Mr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (12:25): I was very pleased when Minister Hawke announced on Tuesday some variation to the Working Holiday Maker program and some additions to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List. The shortage of skilled and unskilled labour in my electorate is absolutely acute. It seems to be acute right across Australia. I guess…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:40): It is six years ago, plus a month or so, since I first raised the possibility of my home town, even my home paddock, hosting the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility. On Monday night in the Senate we made a great step towards this possible outcome. I thank my colleagues on…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:07): Like the member for Barker, I am somewhat bemused about the subject matter that has been brought before us in this MPI. Last week we heard a couple of outbursts from the member for Franklin about mouse plagues and, again, she has brought mouse plagues into this MPI today. I thought…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:03): On one hand I am surprised at this MPI motion today but on the other hand I am not. I’ve been here a while and I remember what it’s like in opposition and how hard it is to score a point when things are going well for the government. That was…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (10:33): I do disagree with the amendments and support the motion as put forward by the minister. There is a lot of excitement and discussion around Australia at the moment—certainly where I come from—about hydrogen, about the possibilities of a hydrogen production platform, about electric cars. As the shadow minister was speaking…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:37): On Saturday I had the great pleasure of attending the Mortlock Shield on Eyre Peninsula. It started in 1936, so this is the 75th year—with interruptions for World War II and, last year, COVID. It is the longest-running regional Australian Rules football competition, not in Australia but in the world. Just…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (17:34): Increasingly we are seeing synthetic things—made mainly from oil—being passed off as vegan leather and fleece and we are seeing laboratory grown or plant based products being labelled as meat, beef, vegan sausages, hamburgers and even vegan bacon, for goodness sake. These claims are not true. They are misleading. It’s time…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (18:55): I’m addressing the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, who knows my electorate well. I come from South Australia, and he would know that 60 per cent of South Australia’s electricity last year came from renewable energy, which is quite an achievement. In fact, there has been huge investment across South…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:07): I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) 2021 marks 100 years since the discovery of insulin by Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting; (b) Frederick Banting along with his colleagues Professor John McLeod, medical student Charles Best and researcher Dr James Collip, solved the problem of how extracted insulin could be…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:10): I was very pleased that in the budget the Treasurer awarded another $84.8 million towards the Regional Connectivity Program. The program has already distributed $4½ million in the Grey electorate for some excellent projects, including 4G upgrades and better broadband in certain places. It comes with a long history of the…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (19:35): This week there’s been some very good news for South Australia, with the agreement by TransGrid in New South Wales to build their end of the new Project EnergyConnect transmission line between South Australia and New South Wales. Of course, ElectraNet in South Australia have been keen proponents of this deal.…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:24): I am not supportive of the amendments, but I am supportive of the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2021-2022. The last 12 months, it must be said, have been among the most testing periods, outside of war, since the Great Depression. By comparison, the GFC, the global financial crisis, shrank the world…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:41): I’m amazed by the last speaker’s comments, which, on the one hand are decrying the lack of government policy and the lack of investment in electricity and then on the other hand shouting from the rooftops how magnificent it is that all these people are investing in renewable electricity. Sometimes we…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:47): The end of March was a very important point in Australia. It was the end of JobKeeper. When I saw the figures for unemployment come in for April, that unemployment had actually dropped by another 0.2 per cent, it put pay to a few predictions that were made in…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (10:03): I warmly welcome the budget and the input and effect that it has on an electorate like Grey, which covers 92 per cent of South Australia, over 900,000 square kilometres. The investment in roads, at the moment, is simply unbelievable. Virtually everywhere I travel across the electorate I need to add…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (17:11): Firstly, I’d like to thank the member for Indi for bringing this motion forward. It gives us an opportunity to talk about many good things in regional Australia. I was a bit surprised by her speech, though, when she talked about the lack of action. I vehemently disagree. In fact, I…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (18:03): The Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Student Assistance and Other Measures) Bill 2021, in its primary form, is really a tidying up of some loose ends around the support for isolated children and people who receive support under Abstudy. It goes to the heart of the requirement to provide tax…
DetailsFew people understand what has contributed to Nicolle Flint’s decision to leave parliament. Safety in the workplace should transcend politics. Here is a speech I made earlier today.
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:01): Honestly, I can’t believe this motion. I am really struggling. Energy and emission policies by this government are a spectacular success, and saying it ain’t so does not make it fact. We are completely on target. We beat our Kyoto targets. We’ll beat Kyoto 2. And, despite what the member for…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (19:55): Let me say from the outset, before the member leaves the chamber: I’m sure I’m speaking on behalf of all of us in this place when we wish her all the very best with the rest of her pregnancy and the upcoming birth. All the best with that. What I wanted…
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