Tax officials informed a hearing of the Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into the Tax Practices of For Profit Aged Care Providers that they had concerns about arrangements used by some in the sector. Such arrangements – including the use of profit shifting via related party transactions, and stapled structures – had been highlighted by a report by the Tax Justice Network in collaboration with the Australian Nurses and Midwives Association.

t’s an honour to be appointed as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities. I am excited to be taking up Labor’s fight in this portfolio with my friend and colleague Linda Burney. I thank Bill Shorten for this opportunity.

This week the Senate primarily debated assisted dying. I spoke and voted in favour because I firmly believe that we all have the right to die with dignity.

I rise today because I believe that we all have the right to die with dignity. There are no easy decisions at the end of life, and they are decisions that no-one makes lightly.

Labor will lead a comprehensive Senate inquiry into Malcolm Turnbull’s My Health Record fiasco amid ongoing privacy and security concerns. We remain deeply concerned that the Government’s bungled rollout of the My Health Record opt-out period has severely undermined public trust in this important reform.

There is a devastating drought that is gripping many parts of Australia. We've seen media coverage of this recently, and it includes heart-rending imagery of people on the land managing their properties, managing their stock, managing the economic impacts on their families and managing and responding to the economic impacts in their towns.

Last week I travelled to the North Coast of NSW to discuss forest conservation and koala habitat preservation with the National Parks Association. Koala populations are in decline.

The position of Merit Protection Commissioner for the Australian Public Service is not one that receives much public attention.  Despite its low profile, it plays a crucial role in ensuring integrity across the APS. It is deeply concerning that the Turnbull Government allowed the position to remain vacant for over six months.

Linda established Bangalow Koalas and is working with landholders around Bangalow to plant koala habitat. She’s an amazing example of the power of community action to support conservation on private land.

Documents tabled out of session in the Senate yesterday reveal that five years after coming to office, this Government still has no real plan to close the gender pay gap. Last year, the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee handed down its report into gender segregation in the workplace and its impact on women’s economic equality.