June 17, 2010

The Continence Aids Assistance Scheme has proven to be very important in providing the supplies needed to allow people affected by incontinence to live with dignity. Incontinence is a subject that is rarely discussed, despite it affecting a significant number of Australians. Incontinence affects up to four million Australians of varying ages and for a variety of reasons.

April 19, 2010

Today I would like to consider the issue of trust in superannuation and particularly the role for Government as a trustee of the regulatory environment that superannuation trustees and the broader industry must operate within. The position of the Government regulation in superannuation is currently a hot topic. There is much debate and discussion in the industry with the number of reviews in process, Cooper and Henry being the most prominent.

March 19, 2010

It is a pleasure to be here at the Financial Planning Association’s Small Principle Conference this morning, and be speaking to you about the Coalition’s perspectives on financial planning and the investment sector. I’ve been told that my speech today is worth .05 continuing professional development points. I was very flattered with being able to contribute to your professional development – until I found out that most other programs in this conference are worth a whole one point!

March 17, 2010

Ensuring that we have the skills base in regional Australia is vital for our economic prosperity. It is vital for the prosperity of this nation because education is the key to meeting the future skills needs in regional areas. But there is, in this country, great inequality in access to education. The ability to live at home and study your course of choice is an option available to all too few regional students. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister’s decision to eliminate the gap year pathway to independent youth allowance was so short-sighted. Educational costs for regional people are so much more when they have to live away from home because they have no choice.

March 15, 2010

I present the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Public Health and Safety) Bill 2010 and the explanatory memorandum. The purpose of this bill is to amend the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for a number of reasons: firstly, to introduce public health and safety as one of the matters which the federal minister for the environment must take into account when deciding whether or not to approve an action under the act; secondly, to give the issue of public health and safety prominence amongst matters which must be taken into account by the minister; and, thirdly, to provide the minister with emergency powers to act immediately when there is a serious threat to public health and safety.

March 10, 2010

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 1) Bill 2010. The bill introduces a number of measures, the majority of which are supported by the coalition. The bill introduces protection to the deductions made by investors in forestry managed investment schemes.

February 23, 2010

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Corporations Amendment (Financial Market Supervision) Bill 2010 and the Corporations (Fees) Amendment Bill 2010. These bills give effect to the government’s announcement in August 2009 of their intention to provide the Australian Securities and Investment Commission with powers to perform supervision of trading on Australian domestic financial markets. Both sides of this parliament have had similar intentions for some time.

February 23, 2010

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment Bill 2010. The bill supports the referral of state powers under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act which was passed by the parliament last year. The credit act implemented a number of reforms, including a national licensing regime for all providers of consumer credit and services across Australia, including responsible lending conduct requirements for licensees. In principle, the coalition supported the credit act and the efforts to enhance the national regulation of consumer credit by harmonising laws across states and territories. We worked with the government to enhance the bill’s operation by making amendments in the Senate which would require credit providers to verify information provided in a preliminary credit assessment and provide reasons for rejecting applications for hardship variations and stays of enforcement.

February 17, 2010

I have always found insurance to be a fascinating concept. The notion of spreading risk, the payment of a premium for a benefit for an event which my never occur is an interesting one.

February 10, 2010

I welcome the opportunity to address this matter of public importance on the damaging impact of rising interest rates on small business. We saw highlighted in the global financial crisis the importance of capital flows to the operation of the world economy and we saw the impact of a near breakdown of the world banking sector and what that meant to companies and businesses large and small. Credit is the lifeblood of commerce on a global scale and at a local level. If corporations cannot refinance their debt obligations, then the result is catastrophic. If the local hardware store cannot refinance its working capital needs, the result for that small business is much the same, albeit on a smaller scale.