Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021 and related bills. Australia entered the coronavirus crisis from a position of economic strength which has prepared us to overcome the COVID-19 recession. The people in my electorate of Reid have responded with confidence to the Morrison government's 2020 budget. This budget delivers tax relief, record funding in health and mental health, and support for older Australians. For businesses and manufacturers, it means job creation and incentives for investment, to drive the demand across the economy.

The Morrison government has already passed tax relief measures that will put more money back into the pockets of hardworking Australians. Over 90,000 taxpayers in Reid will benefit from tax relief of up to $2,745 this year. This means that people in our area can breathe a little easier and can spend money on things that matter to them, creating economic activity and rewarding their hard work. We have also guaranteed the essential services people rely on, because our economy is strongest when people's health and wellbeing are put first. This budget delivers record health funding, of $93.8 billion, which includes funding for new life-saving medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to treat leukaemia, melanoma and Parkinson's disease and help women with ovarian cancer.

We are providing an additional $3.9 billion for NDIS participants to make sure that these people with disabilities have better choice and control on how they live their lives. I'm particularly proud to say that this year $5.7 billion is being provided to support mental health. This will see an increase in funding for critical frontline services and suicide prevention. I recently visited headspace in Ashfield, which is one of 100 centres across Australia, and we discussed the importance of additional services being made available, especially the doubling of the Medicare funded psychological sessions, from 10 to 20. Having worked as a psychologist before entering parliament, I know that these measures will better support Australians with complex mental health needs. As we deal with the toll of bushfires and the global pandemic, these services are more important than ever.

We're also continuing to look after older Australians in our community. The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on them and they have been isolated from friends and family to protect their health. To support more than 12,200 aged pensioners in our area, the Morrison government has provided $750 payments in April and July. They will further receive $250 payments in December and March. To help older Australians who need support to keep living at home, 23,000 more home-care packages will be provided. This brings the total to more than 180,000 places, three times the number of home-care packages when the coalition government was elected in 2013. This means more choice and independence for older Australians.

This is a budget that delivers for the people of Reid. It delivers the essential services we need, while focused on rebuilding the economy and creating jobs to secure Australia's economic future. Recently, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg joined me in Reid to visit one of the most iconic businesses in our area, Pasticceria Papa in Five Dock. The owner, Salvatore Papa, has a migrant story that is familiar to the many businesses in our multicultural area. He came to Australia from Italy and, at 21 years of age, set up a business with only one other employee. He now runs an operation that employs over 170 staff and provides business to a large supply chain. When the pandemic hit, like many business owners he saw his business suffer. Like 9,500 other businesses in Reid, he was supported by the government's JobKeeper payment. It allowed him to keep employing his staff and keep his business running at the height of the crisis. It was a lifeline. Now that the virus is under control in New South Wales, Pasticceria Papa no longer needs JobKeeper. Salvatore said that his business has bounced back. They're as busy as ever and their famous ricotta cheesecake continues to sweeten the residents of Reid. This is what the Morrison government's temporary JobKeeper payment was all about. It was the bridge we built so that businesses could get to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis. It has meant that businesses like Pasticceria Papa can reopen with confidence. It's a story we're seeing right across Australia.

To support new investment and increase cash flow, our government is building on the successful expansion of the instant asset write-off. We have made this investment incentive available for small, medium and larger businesses with a turnover of up to $5 billion, until June 2022. In Reid, around 28,500 businesses can now write off the full value of any eligible asset until June 2022. Other smaller businesses will deliver, install and service these purchases. This sort of investment incentive has a ripple effect across our economy, creating tens of thousands of jobs and boosting productive capacity. Of course, we know that there is a long road ahead and not every business is in a position to open its doors or get back to where they need to be. Many profitable businesses have faced losses through no fault of their own as the result of the pandemic. For this reason, the Morrison government is offering tax relief for businesses. Businesses with an aggregated turnover of between $10 million and $50 million will be able to access up to 10 small-business tax concessions as part of this budget.

The Morrison government has also introduced a scheme that lets previously profitable businesses making a loss due to the pandemic claim back their taxes on last year's profits. This will apply to losses incurred up to June 2022 against profits made during or after the 2018-19 financial year. This will give businesses more money to employ people and invest in equipment. It's estimated that the combination of the immediate expensing and loss carryback measures will generate an additional 50,000 jobs throughout Australia.

Backing businesses is just one way to rebuild our economy. The Morrison government is also creating employment opportunities targeted especially at younger Australians. In my electorate of Reid many year 12 students are sitting their HSC exams, and there are other students who are learning a trade or completing a university degree. These school leavers and new graduates are facing one of the toughest job markets in 30 years because of the COVID-19 recession. We know that getting these young people into jobs is essential to their futures, their wellbeing, and also the prosperity of our nation. The Morrison government is investing $1.2 billion in reskilling and training opportunities to create 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships with a 50 per cent wage subsidy for businesses who employ them. The new JobMaker Hiring Credit will also encourage businesses to hire younger Australians. It will be payable up to 12 months and immediately available to employers who hire those on JobSeeker between the ages of 16 and 35 years. Treasury estimates that this will support around 450,000 jobs for young people. We owe it to the next generation to ensure a strong economy so that their lives are filled with the same opportunities and possibilities we have enjoyed.

This is a time of great uncertainty for many young people pursuing their aspirations and wanting to set up their foundations for life. I want to assure them that as a government we are backing you. We are making sure opportunities are there. We want you to succeed. While this has been a challenging period, it is still an optimistic one. We're expecting a boom in industries like manufacturing, construction, sciences and technology, environmental science, agriculture, nursing, psychology, health care and education, just to name a few. These employment incentives are just another way to ensure the prosperity of the next generation of working Australians and secure Australia's economic future.

During the coronavirus pandemic we saw a resurgence of national pride in manufacturing. As global supply chains went down, people committed more than ever to buying Aussie-made products. Our manufacturing sector stepped up in the peak of the crisis. The government worked together with Australian businesses to make sure that we had the protective equipment and medical supplies we needed to keep Australians safe. The 2020 budget is making Australian manufacturing a central pillar of our economic recovery.

This is good news for Reid because we have a strong manufacturing base in the western suburbs of our electorate. In the last year, businesses like Decor Systems and Disk Brakes Australia in Silverwater, the heart of manufacturing in Reid, have backed with the Australian government grants to boost their research and growth. The Morrison government's $1.3 billion modern manufacturing plan will target priorities like food and beverage manufacturing, recycling and clean energy, medical products and more. By boosting manufacturing we're boosting economic activity across Australian supply chains. We're creating jobs while also strengthening Australia's sovereign capacity. This budget is creating jobs, rebuilding our economy and guaranteeing the essential services we rely on.

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