David Pocock

Australians, especially children and young people, deserve nothing less than full protection from the harms of gambling advertising. What the govt has announced falls tragically short. Partial bans don't work, that why we got rid of cigarette advertising rather than just limiting the number of ads. We also need to tackle predatory behaviour like inducements. There's some positive measures but we need to keep pushing hard for a stronger bill to be introduced into parliament. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

I worked with Senator @DavidShoebridge to get the Senate to vote on whether to overturn the major parties' decision to reduce scrutiny and transparency around major defence projects. The senate agreed that the Auditor General should continue to look at major projects. 🇦🇺 is committing huge money on major acquisitions - it’s essential there is proper scrutiny. The government must fully fund the ANAO to do its job. We need to ensure spending delivers the capability our defence personnel need. canberratimes.com.au/story/9212682/…

Labor, the Coalition and One Nation all just voted against an amendment I put up to call on the Government to get a fair deal on the sale and export of Australian gas by instituting a 25 per cent tax on LNG export revenue, which is estimated to generate $17 billion a year. They're running a protection racket for the gas industry rather than standing up for Aussies. *Senators Lambie, Payman and Thorpe were unable to attend the vote for personal reasons.

44% of Australians are now struggling to put food on the table & it's only going to get worse in the immediate future with demand already going up. Australians who've never needed help before are turning to foodbanks for the first time. Collectively the food relief sector is asking for $5 million in surge funding to be released from an existing emergency fund - it's the least govt can do to help those who need it most. canberradaily.com.au/pocock-and-fro…

An audit has revealed Defence failures that left taxpayers paying over $480,000 in late payment fees. At the same time, Labor and Liberals teamed up in the senate to reduce scrutiny of defence spending, including stopping the ANAO Major Projects Report. Today, I’m co-sponsoring a senate motion calling for it to be reinstated. Transparency is essential to maintaining trust and accountability in defence spending. canberratimes.com.au/story/9210022/…

Fairer representation for the ACT and NT is already Labor policy, and there is a viable path through the Senate to deliver it. It's not a question of feasibility, but of political will. Our communities have been underrepresented for too long. It’s time to follow through. canberratimes.com.au/story/9210373/…

Renew ANU caused enormous damage - to staff, students and the reputation of our national university. It is a beloved institution and I want to support efforts to see it repair trust & restore its standing. But a proper reckoning is needed to make that happen. The ANAO, TEQSA & Thom reviews will be integral to ensuring accountability and repair can truly happen. Thanks to the Four Corners team for shining a spotlight on the governance challenges facing Australian universities, the urgent need to reform Job Ready Graduates & over reliance on consultants. abc.net.au/news/2026-03-3…

I am backing two really sensible calls from the National Road Freighters Association & the TWU to make sure essential goods transported on our roads keeps getting to where it needs to go, despite the current crisis. - immediately refunding 3 month's worth of road user tax charges to help their cashflow - legislative change to allow cost increases to flow through supply chain, including to supermarket giants Their message is stark - we will suffer from food transport disruptions before running out of fuel. This is something I am pushing govt to consider.

So many older Australians & the people who care for them are contacting my office with serious concerns about access to affordable aged care support at home. Unacceptably long wait times to access services, price gouging in fees & reliance by govt on a broken algorithm for conducting assessments are common complaints. We need to be able to keep older Australians safe living at home for as long as possible & the fed govt needs to step up & fix reforms to aged care that are failing. dailytelegraph.com.au/health/wellbei…

It doesn't take much common sense to know you can't just trust big tech to do the right thing, because chances are they won't. Whether it's paying tax, respecting copyright, ensuring data centres don't take the construction workforce we need for housing or put pressure on energy and water resources - we need a strong regulatory approach to keep big tech in check. Voluntary national “expectations” won't cut it and leave Australians exposed. This is another example of the Albanese Govt bowing to vested interests ahead of community interests. abc.net.au/news/2026-03-2…

These are deeply concerning accounts of ongoing dysfunction within the ANU Council & poor treatment of the Interim Vice Chancellor. The staff & students at the ANU deserve the gold standard in governance and we all deserve a national university able to fulfil its mission for the public good. The regulator has been doing a thorough job investigating issues raised & I look forward to TEQSA’s report being handed down. thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education…

Community pressure is working - we need to keep this up. Labor is realising that Australians want and deserve a fair return for the sale of our gas to other countries. This can help fund much needed cost-of-living measures. War profits of multinational gas companies are skyrocketing - now is the time for a 25% tax on gas exports. This is urgent. Get in touch with your MP and join the push. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

Excited to finally see the announcement today of the locations for the three new fully bulk billed clinics in the ACT - and that local providers have been chosen. The ACT has the lowest bulk billing rates in the nation. Measures like this to bring in more GPs & increase bulk billing are very welcome. We still have a long way to go to, if the aim is still for 9/10 consults to be bulk billed, but this is great start. canberratimes.com.au/story/9208404/…

Bruce Stadium has served us well but is at the end of its life and needs to be replaced. We've known this for years but only have 7 feasibility studies to show for it. Let's do it right and set ourselves up to host our much-loved local teams as well as international events for the next 50 years. Surely a centrally located stadium close to hospitality, public transport and hotels is the best way to set us up for the future and deliver maximum economic benefit? canberratimes.com.au/story/9207957/…

The Minister says that backing in Australian science is in our national interest. But there have now been more jobs lost at CSIRO under Albanese than under Abbott. I've been calling on the Government to deliver on long term investment and rebuild Australia's science capability. canberratimes.com.au/story/9207056/…

It feels pretty disingenuous for the Albanese Government to have campaigned on saving the public service from Coalition cuts & promised a new era of transparency less than a year ago then turn around & shrink the public service by stealth. We’ve seen repeated denials of any plan to reduce APS staffing by 5% and yet here we see voluntary redundancies being rolled out across an ever-growing number of departments and agencies. If we taxed gas exports instead of giving so much of it away for free there'd be less pressure on the fed budget. canberratimes.com.au/story/9207631/…

After huge amounts of advocacy & nationwide marches, the Govt felt the outrage from communities across the country at the rates of family and domestic violence in Australia. So they made a bold commitment to to end it in a generation. You surely cannot commit to that and then not fund the services and programs that give us any hope of getting there? Women's legal here in the ACT are facing a catastrophic $1m cut to their funding. We need to do better and fund the services that are already stretched and not able to keep up with demand. smh.com.au/politics/feder…

Social media companies owe all of us & especially our young people a digital duty of care - a duty they have comprehensively failed to deliver. This Los Angeles jury confirms what we all know - social media is designed to be addictive. It can be a force for enormous harm when it’s not properly regulated. So much more to do in this space when it comes to algorithms that just prioritise attention above all else, issues around transparency, privacy, copyright, scams, and deepfakes - I’ll keep pushing the 🇦🇺 govt to do more to protect Australians. bbc.com/news/articles/…

Retaining local jobs and sovereign manufacturing capability are critical important but it's hard not feel like Rio Tinto is taking the taxpayer for a bit of a ride posting a full-year US $9.97 BILLION PROFIT but then putting their hand out for $2bn in help for the Boyne Smelter from the Fed & Qld govts. This feels especially galling when we're having to fight so hard to get fundung thousands of jobs at our national science agency, the CSIRO. abc.net.au/news/2026-03-2…

The growth of data centres in Australia presents real economic opportunity. But a framework built on “expectations” won’t ensure Australians benefit. We’ve seen too many examples of big tech shifting profits offshore and avoiding tax. We need enforceable rules that deliver fair returns and protect our environment. canberratimes.com.au/story/9205499/…