Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The federal budget delivered by the Treasurer last night was carefully formulated to promote Australia's economic recovery, create jobs, provide families with the support services they need and build for the future. At a local level, the budget delivers for the residents of Perth's rapidly growing northern suburbs, with major federal infrastructure funding for roads, the northern suburbs railway and community buildings. To support our infrastructure needs, I am pleased to inform the House that the Commonwealth Grants Commission recently announced that the state of Western Australia will receive a GST payment of approximately $5.3 billion in 2021-22. This figure is $629 million more than anticipated in last year's budget. This increased revenue reflects the strength of our economic recovery, enabling the WA state government to fund projects around Moore. A fact that is often overlooked by our state members is that, ultimately, much of the infrastructure committed to during the recent WA state election by the McGowan government is federally funded through this distribution. My home state of Western Australia will receive $1.6 billion for projects designed to ease congestion, connect communities and improve road safety. This investment will support the national economic recovery in the short term and boost productivity in the long term.

With one in five residents aged over 60 in Moore, a record investment in aged care will assist approximately 18,877 senior Australians living in my electorate. This investment will provide more healthcare places and more funding for residential aged-care facilities while equipping regulators to monitor and enforce standards of care. I am pleased to report that leading aged-care providers are developing modern aged-care facilities, currently in the planning phase, and are about to commence construction in suburbs including Joondalup, Currambine and Kinross. This will increase the supply of modern, purpose-built aged-care accommodation available locally, helping to shorten the long waiting lists.

We are fortunate to have a range of quality schools in our suburbs, both public and private, many of which are having their facilities upgraded and are delivering excellent outcomes for our younger generation. Funding for preschool and public schools in Moore continues to increase as part of the Quality Schools package, placing importance on the education system. For young families, child care is now more affordable and accessible in this budget, directly benefiting 1,320 families in Moore, allowing parents to return to the workforce, contributing their skills and boosting productivity.

Hospitals, Medicare, mental health and disability support services will always be guaranteed under the Morrison government. Construction work on a major $256 million upgrade of Joondalup hospital is about to commence. The government has committed to fund essential medications recommended by medical experts, putting lifesaving treatment within the reach of everyone. Over the last year, more than 1.6 million low-cost, subsidised prescriptions have been filled for residents in my electorate under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in an effort to return more of their hard-earned wages to their bank accounts to spend according to their choice.

Approximately 58,300 taxpayers of Moore will benefit from tax relief of up to $2,745 this year. This is as a result of extending the low- and middle-income tax offset and to bring forward stage 2 of the tax relief plan carried out by the Morrison government. The tax relief plan has already benefited 69,800 people in my electorate. The HomeBuilder program has assisted owner-occupiers with grants of $25,000 to build new homes and to renovate existing homes. The program has received 17,752 applications in WA and has backed over 36,000 jobs in the construction industry, creating steady work for local tradespersons and subcontractors. This budget will ensure that we come back even stronger, securing Australia's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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