Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: It is wonderful to be here in the nation's parliament on the first of September for Wattle Day. I am here with Carol Berry, the Member for Whitlam, a wonderful addition to this parliament, and like me, a fan of our national floral emblem, the wattle.
The green and gold of the wattle is in every state and territory. It is our national floral emblem because it represents unity. It represents bringing all of our states and territories together. The wattle flowers somewhere in Australia every single day of the year. And on Wattle Day, we encourage Australians to snap a photo for their Instagram of wattle, maybe to go and plant some wattle in their yard, or just admire the natural beauty of this country.
And one of the other reasons I love Wattle Day is because it gave us the green and gold for this thing, the Medicare card. Now the green and gold of the Medicare card means so much to Australians. It means that we support one another. The green and gold of the Medicare card means that we are there for one another through our health system.
And this week in Parliament, we are hoping to progress our Cheaper Medicines policy, bringing the cost of a PBS script back down to 2004 prices. Making sure that we have cheaper medicines and that it is taking some pressure off cost of living for families across Australia. We are seeking to progress that Cheaper Medicines legislation this week, and I think, to have Parliament starting on Wattle Day, 1 September - happy spring, everyone - is entirely appropriate.
The other national symbol we will be celebrating in this building this week is the Australian Flag. The 3rd of September marks Flag Day, the day that the Australian Flag was first raised in 1901 following a competition across the Commonwealth to choose our national flag.
When it comes to thinking about Australia's flag, it is really important to note that our flag is a symbol of national unity. It is about bringing Australians together, literally in this building, we all come together despite our different views and our different opinions under one flag. We come under that flag and we debate things in a careful, thoughtful, respectful way.
What we saw on the weekend where people had chosen to maybe not follow flag protocol, but were there out there putting some different views, was people who were seeking to divide Australia. Seeking to say that that there is something wrong with Australia. I think Australia is an incredible country. We do not need the division that these protests are seeking to flame.
What I would say to every Australian is that we are stronger when we work together. When we recognise the amazing contributions that different Australians make. The contributions that our First Nations Australians make, the contributions that generations of migrants have made to this country, and the contributions that we can all make for the future.
What I saw on the weekend, including in the rallies of my electorate Perth, did not reflect the Australia that I know. The Australia that I know is a country full of welcoming, caring people who want to do their bit to contribute to the strength of this country, and to contribute to what we can do for the future, working together.
And the final thing I want to say, before I hand over to Carol, is one of the things I thought was really disappointing about the rallies we saw on the weekend was they were being flamed by US billionaires. We saw Elon Musk out there tweeting up a storm encouraging these protests. Now my message to Elon Musk is: butt out. We do not want your division. We do not want your version of Australia.
The Australia that I know here on the ground is Australia that is a welcoming place. It is not the divisive sort of country that he is seeking to push out through the social media network which he owns. I think Australians know when you have got people from overseas interfering in our affairs, I think that is what we saw on the weekend.
I also believe that when it comes to Mr. Musk, I do not know what his agenda is in trying to fan these flames, but it is not in the national interest of Australia, and I think people should think about that very carefully when they are on his social media platforms. I will hand over to Carol. Thank you.
CAROL BERRY, MEMBER FOR WHITLAM: Thank you. What is fundamentally important in my electorate of Whitlam is that no Australian is left behind. So I was really pleased to see those initiatives that the government is now putting in place, particularly making it easier for first time buyers to purchase their first home. So that is a wonderful initiative.
Likewise, this week, we were able to progress the opening of the Shellharbour Urgent Care Clinic. We have taken the first step in terms of opening tenders, so by the end of the year, we will be delivering an Urgent Care Clinic in Shellharbour, which is in my electorate. And that adds to, of course, the extra 87 Urgent Care Clinics which have been rolled out across the nation.
What is also important to my electorate is that health, particularly prescription medicines, are affordable. So I was also really proud of the government last week in terms of delivering cheaper medicines for all Australians. All of these things really matter in my electorate.
It is also wonderful to be here on Wattle Day. We know that the wattle flower is our our national emblem. It is something which really does unify Australians. And so It is really important that we have this message of unity today and inclusiveness. So thank you. I appreciate being here. Thanks.
