After a long break parliament finally returned for the first sitting fortnight of the 48th Parliament.
There were some unexpected moments, including a surprise nomination for President of the Senate. I enjoyed meeting new parliamentarians and getting to catch up with some wonderful Team Pocock volunteers to again say thank you for the support during the last campaign.
I helped get two new inquiries up in the Senate, introduced two Bills (you can read more about them below). There was a lot going on - from childcare to aged care, access to healthcare in the ACT, governance issues at the ANU and how we are getting ripped off by gas companies, American beef imports.
More than 1,000 Canberrans joined me at Parliament House in May to hear from Dr Mohammed “Mo” Mustafa about his experiences as a physician on the ground in Gaza. He joined more than 90,000 others yesterday to march across the Harbour Bridge calling for an end to the genocide, further sanctions and more humanitarian aid. Tonight at 8pm on the ABC Australian Story will delve further into his quest to establish a children’s hospital in Gaza for those interested in watching.
I was proud to also table a petition from Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders in parliament last week signed by some 64,000 Australians.
You can watch an interview I did about that here.
Ministerial meetings
I used the return of parliament to meet with a number of ministers on some important issues that Canberrans have raised trying to build momentum in this next term of parliament for more action.
I met with new Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino to talk about progress on implementing better protections against scams which continue to cost all Australians far too much. He also hosted a multipartisan press conference to reaffirm the government’s support for ending life insurers discriminating on the basis of genetic testing.
I met with Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek to talk about implementing a definition of poverty and talk about how the government could move to end an anomaly in welfare payments that make it harder for young people to get into social housing.
I also met with Environment Minister Murray Watt to talk about plans to reform federal environmental law this parliament and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae about releasing Home Care packages to help ease the wait list of more than 87,000 older Australians.
I wasn’t able to secure a meeting this fortnight with new Communications Minister Annika Wells but I did seek the release of the Government’s draft response to the Murphy Review which recommended banning gambling advertising more than two years ago now. What I got back was a lot of blacked out pages consistent with findings from the Centre for Public Integrity that in the last Parliament, the Albanese Government was the second most secretive government since 1993, worse even than the Morrison Government! Next month I’ll be hosting a Town Hall on this and what can be done to increase transparency in government and institutions. You can sign up here.
Inquiries
Home Care inquiry
While the government continues to resist calls from the crossbench to release Home Care packages now I did succeed in securing support to stand up a senate references committee inquiry into the transition to the new aged care system. It will examine the impact of the delay in transitioning on older Australians waiting for support at home, including unmet care needs and the wellbeing of seniors and their carers among other terms of reference.
If you or someone you know has felt the impacts of the long waiting times for home care, I’d encourage you to make a submission to the Committee on or before 22 August. Alternatively, you’re also welcome to email me, as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
University Governance inquiry
The other big win this fortnight was getting support to revive the Senate Legislation Committee inquiry into university governance. Again, anyone is welcome to make a submission, including anonymously, up until 28 August. We will be holding our first day of hearings in Canberra on 12 August.
This is a really important and powerful opportunity to share concerns relating to university governance in a protected environment and I strongly encourage everyone to make the most of it.
I have also separately lodged a number of motions relating to the Australian National University seeking more transparency across a range of issues and a pause on any further forced redundancies until the higher education regulator concludes its examination into complaints I have referred and the senate inquiry also reports.
Whistleblower Protection Authority inquiry
My bill to establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority, introduced with Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Jacqui Lambie, is being considered by a committee inquiry. The inquiry has received hundreds of submissions and pieces of correspondence, 66 of which are published on the committee website.
There will be a public hearing for the inquiry later this month (date to be confirmed), before the report is tabled by 29 August 2025. Stay tuned for a date to watch the hearing live.
Legislation
The Government prioritised passing two main pieces of legislation this fortnight, the first for a one off cut of 20% from existing higher education student debts and increasing the threshold at which debt is repaid.
While a welcome reprieve and a good headline for the government, this change doesn’t address the desperately needed reform in higher education as identified in the Universities Accord. Specifically the failed Job Ready Graduates program which has massively driven up the cost of some degrees. Modelling I commissioned from the Parliamentary Budget office shows JRG has added almost $10bn to student debt.
This bill also failed to finish the job of reforming the indexation of student debt. While changes have been made to the rate, the government still has fixed the timing so people are being charged for 11 months of money already repaid. This simple change could save people as much as $704 million over four years. That’s $704 million of interest charges on money that has already been repaid to the ATO!
And finally, along with crossbench colleagues, students and members of the medical and allied health professions, I continued the push to increase the rate of paid placements and expand it to more professions.
The second piece of legislation was part of the Albanese Government’s response to recent horrific revelations in the early education and care sector. It gives the Commonwealth the power to withhold payments from centres in certain circumstances. It’s only one part of the change needed to better protect our most vulnerable Australians and I hope to see further announcements when Education Ministers meet later this month. Many Canberrans have raised the question as to whether early childhood education should continue to be delivered privately for profit or whether we need to be talking about moving to a publicly delivered model - something I think makes sense and have raised with both the Federal and Territory Minister.
Parliamentary Friendship Groups
After three years in parliament I believe more than ever that we get the best outcomes when we work together and that ultimately, there’s so much more that unites rather than divides us.
That’s why I’ve again thrown myself into co-chairing a bunch of parliamentary friendship groups including housing, clean investment, tech policy, invasive species, rugby, whistleblowers and ending violence against women as well as becoming a member of many more!
ACT in focus - health & housing
Bulk billing
I remain concerned that the Prime Minister's promise of 9 out of 10 bulk billed GP visits is unachievable for the ACT without bigger change and a new report from Cleanbill confirms those fears.
It finds the Albanese Government’s expansion of the bulk billing incentive reveals the change will result in only one additional practice bulk billing in the ACT, lifting the total from 4 to 5, well short of the 25 indicated by Senator Gallagher and the number needed to hit 90% coverage.
I will keep pushing for solutions that will meaningfully shift the dial here in the ACT, including a change to the ACT’s classification to incentivise more bulk billing as well as more support for longer consultations.
CSIRO Ginninderra site
Another drum I haven’t stopped banging is on social and affordable housing and divestment of the CSIRO Ginninderra site in particular.
It was with some surprise that we learned Senator Gallagher had in fact signed off on the disposal of the site back in February, yet a final deal with the ACT and Federal Labor governments still hasn’t been reached. This site offers the potential for thousands of new, well-located social and affordable homes. And with more than 3,100 Canberrans on the wait list, we need these homes now.
The latest update from Housing Australian shows that nationally more than 5,500 dwellings from the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund announced in September last year still don’t have funding agreements including more than 100 here in the ACT.
Round 2 closed in January but the successful projects are yet to be announced and round 3 still hasn’t opened. And there’s still no sign of the final National Housing and Homelessness plan.
I’ve written to the Housing Minister about all of these things and will keep pushing hard for the government to treat housing with the urgency it deserves.
Upcoming events
Town Hall: 16 September 2025 (5:30-7:30pm)
WHERE
Canberra College Theatre
40 Launceston Street
Phillip, ACT 2606
Australia
Please come along for my Third Town Hall of 2025 to talk about priorities for our community following the return of Parliament.
Quarterly town halls are part of my ongoing commitment to being accessible: providing updates, getting feedback and listening to your concerns.
If you are unable to make it in person, the event will be streamed live.
As always I want to hear from you as part of these events so please submit and upvote your questions on slido at this link.
While all questions and topics are welcome, this town hall will focus on Transparency. The Albanese Government in the 47th Parliament was the second most secretive since records started more than 30 years ago.
Join me and Catherine Williams, CEO of the Centre for Public Integrity to discuss the ways in which we can make the 48th Parliament more transparent.
Mobile office: 15 August 2025 (9am-11am)
WHERE
Muffin Break Majura Park
18-26 Spitfire Ave
Canberra, ACT 2609
Australia
Being accessible and accountable is a key part of my commitment to our community.
If there are issues you'd like to raise or views you'd like to share, my mobile offices, which I hold all around Canberra, are a great way to keep in touch.
These events are intended as an opportunity to meet with me and chat about what matters most to you.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SELECT A TIME SLOT VIA THE 'GET TICKETS' BUTTON.
Volunteer Planning Workshop
During the election campaign, Team Pocock volunteers acted as an important link between me and the ACT community - communicating second term priorities out to constituents and bringing valuable feedback into my office.
I am committed to seeing this community engagement and the thriving Team Pocock community continue throughout this term of Parliament. In line with my ambition to put politics back into the hands of the people, I am inviting existing and interested Team Pocock volunteers to attend a workshop on Sunday 7 September and help inform and design what this program looks like.
Please RSVP here to receive updates about this workshop and other volunteering opportunities. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] with any questions.
Electrify, me and mine!
The Currie Crescent Community Centre is hosting a forum with Electrify Canberra from 7 to 9 pm on Saturday 13 September 2025 at the Canberra Baptist Church 11 Currie Crescent Kingston (see https://curriecrescent.org/open-conversations/) about the importance of electrification in your home and the savings it can provide.
As many of you would know, Electrify Canberra is a local community group, inspired by Saul Griffith and Rewiring Australia’s vision to rapidly electrify households. Since its launch, over two years ago, featuring Senator David Pocock and Saul Griffith, they have hosted countless events, helping to connect the Canberra community with the information they need to electrify their households. Together we have successfully campaigned federal and local politicians to support an electrification pilot in the ACT. Support and future funding for a trial was announced by the Federal Government earlier this year.
And finally, the amazing Eggpicnic have a new exhibition coming up, Tracing the Sky: Celebrating the Wetlands of Chile and Australia. As someone who loves rivers and wetlands, I am excited to check it out. It opens on Friday 5 September and only goes for two weeks. You can RSVP to the opening here.
Best,
David
ACT Independent Senator David Pocockhttps://www.davidpocock.com.au/