Speeches

Adjournment Debate – Local Government elections, Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum 50th anniversary

Mr PITT: Over the weekend we had the local government elections in Queensland. I’m always happy to hand out some free advice, and I have some for new councillors and returning ones: stick to roads, rates and rubbish. I think that is what the ratepayers expect, it’s what they elect you for, and I hope that into the future that is what the local government elections will result in.

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PMB – Cashless Debit Card

Mr PITT: I, of course, move to support the motion by the member for Durack and, in particular, the acknowledgement that it was the Labor government that spent $450 million on a divisive Voice to Parliament, and, not only that, they removed the cashless debit card from trials around the country.

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90 second statement – #woodgatewedding

Mr PITT: It’s on. I want to give my genuine congratulations to Prime Minister Albanese and his bride-to-be. I think it’s fantastic news. It will be the wedding of the year; there is no doubt about that whatsoever. We’ve heard in the press all week that it’s about the when.

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Adjournment Debate – Australia Day awards and Paradise Dam

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (19:40): Would you believe, Mr Deputy Speaker, that recently it was Australia Day? Around
Australia Day our local councils give out awards to citizens, and there were many in both the Fraser Coast
Regional Council area and Bundaberg. There were far too many to name, but I do want to call out a couple of them.

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Adjournment Debate – End of year wrap up

Mr PITT: Christmas and the new year are rapidly approaching, and I think it’s an appropriate time to look at the year in review, the challenges that have been overcome and the great things that have happened in the electorate of Hinkler in the last almost-12 months.

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MPI – Immigration Detention

Mr PITT: The previous speaker, Mr Laxale, had quite the jumble of talking points. We’re here talking about national security and keeping Australians safe, but the focus from those opposite is always on the Leader of the Opposition or the shadow Treasurer. How about you just tell us what it is you intend to do? That is what the Australian people want to know.

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MPI – Cost of living crisis

Mr Pitt: Coming to the MPI: what we know is there a very few tradespeople on that side. The member for Hunter is here,
and I acknowledge that, as he’s a former fitter and turner, there is at least one on that side of the parliament; I’m not sure about the others. I want to use an analogy. When it comes to the cost of living in this country, the people
of Australia are in the iron vice.

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Statement – Israel

Mr PITT: The horrific events in Israel might seem far removed from Australia, but they are
a stark reminder that terrorism still exists, and our nation, Australia, must remain vigilant.

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Constituency Statement – Enio Troiani

Mr PITT: Today I rise to acknowledge the passing of Enio Troiani. Enio passed away unexpectedly on 19 August at the age of 64. He was the beloved husband of Marianne and the dearly loved father and father-in-law of Natalie and Tyson, Pia and Chris, and Gabriella and Andrew.

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Second Reading -Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023

Mr PITT: Water is always a difficult issue. It’s a fraught issue. It’s a complicated issue. The Murray-Darling Basin has always been that way. No matter where you stand, whether you are at a farm here in Australia—whether you’re in Queensland or South Australia or New South Wales—or in fact anywhere around the world, if you want to really narrow this down, the easiest way to think about it is: when you’re talking to a local farmer, they will think that downstream are wasters and upstream are thieves.

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Second Reading – Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023

Mr PITT: I rise to speak on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023, a bill for which the coalition has been allowed just over a week to prepare to speak on what are significant changes to fair work legislation. There are hundreds of pages, in fact, adding to the already hundreds of pages which employers in this country have to wade through to try and ensure that they are not making any mistakes, any breaches or any errors when it comes to employment in this country. This bill makes things even more complicated. In fact, 15 minutes is nowhere near enough time to cover all of the elements, so I’ll stick to only a few in the time that’s allotted to me.

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90 second statement – Bundaberg Netball

Mr PITT: Right across the weekend in Hinkler we saw finals everywhere, in particular at the netball. As a former netball dad I know just how many parents are out with their kids. Those kids were out having a great time playing sport, and they had some wonderful results. It’s also an opportunity for clubs to recognise those individuals who have spent decades assisting, volunteering their time and doing what’s necessary to make sure their club functions and runs well and all the things parents and others do to help out their local community.

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90 second statement – Nuclear Waste Management

Mr PITT: In September I will have been in this place for a decade. In that time I’ve seen a lot of things, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse or poorer decision than the one taken by the Labor Party this morning to abandon the low-level radioactive waste facility in Kimba, South Australia. It is an absolute disgrace.

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90 second statement – Health Care

Mr PITT: I have here correspondence from one my constituents, Dr Adrian Frick, a dentist in my electorate, the son of a cane farmer, to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. It’s with regard to Mr Frick’s survival of a massive heart attack on 8 March 2022. I seek leave to table this correspondence.

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90 second statement – Canberra Airport: Freedom of the Media

Mr PITT: Yesterday was pollie Sunday, as it’s known colloquially amongst those of us who travel a lot. Arrive at Canberra Airport—check. Down the escalator—check. Temperature falling—check. Press gallery on the floor—check. I wandered past that erstwhile reporter Nicole Hegarty, formerly from ABC Wide Bay.

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PMB – Pensions and Benefits

Mr PITT: The first point I’d make is this: the biggest cashless debit card trial site in this country was my electorate. One of the reason we put that trial in place was that we have multigenerational welfare-dependant people in their thousands.

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The people, the power and the path to a better Australia

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
So said Nelson Mandela. His message is one of perseverance. If you’re a conservative, someone who fights the socialist agenda, an individual who truly believes in our democracy, who thinks you advance through the sweat of your own brow, not through a reliance on handouts from the state, then it’s a message you should hold dear to your hearts.

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Adjournment Debate – Cashless Debit Card

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (19:50): Is there any other greater indicator of the hopelessness of this Labor government, of how its ideology overrules common sense, and of how it is directed by the socialist alliance, the left, than the cancellation of the cashless debit card in the mandatory trial sites around this country?

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90 second statement – Local touch footy finals

Mr PITT: There’s a big game on this week. It’s Queensland versus New South Wales on Wednesday night. But it’s not the biggest game in town. The big game is at 6.50 pm tonight at the Brothers Social Touch Football Club, where we’ll see the McHugh Steel team—my team—take on Livingstone Low Electrical in the over-35s grand final.

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90 second statement – Energy

Mr PITT: We heard it here, we heard it there, we heard it everywhere in the election campaign. I’m talking about the commitment from the now Prime Minister Albanese for a reduction in power prices of $275. What do we hear now? Nothing, not a whisper, not a whimper, not a peep, not a peekaboo.

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