department had properly modelled or considered the impact of the Future Gas Strategy on emissions. It is remarkable that we do not know how a key industry policy aimed at expanding fossil fuel developments will change our climate.
Underpinning the Future Gas Strategy are two flawed assumptions. First, international demand for gas is necessary for energy security and will continue to increase over the coming decades. Second, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies will provide significant abatement for new gas projects.
Recent research shows that our largest LNG trading partner, Japan, is substantially reducing gas consumption and in fact exports more LNG than it imports from Australia. I put this to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and they seemed unaware that this is the case. I find this deeply concerning, as the justification given for opening new gas fields for export is often that countries such as Japan need more and more of our gas.
I also asked the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) (who authored the Future Gas Strategy) about concerns around CCS and whether Australian taxpayers are expected to indemnify projects against the risk that CCS will leak toxic pollutants, or otherwise fail. Similar to DFAT, DISR appeared not to have even considered this in the drafting of the Future Gas Strategy.
The questions I put in relation to the Future Gas Strategy revealed that the aim of the policy is singular: expansion of the gas industry in Australia at all cost. This is a betrayal of Australian voters, who called for greater action on climate change at the last election and continue to seek ambition from this government.
Investment in Nature
Despite all of the rhetoric, the budget contained virtually no further investment in Nature.
Australian Land Conservation Alliance and Australian Conservation Foundation research has found that spending on on-ground conservation amounts to between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent of spending. Worse, investment in Nature as a percentage of GDP is falling.
I put the disconnect between the government’s commitments and the absence of funding to the relevant department. I found an explanation of a pathway to meet commitments lacking.
We now have more than 2,000 threatened species, with a record number of species being listed as threatened or uplisted under the Albanese government. I will continue to push the government to protect the people and places we love.
Electrification
Recent announcement of the Made in Australia policy misses a key opportunity in the transition: electrification of households and small businesses.
I pressed departments on why we are missing the opportunity to create conditions for Australians to electrify their homes, save money on energy bills and reduce household emissions.
They confirmed that work is being done to develop an electrification policy. I will continue to work with the incredible Electrify Canberra community group to push the government to act on this critical issue.
Forever chemicals
Over the last two years I’ve questioned officials about the lack of action in Australia when it comes to PFAS & PFOA - ‘forever chemicals’ that have serious environmental and health impacts. The response from the Department and Government has been underwhelming. We are light years behind other jurisdictions when it comes to what is considered ‘safe’ in drinking water and in water bodies - we’re practically allowing Australians to swim in PFAS while the US, Canada and Europe are introducing stringent testing and much lower acceptable levels. An article this week highlights some of the risks and I have written to the Environment Minister requesting urgent testing.
Leaving violence payment & FDV
Rapid Review Panel
I raised concerns with the Minister's office about the Government’s ‘Rapid Review’ Panel not having a First Nations woman on it. First Nations women have been at the forefront of lived experience and advocacy and their voices need to be at the table. I raised this at Estimates and will continue to push it with the Government - they need to fix this.
Defence
Over the past year or so, I’ve been investigating some worrying aspects of the relationship between the Department of Defence and KPMG.
KPMG was contracted to develop a cloud-based data management system for Defence. During the project, Defence paid KPMG $100,000 to maintain a collaborative relationship despite KPMG not meeting a project milestone. This payment was not disclosed publicly. Defence is investing between $900 million to $1.2 billion in this system, which is facing significant issues. Microsoft withdrew from a major part of the project, causing further complications.
In early 2023, Defence commissioned a financial audit to investigate the project's issues. The audit report revealed the payment to KPMG and criticised the project management. Despite commissioning the report, Defence tried to bury it. The report was later released through an OPD.
In February, during an Estimates hearing, the Associate Secretary of Defence denied knowledge of any payment made to KPMG to maintain a collaborative relationship without deliverables being met. Later, the original email confirming this payment was released, validating the report’s findings. Despite this, the Associate Secretary did not reconsider the report's conclusions.
In response to estimates questions, Defence officials confirmed the project is delayed and will not meet its original completion date. This situation highlights issues of accountability within government projects and the improper use of taxpayer funds.
Visas for people fleeing Gaza
I asked the Department of Home Affairs if any humanitarian visas have been offered to people fleeing Gaza, of the kind offered to those fleeing conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The response was that no, those visas have not been made available - and the only visa people can apply for to flee Gaza to Australia is a tourist visa. The Department also confirmed that of the 2191 Palestinians in Australia on tourist visas, only 6 have been transitioned onto a bridging visa with work and study rights. With so many people ineligible to work or receive social services, this means the money allocated for emergency relief in the budget is woefully inadequate - coming out at $456 per person to survive on for the year.
You can watch the whole segment of questions and answers here.
Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation passes the Legislative Assembly
After years of campaigning, Territorians finally have the same right as every other Australian who lives in one of the states to access voluntary assisted dying.
During the election campaign I met many courageous Canberrans who were facing terminal diagnoses or had loved ones who had passed or were facing these same diagnoses and were campaigning for the restoration of Territory rights. Being part of passing legislation that restored territory rights is one of the proudest moments in my time as a Senator, and it was heartening to see the ACT government this week pass legislation that means Canberrans will now have the right to end-of-life decisions they had been denied. For many Canberrans this comes too late but I want to sincerely thank everyone who campaigned to make this a reality.
Integrity reforms
Lobbyist access to parliament house
Following the conclusion of a Lobbyist Enquiry I referred to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee, I asked questions of the Department of Parliamentary Services in relation to greater transparency around more than 2,000 all-access passes that parliamentarians give to lobbyists.
The secretary of the department confirmed that the only change that would be necessary to provide transparency on who has virtually unlimited access to Parliament House is a notification on pass application forms.
I’m all for access to parliamentarians, but parliamentary passes are an incredible privilege that confer significant advantage. Australians should know who has this privilege and how they are using it.
I will continue to call on the government to make this simple change and shine a light on who gets privileged access.
AI and elections
I’m really concerned about the emergence of AI as a tool to influence elections. In the US, ‘voice clone’ phone calls that sound like President Biden have been deployed, and in India, ‘deep fake’ videos have been used to influence voters. It’s only a matter of time before this technology is deployed in Australian elections.
The Department of Finance has responsibility for electoral reform, so I asked the department what they are doing to counter the threat AI poses to our democracy.
Worryingly, it does not seem as though the department is being particularly proactive in reforming the Electoral Act to protect against the potential for AI to damage our democracy.
I'll leave it there for now but looking forward to sharing more after the sitting fortnight.
Best,
David