Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:50): When I came into this role, one of the first groups that came to see me in my office was from Toowoomba’s Garden City Mosque. This is a facility that has suffered arson twice. It has been burnt down twice, and they came to ask whether there any way that the…
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (13:41): Aggressive, intimidatory and criminal behaviour is nothing new for the CFMEU. Anyone who’s worked on union dominated worksites, as I have, has seen it or its impacts firsthand. For years, this side of the House has been willing to stand up against these behaviours, none…
I’ve spoken many times in this place about the youth crime crisis that’s been running through Queensland, and sadly Toowoomba has borne the brunt of that crisis far too often. We’ve seen car thefts. Burnt-out cars on the side of the road, particularly going out to Oakey, is a common sight. We’ve had break-ins across…
It may well be that Australians find themselves, in the coming months or a little longer, facing another election. And there is no doubt, as this motion and the speakers from both sides have pointed out, that cost of living will be the issue. I would put to the Australian people that there is a…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (13:51): Clive Armitage was a true gentleman, a great man and a good friend. Toowoomba came together to mourn his passing last week and to wrap the city’s love around his wife, Conchita, their children, Heidi and Howard, and their families. Clive came to Australia in 1965 as a Ten Pound Pom,…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:55): I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges the importance of superannuation for all Australians, particularly younger Australians; (2) notes that, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, in March 2023, $595,000 is the amount required to retire ‘comfortably’ in Australia; (3) recognises that young people are becoming increasingly disheartened…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:57): The national accounts figures for the March quarter, released yesterday, show GDP lifted by only 0.1 per cent across the first three months of the year. This is the slowest rate of growth in 30-odd years, outside the COVID era. On a per capita basis, growth fell by 0.4 per cent.…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (16:40): Can I commend the member for Spence for speaking on such an important topic. He’s providing the leadership that we need on this issue, and I’m sure that, if all of us here were honest, we would all have our own stories to tell. Thank you very much, member for…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (13:02): I’ll start on a genuinely meant positive note: I want to thank the Assistant Treasurer for his opening conversation on APRA’s proposed changes to capital and liquidity requirements for the customer owned banks. In a cost-of-living crisis, it is clear that, if there is an increase in those requirements and that…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (09:53): ‘We will decide, and nobody else, who comes to this country. We’ll be compassionate, we will save lives and we’ll care for people.’ With those words in 2001, Prime Minister John Howard set out his vision for Australia’s immigration and refugee program. With strong borders and a strong economy, Howard believed…
