MARK DREYFUS MP

Every day people with a disability face physical barriers in the community, from a doorway too narrow for a wheelchair, to not being able to visit their member of parliament because his or her office is located at the top of a flight of stairs.

The forms our cities take are important. They have a profound influence on our economic prosperity, on the impact we have on our unique environment, on the level of social exclusion and inequality experienced in our communities and on the quality of life Australians and their families are able to enjoy.

It is great to see an organisation operating in our local community that promotes, particularly among men, greater social interaction and opportunities.

This legislation provides the framework that will allow Australia to shift to a low-carbon economy. It will give businesses and households the certainty that they need, while taking strong action to reduce the impact of dangerous climate change on our future. It is in the national interest to legislate as soon as possible, and no Australian should be in any doubt about the need for action on climate change.

The Nation Building Program (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2009 demonstrates the decisive response of the Rudd Labor government to the global financial crisis.

This budget is about priorities. One of the priorities that is clearly spelt out in this budget is the need for Australia to shift to a low-carbon economy.

Amid this ongoing oppression, the 350,000-strong Bahai community in Iran survives.

These reforms to an important part of the education structures of our country are consistent with the reform agenda of the Rudd Labor government, which is to look at every single part of the education system in this country.

It remains the case that consideration of an appropriate journalist shield is about getting the balance right. This bill does get the balance right. Even the Right to Know coalition, in the submission that it made to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, noted that this bill represents significant and welcome improvement.

The government is engaging in prompt and decisive action on the effects of the global economic crisis on Australia. This bill is part of that response. I commend the bill to the House.