Parliamentary Speeches

Bills: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional P...

Tim Watts: I rise to speak on the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2019 with an uncomfortable feeling of deja vu. It has become a characteristic of modern conservatism epitomised by those opposite to trash the institutions that serve our society. It used to be the case that conservatives were the defenders of institutions in our society. It used to be the case that conservatives were...

Statements by Members: Cybersecurity (30 Nov 2020)

Tim Watts: It takes an ecosystem to build a cyber-resilient nation. Our national security agencies alone aren't enough to defend Australia from cyberattacks. A healthy ecosystem relies on cross-pollination from the innovation and insights of a thriving specialist private-sector security company. As the release of today's cybersecurity competitiveness report from AustCyber highlights, this is an...

Motions: World AIDS Day (30 Nov 2020)

Tim Watts: I'm very pleased today to rise and speak in support of such an important motion as we mark World AIDS Day, and I thank the member for Goldstein for bringing it to the attention of the House. It's almost 40 years since the first case of HIV-AIDS in Australia was recorded in Sydney. It was around this time-in October of 1982-as the summer drew closer and the weather grew warmer and...

Bills: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021; Consideration in Detail (12 Nov 2020)

Tim Watts: I have a few questions about cybersecurity aspects of the Home Affairs portfolio. On 30 June 2020, the Prime Minister announced $35 million in funding to deliver 'a new cyberthreat-sharing platform for industry and government to share intelligence about malicious cyberactivity as part of the 2020 cybersecurity strategy'. But this wasn't the first time the government announced a...

Bills: Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Bill 2020; Second Rea...

Tim Watts: I'd like to start my comments on this long-awaited bill before the House tonight, the Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Bill 2020, by acknowledging the contribution of the member for Macnamara and providing a shout-out to that outstanding community television show that he referred to earlier, The Shtickan institution of the Melbourne Jewish community that...

Constituency Statements: United States Presidential Election (11 Nov 2020)

Tim Watts: I want to rise today to offer my congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris on winning the 2020 US presidential election. As Joe Biden said in his acceptance speech, 'America is at its best when it is a beacon for the globe, when it leads not by the example of its power but by the power of its example.' Joe Biden's election win is a powerful example to...