Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: It has been a big week for Perth and a big week for Australia domestically and on the world stage. We saw the Prime Minister stop into Perth on his way to an incredibly important set of meetings in India, where we've already seen a very big announcement about recognising the need for students who study in Australia and India to be able to recognise their qualifications. That's great news for students of both countries.
What we've also seen this week in Parliament is a celebration of the great diversity and increasing women's representation in this building on International Women's Day. It was so good to join a cross party, multi-partisan group down at Old Parliament House for the unveiling of the statues of a great Western Australian, Dorothy Tangney, former senator, and Dame Enid Lyons.
And then we come to what's happening here in this building this week. Already, through the Parliament, we have passed our paid parental leave improvements, something coming out of the Jobs and Skills Summit, something that will be of huge support to 180,000 Australian families. We've also seen go through the Parliament, some of what we've needed in terms of startup year. We're making sure that our universities have the flexibility to be able to support students as they try and create the new businesses that will drive the growth of tomorrow. In my chamber, the House of Representatives, the Albanese Government has put through the referendum machinery amendments, to make sure that we can have the referendum that Australians expect. One that looks like a federal election. One where there's information available. One where there's support for the Australian Electoral Commission to run that referendum so that all 17.3 million Australians can have their say.
We've also put through the lower house, Creative Australia, making sure we back the Creative Industries. Recently, I welcomed the Prime Minister to Fringe world in Perth, a huge creative enterprise in my electorate. What this does is back the creative industries of Australia, making sure we recognise this is a huge industry with a very bright future. And that's what we're acting to do in this place this week. But then, we've been doing our job in the Albanese Labor Government, we've been doing our job of making sure we bring legislation in, deliver on our commitments, deliver on our cost of living plan, including cheaper childcare and cheaper medicines.
The pressure and the question is now entirely on the Coalition. We have the safeguard mechanism being debated in this Parliament today. And the question for the Coalition is will they respect the request of the Australian people, the request of the Australian people to have a government that takes climate change seriously, a government that has sensible plans and a government, a Labor Government, that is actually trying to put in place the policy settings of the former government when it comes to the safeguard mechanism. This is sensible policy, it will do what we know is in Australia's short, medium and long term interest, both domestically and internationally. It will make sure that we bring emissions down. To make sure we grab the opportunities of a renewable energy future and that we make sure that we give business the certainty that they've been demanding not just this week, but for years and years. If the Coalition wants to listen to the Australian people, listen to Australian business and listen to what the needs are of Australia today and into the future, they will, when the vote comes, back the sensible improvements to the safeguard mechanism to secure Australia's long term future.
Thank you
