Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020, and I'm pleased to follow my colleague Dr Mike Freelander—a passionate advocate for his community. This government is letting Australians down. They are being let down because the government has no plan to deal with a stagnant economy, with low wages growth and high underemployment. It has no plan to deal with the rising cost of living. Its only plan is to cut services that many people rely on, particularly in times of hardship.

The national economy is floundering, and the underlying problems emerged long before the recent disasters of bushfires, floods and coronavirus. This third-term government has had seven years to prove its economic credentials and key indicators confirm the economy is stagnant. Economic growth has slowed since the election, slowed since Scott Morrison became Prime Minister and slowed since the Liberals came to office. On Friday 7 February it was downgraded by the RBA for the third time since the May 2019 election.

Underemployment is high, with almost two million Australians looking for work or seeking more work. Roy Morgan recently reported that, while 1.2 million Australians were unemployed in December, another 1.38 million were underemployed. While our region struggles with underemployment, businesses tell me they struggle to find the skilled workers they need to grow and expand their businesses. On the Central Coast of New South Wales, apprenticeships have fallen almost 25 per cent since this government came to office in 2013. In my electorate of Dobell, there are 560 fewer apprentices in training than there were when this government came to office.

This government is presiding over the worst wages growth on record. Stagnant wages are a concern in my community, where the median wage at $44,782 is significantly lower than in many other regions. Wages are growing at one-fifth the pace of profits. Senior economists have consistently forecast that wages growth will slow even further—and that was prior to the bushfires, floods and coronavirus.

Household spending is growing at its slowest pace since the global financial crisis and local small businesses are struggling as a result. We've recently learnt that the average Australian mortgage is now over $500,000. The Reserve Bank of Australia says big mortgages are the main reason households are cutting back on their spending. The best way to help local businesses is to put more money in people's pockets through real wages growth. Household debt is at record levels, and consumer confidence is well below average. In 2019 the level of household debt to income exceeded 190 per cent, and housing debt to income was over 140 per cent. Living standards have also fallen under the Liberals, with real household median income lower than it was in 2013. Business investment is down 20 per cent and is now at its lowest level since the 1990s recession. Labour productivity has declined for the first time on record. Net debt has more than doubled.

In its latest Statement on Monetary Policy, the RBA emphasised the Australian economy was navigating a period of slow growth, noting, 'Growth in nominal household disposable income has been low for more than five years,' and that Australia was experiencing 'the slowest rate of growth in consumption in a decade'. December retail trade fell 0.5 of a per cent, and the latest NAB Monthly Business Survey showed business confidence had plunged to its lowest level in six years. Labor, the business community and the Reserve Bank are calling for responsible and proportionate investment in the economy.

The government could adopt ideas put forward by Labor: introducing the incentive for businesses to invest and bringing forward infrastructure spending, a wages policy, an energy policy. If the government want to adopt Labor's proposal to bring forward infrastructure spending, I could give them a few suggestions of where to start. Over 30,000 people leave the coast each day to commute for work. For a population of over 350,000, roads have not kept pace with population growth. They are congested and often unsafe, and they need proper investment. We have been waiting for roads like the Pacific Highway through Wyong to be upgraded for 20 years. The Urban Congestion Fund could have been used to fast-track that essential infrastructure project. Quite often the highway through Wyong resembles a carpark. This is the main road to the hospital in emergencies, to the M1 to get in and out of town, and to the business parks in the north of Wyong. What have I discovered since the election? Rather than dealing with these high-priority projects, the Morrison government funnelled the Urban Congestion Fund into the adjoining Liberal-held seat of Robertson. We now know that 94 per cent of funds went to Robertson. Local roads funding has been rorted.

Our community deserves better. Our community deserves its fair share. People in my community are struggling, and the government either doesn't get it or doesn't seem to care. In a devastating summer, where thousands of people have been impacted by bushfires and floods, the government is cutting support for people in their time of need. This government's $9-billion-a-year cut to emergency relief funding is a blow to my community. The Wyong Neighbourhood Centre will lose $140,089 each year. Dawn Hooper is a life member and retired president of the Wyong Neighbourhood Centre. She said the centre uses this funding daily to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including women and children fleeing family and domestic violence. The centre also covers Toukley and Wyoming for emergency relief with less than half the amount it previously needed to service Wyong alone. In a crisis, emergency relief can keep food on the table, a roof over your head and the power switched on. San Remo Neighbourhood Centre manager, Jillian Hogan, told me their emergency relief funding stretches to Blue Haven, Charmhaven and The Entrance in my electorate of Dobell. The Prime Minister's cuts mean the centre will need to help more people with $20,840 less each year. There are more people, not fewer, living in poverty in our community. Since New Year's Day, the centre has provided emergency relief to families affected by the Charmhaven bushfire. The Prime Minister should step up and reverse these cuts, properly support communities in their time of need and restore emergency relief funding.

When people are struggling to keep a roof over their head or food on the table, out-of-pocket costs put healthcare out of reach for many. Under this government, out-of-pocket costs to see a GP or specialist are climbing. The government's own health department has revealed that people in Dobell are paying an average out-of-pocket fee of $32.65 to see their local doctor. This is a record high, up $7.21, or 28 per cent, since the Liberals were elected. The health department has also contradicted the government's claims on bulk billing, revealing that 24.4 per cent of patients in Dobell have to pay to see a GP. This is before people fill a prescription or are referred to a specialist. Specialist out-of-pocket fees are also at record highs, with people in my community paying an average of $83.71 to see a specialist, up $28, or 58 per cent, under the coalition government. With just 22.3 per cent of people in Dobell always bulk billed by specialists, these costs hit thousands of locals every year—particularly those who are sick, frail, elderly or living with a disability. As a pharmacist, I worked at Wyong hospital for almost 10 years, and I know this means more people will be first to turn up to the emergency department, putting greater strain on our overstretched hospitals, particularly as we're heading into the winter flu season.

Another cost-of-living pressure impacting many families on the Central Coast is the cost of child care. There are over 10,000 children under five living in my community. The government's own data has revealed that the cost of child care is continuing to soar on the Central Coast. Fees on the coast have risen by 6.1 per cent over the previous 12 months, over three times the CPI. There are services on the coast charging above the government's hourly fee cap, the level the childcare subsidy is pegged to. This means families in my community are paying significantly more out of pocket for child care at a time when many households are struggling to get by. The government pretends there is nothing to see here while families on the coast continue to struggle. Across Australia, fees have increased by 34.6 per cent since the Liberals were elected. The government has broken its promise to families that the new system it introduced would bring fees down, and it has no plan to control rising fees. The government must act urgently so high-quality, early education is affordable and accessible for every child, particularly those growing up in regional and remote communities.

Sadly, we learnt over the summer that over 1,200 people have died while waiting for help from the NDIA and that thousands of dollars are stolen from people with a disability each and every day. The NDIA accepts a 10 per cent fraud rate, and the government has hardly chased any of the $2 billion already stolen from people living with a disability. I'm working alongside the shadow minister holding NDIA forums and meeting with participants and carers who are struggling to get by. At one forum at Liverpool, hosted by the member for Werriwa and the member for Macarthur, I met Sharyn, who is the carer for her sister, Beverley. Beverley has a condition that means she cannot be left at home alone. She requires care seven days a week and overnight respite when Sharyn can't be with her. Sharyn moved into the family home where Beverley has lived all her life to care for her following the death of their mother. Sharyn balances caring for Beverley with running her small business and trying to spend time with her partner, children and grandchildren.

Beverley's NDIS package worked well for the first six months. That is, until May last year when her support budget, for no known reason, was inexplicitly cut to the point where Beverley does not have sufficient support while Sharyn is at work. A request for an unscheduled review to resolve this took over six months. When Sharyn made formal complaints to the NDIA on three occasions, she received auto responses and/or generic responses telling her the situation would be looked at but not given any time frame. When consideration did take place, the planner told Sharyn that, if she couldn't make the funding work, she should consider alternative accommodation for her sister. Beverley doesn't want to leave her lifelong home, and Sharyn doesn't want to stop caring for her sister. The government needs to show empathy for NDIS participants and their carers. The government shouldn't callously prop up its budget at the expense of people living with a disability and those who love and care for them.

Sadly, we've also learnt that over 30,000 people have died over two years while waiting for a home care package. In a wealthy country like Australia, people shouldn't die waiting for help from the government. On the coast, the number of people waiting for home care continues to increase year on year. Recently, I met Liliane and her mother, Odette. Liliane has been caring for her mother for over six years and, during this time, has struggled caring for her mother and her children. Odette received a level 2 package in 2014. She's been approved for level 3 but has been waiting for two years. Her daughter was receiving the carer payment, however, between balancing caring for her mother and her children and her employment, her payment was cancelled. She's now struggling with debt, making it even more difficult to care for her mum.

Almost one in three people in my community are aged over 55, and more than 22,000 are recipients of the age pension. The unannounced closure of Centrelink in Tweed, Newcastle and Mornington Peninsula has people worried about what Centrelink will be closed next. The general manager of the Department of Human Services, which runs Centrelink, has sparked more concerns with his recent comments. He said:

We have a responsibility to the taxpayer. Leasing offices is expensive.

The government has a responsibility to the frail aged, to the overworked carers, to those living with disability, to veterans, to students, to the struggling families who need to deal with Centrelink. They will not be reassured by the objective of the Department of Human Services to maximise the benefits of digital capabilities—in other words, pushing people in their time of need to online portals like My Aged Care. There are three Centrelink offices in Dobell: Lake Haven, Wyong and The Entrance. The Entrance Centrelink is also a Medicare office. With limited public transport, it is already difficult for older people, people living with a disability and carers to get to those offices for the support they need. My community could not cope if it lost a Centrelink or Medicare office. On behalf of the aged pensioners, carers, people living with a disability, students, veterans and families on the Central Coast, I am calling on this government to keep our Centrelink offices open.

This government's robo-debt scheme has been found to be illegal. Emails forced into the open reveal that the Morrison government, despite defending robo-debt, knew it was illegal. Given the financial hardship and distress resulting from this abuse of power, the public are entitled to know on what basis did the government think this scheme was justified. Over 10,000 people have signed up to a class action that will test the legality of this scheme. These people deserve to be treated better by the government. They deserve to be treated with the proper duty of care.

This third-term government is letting down my community and people across Australia. It is letting down people in crisis by cutting emergency relief funding in their time of need. It is letting down people with a disability by propping up its budget at the expense of people living with a disability, and their carers. It is neglecting older Australians who are waiting for home care packages. Every day we hear of more cuts and threats to the services that people need. Every day we hear more stories of tragic failures to help those most in need—people dying whilst waiting for NDIS packages and older Australians dying whilst waiting for home care support. And every day we learn more about this government's rorting of billions of taxpayers dollars for its own political purposes. I will continue to hold this government to account and to fight for a fairer deal for people in my community on the Central Coast. Our community deserves better. It deserves better than a callous indifferent government that turns its back on people in their time of need. It deserves better than a government that is propping up its budget by not properly supporting older Australians waiting for home care and by not properly supporting people with disability waiting for their NDIS packages. Our community deserves better.

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