It's often said, and rightly so, that the measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. Some of the most vulnerable members of our society are older Australians, older Australians who have made a great contribution to this nation, who find themselves in their later days in aged-care facilities.
Read MoreI rise to make some brief remarks on the report of the inquiry into migration in regional Australia. I would like to acknowledge all the work of the members who contributed to the report, particularly the chair, and my great friend, the deputy chair, the member for Calwell.
Read MoreFor those of us who are here from Melbourne, the privilege of being in this place seems particularly important here. The people who have sent us here have got extraordinarily pressing concerns and high expectations of all of us.
Read MoreAustralians right now deserve political leadership that is consistent and which demonstrates a determination to take responsibility, a determination to rebuild trust in the capacity of this place to make a difference through this crisis. They deserve this from the top down.
Read MoreOn Saturday night, the ABC show Rage broadcast a playlist of Melbourne songs and managed to be disciplined enough to keep this list to 101. I won't debate the selection—here, at least—but that there's such a range speaks volumes.
Read MoreFour years ago this week the British Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered. She was murdered doing her job, which is of course our job—representing people in parliament—by an extremist right-wing terrorist.
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