We’ve started the final week of parliament sitting before it rises for the summer and what a week it is shaping up to be.

The week after next we will have one last week of senate estimates - some much needed additional transparency that the government didn’t want to have but that I teamed up with the Greens and the Coalition to add to the calendar (no Christmas card from Labor senators for me). You can hear me talk more about transparency and other recent key topics on this week's Democracy Sausage pod (thanks for having me Mark and Marija!).

End of Year Town Hall 

We can debrief on all this and much more at my fourth and final Town Hall of 2025 at Belconnen Community Theatre on Tuesday, 9 December. As well as reflecting on the year that was, we will be launching our new community campaign to build a purpose-built Multicultural Centre in the ACT and looking ahead to priorities for 2026. Join me and our special guest speaker, Adam Haddow, National President of the Australian Institute of Architects, to talk about the power of architecture and precincts to bring people together, promote social cohesion and celebrate culture. RSVP here - livestream available and questions welcome.

Bad bill goes back to the drawing board

I’ve kicked off this final week with an early win. The government has announced it will go back to the drawing board with the terrible “Defence Honours” bill that:

• they failed to consult on;
• no one wanted;  
• would have made it harder to recognise the courage and sacrifice of ADF personnel like we did recently for Teddy Sheean.

This is what I called for in my dissenting report as part of the senate committee inquiry into the bill. Our defence community and veterans told me they didn’t want this bill and I made that clear. 

I have a lot of respect for Minister Keogh, but with 122 recommendations coming out of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide, it was really disappointing that the government chose this as the first bill they introduced. 

Proposal for environmental reform that protects Nature

Despite a senate committee inquiry that’s due to last until March, and a host of experts and key stakeholders saying more time is needed to get the reforms right, it looks increasingly like that a deal on the seven Environment Protection Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) bills will be done this week. 

The big question is whether the government will do a deal with the Coalition or the Greens. The government offered more concessions over the weekend including removing the exemption for native forest logging (after a three-year transition) and removing fossil fuels from the national interest test.

These are two things I have been pushing for, but don’t go far enough in terms of amending this bill to ensure it doesn’t just work for business, but actually protects nature too.

I’ve put a proposal to the PM and Minister Watt offering my support if they accept 15 key changes to improve the bills based on roundtables I’ve held with nearly thirty representatives from NGOs, industry groups, scientific bodies and legal organisations and participation in the public hearings on the bill.

We have a once-in-a-generation chance to get these reforms right, and I urge the Government to listen to the feedback and take the time to ensure that these laws actually do what is promised.

With the Coalition walking away from net zero and abandoning a host of critical emissions reduction policies, including the EV rebate, we can’t afford a watered-down nature laws deal.

Saving the CSIRO

Just when things seem to be starting to turn a corner at the ANU, another of our beloved national institutions is facing mass job losses.

The CSIRO last week announced plans to cut as many as 350 research jobs (with as many as 150 in the environment division) on top of the 800 positions already lost in the past 18 months. This is in addition to people in non-permanent roles whose contracts won’t be renewed.

Such news is devastating for our community here in Canberra but also for the future of our national science and research capability. With the challenges we face, now is the time to invest more, not less, in the people and infrastructure we need to find the solutions.

If you haven’t already, please join the more than 18,200 people who have signed the petition to save the CSIRO and share it with your networks. 

It calls on the Albanese Government to make an urgent investment in the upcoming MYEFO to stop these devastating CSIRO job cuts, and commit to long-term, sustainable funding that rebuilds our national science capability rather than managing its decline.

Senate showdowns 

Jobs for Mates

In the last sitting fortnight I caused a few waves by moving a motion and getting support from the Greens and the Coalition to extend senate question time by five non-government questions (approx 30 mins) until the government complied with a senate order to release an independent report looking into public sector appointments (AKA Jobs for Mates) known as the Briggs Review. It’s a review Labor commissioned and promised to release…two years ago. 

After a week of this the government made a deal with the Coalition that saw us receive a private briefing on the report and a commitment by Labor to release it by 31 December, or we revert to the longer sitting week next year.

Lobbyist pass register 

Speaking of transparency, I also launched a voluntary public sponsored pass disclosure register. Sponsored passes are when parliamentarians give other people 24/7 all areas access to parliament house.

Lobbying is a good thing and an important part of our democracy but it needs more transparency, from the publication of ministerial diaries to sponsored passes. We need to know who has unfettered access to our decision makers and who gave it to them.

So far it’s mainly fellow independents and individual pass holders who have disclosed on the register (and answers to my senate questions on notice that have revealed a few more) but I live in hope that one day the Greens, Labor, Liberals and Nationals will join them.

Not everyone is loving my push for more lobbying transparency and I paid the price for my advocacy by being booted from the Parliamentary Sports Club. But cash-for-access is something our community wants stopped and I will keep campaigning against it, even if it's from the sidelines for now.

Schedule 5 surprise

I moved a motion today to split out Schedule 5 of a new Social Security Bill that, if passed, would give the AFP minister-of-the-day the power to cancel someone’s social security.

NSW DPP staff, the Australian Law Council, professors in child wellbeing, children’s rights advocates, criminologists and the 100-plus experts all raised serious concerns with the government paperclipping new powers to the back of an unrelated Bill in the Senate and expecting none of us to notice.

The laws have the potential to leave children without the basic necessities of life and in very vulnerable situations. With such serious potential consequences, it’s not too much to expect that the Senate be allowed to conduct a basic inquiry into these measures.

Safeguarding against AI harm: My Face, My Rights Bill

Today I introduced My Face, My Rights, my new private senator’s bill designed to ensure Australians keep control over their own face and voice in an age of deepfakes and rapidly advancing AI. As you know, it’s getting easier to use AI to generate convincing images, videos and audio, yet our laws haven’t kept up. My bill bans the non-consensual creation or sharing of AI-generated depictions of a person and strengthens the eSafety Commissioner’s powers to act quickly when harm occurs.

This comes amid growing concern about AI-driven scams and exploitation. This month the ACCC warned about increasingly sophisticated fraud costing Australians record amounts. Women, children and other vulnerable groups are particularly at risk. With the government slow to act, my crossbench colleagues and I are stepping up. Kate Chaney MP has just released an important discussion paper calling for a National AI Safety Centre, and together we’re pushing for stronger national safeguards.

We can embrace the benefits of new technology without sacrificing privacy, dignity or safety. This bill is a practical step toward modernising our laws and giving people clearer rights and protections against deepfake abuse. I’ll be working to build support across Parliament, including for a Senate inquiry next year, and will keep you updated as this progresses.

Gambling ad ban advocacy continues 

I’m really concerned by reports last week that the Albanese Government is looking to walk away from the core recommendation of the Murphy Review for a phased-in total ban of gambling advertising.

This would be a huge betrayal not only of the committee’s work but the widespread support across our community for this change and enable social harm to continue. You can read more here. 

This week Kate Chaney, Simon Kennedy and Dr Mike Freelander are launching the Parliamentary Friends of Gambling Harm Minimisation and I am proud to be a member.

A full gambling advertising ban is something I will continue to push on your behalf, standing up against the vested interests that have the government so tightly in their grasp.

Denying a Duty of Care on climate change

Both the Labor and Liberal Parties voted against my proposed Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023 in the last sitting period, which would have required the Environment Minister to consider the health and wellbeing of children and future generations when approving coal, gas or other high-emission projects. This was despite the bill receiving over 400 submissions in support and more than 27,000 signatures on a public petition. 

In my view, this represents a failure of leadership and a missed opportunity to legislate for longer-term thinking. Young Australians made their voices heard, but major parties chose to ignore the evidence and their concerns. Without a duty of care enshrined in law, governments will remain focused on short-term decisions and fail to protect the rights and futures of children and future generations. 

But the fight isn’t over and we will keep campaigning. And a big shoutout to Anjali Sharma whose work on this saw her recognised as one of Marie Claire’s Women of the Year last week and nominated for the ACT Young Australian of the Year.

Parliamentary Friends of Healthy Masculinities launch

Last week I was also proud to launch the Parliamentary Friends of Healthy Masculinities at Government House with the Man Cave and other key stakeholders alongside Special Envoy for Men’s Health and Labor Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi MP and Liberal Member for Casey Aaron Violi MP. This cross-party initiative is aimed at supporting boys and young men to talk openly, seek help when they need it, and redefine what it means to grow up and live as a healthy man today. Too often we hear about “toxic masculinity” without a positive alternative. This group says: let’s ask what healthy masculinity actually looks like - kindness, vulnerability, respect, and strength, side by side - and let’s build the culture around that.

My own journey showed me how important it is to learn to be comfortable being vulnerable and seeking help. This group is about providing positive role models and creating spaces for important conversations that recognise we need to do better to support men’s mental health and drive the cultural change we know we need to keep everyone safe.

Spotlight on Housing 

While the Albanense Government’s increased investment in housing is welcome, I’m concerned they still aren’t addressing this leading issue of concern for Australians with the urgency it deserves.

Nine months after the Housing Australia Future Fund Round 2 closed successful projects still haven’t been announced and Round 3 hasn’t opened. Almost four years after announcing it, a shared equity scheme to get more people into home ownership still isn’t operating in all states and territories. 

There’s still no sign of the promised National Housing and Homelessness Plan and tax reform is off the table. We need urgent delivery that stops treating housing as an investment and starts treating it as a human right.

Over the past month I’ve hosted and participated in five key housing events in parliament to keep the spotlight on this critical issue for renters, prospective home buyers and mortgage holders alike.

• SOLD! Documentary screening and panel discussion
• Professor Hal Pawson’s Housing Policy in Australia (Second Edition) book launch
• Housing Older Australians Action Group: Priced Out report launch event
• National Shelter’s annual Rental Affordability Index launch
• Housing supply challenges and opportunities: Parliamentary Friends of Housing event with Building 4.0 CRC, MBA, Property Council, National Shelter, Community Housing Australia

Standing with the Australian Sudanese community

Over recent months, the Sudanese Australian community has carried immense grief and fear, watching from afar as atrocities escalate in Sudan while the international response falls short. Here in the ACT, many families are desperately worried for loved ones and struggling with the uncertainty of what comes next.

In the last sitting week, I moved a motion in the Senate, which was supported by the entire Parliament, expressing solidarity with the people of Sudan and with Sudanese Australians across the country. I want to especially thank Emad Mohamed, a proud Canberran and co-founder of the Sudanese-Australian Advocacy Network, along with the many community members who worked closely with me to make this happen.

The Government has now committed $10 million in humanitarian assistance. It is a positive start, but far from what is needed. Without stronger and more concrete action, the conflict will continue to worsen and more lives will be lost.

I will continue to advocate for a stronger, sustained response to the tragedy unfolding in Sudan and to ensure the voices of Sudanese Australians are heard in our national conversation.

ACT in Focus 

ACDC 

Last sitting period we passed legislation to establish the Australian Centre for Disease Control right here in Canberra, something I’ve been pushing for and am so pleased to see happen.

Lighting around the lake

News that the National Capital Authority has repaired and added new lighting around Lake Burley Griffin is a welcome step to improving women’s safety, especially when exercising outdoors after dark. 

This upgrade follows months of strong advocacy from Kim Elms and ACT Independent, Thomas Emerson. I met with the head of the NCA for an update on this and other key issues like the bridge works and Canberra Avenue crossing last week.

CIT Massage course 

The Canberra Institute of Technology has paused offering its Diploma of Remedial Massage and is now considering cutting the course. This is a move that will greatly impact the industry in the ACT, with businesses already struggling to find staff and no 2025 graduates. If you’d like to get behind this issue, you can sign the petition to reinstate the Diploma of Remedial Massage at CIT here. 

Specialist Disability Housing funding for Canberrans

The ACT Government is missing out on millions of dollars in federal funding that could be transforming homes for people with disability in our community. At issue is the funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) specialist disability accommodation (SDA) stream that supports modifying housing for people with very high support needs. I raised this issue more than 18 months ago when I found out Housing ACT hasn’t claimed a cent of this money, despite registering as an SDA provider back in 2017. Minister Berry tasked the Suburban Land Agency (SLA) with a four month piece of consultation work to get to the bottom of it. But questioning from Independent MLA for Kurrajong Thomas Emerson revealed that work had never been done and the ACT Government is now referring SLA to the Auditor-General and de-registering Housing ACT as a registered SDA Provider - which is absolutely not the solution we need here!

This isn’t just a bureaucratic oversight. It means people with disability living in public housing - some of our most vulnerable neighbours - are being denied upgrades that match their needs, simply because the system isn’t being activated. I won’t stand by while Canberra’s public housing provider allows this funding to slip through the cracks. Together with Tom, I’ve written to both the Territory and Federal governments urging them to act now, claim the funding and ensure it reaches eligible people without delay. 

Children’s safety - Early Education and Care

I supported a senate inquiry into the Quality and safety of Australia’s early childhood education and care system and attended a briefing with Education Minister Jason Clare on additional steps the government is taking to ensure the safety of children in early childhood education and care. I know this is an issue of huge concern to families in the ACT and is one I will continue to keep across and advocate for stronger protections. I also think we need to be having a national conversation about how early childhood education and care is delivered and contemplate moving away from a for profit model to a public and not-for-profit centred system.

Support at Home - Aged Care

I’m hearing more and more reports of people being increasingly out of pocket with the transition from Home Care packages to support at home, despite the government’s “no worse off” commitment. This is something I am intending to raise with the Minister and if you would like to share your experience, privately or as part of an advocacy campaign, please contact my office on [email protected]  

ACT Aquatic Strategy

I spoke on a panel at a terrific community event last week organised by the Friends of Manuka Pool about the need for strategic planning and investment in aquatic facilities across the ACT. 

Final two mobile offices for 2025 

Being accessible and accountable is a key part of my commitment to our community. Come chat about issues that matter to you. 

Book in a time to chat with me at my upcoming December Mobile Offices.

• December 12 at the Little Luxton between 9am-11am
• December 17 at The Cupping Room between 9am-11am

I’ll provide a final end of year update after the current parliamentary fortnight.

Thank you for reading.

David

David Pocock
https://www.davidpocock.com.au/