Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to talk about the 2021 budget as a COVID-recovery budget for regional Australia—our plan to secure the future of our regional communities. Our plan will help boost our economic recovery from COVID-19 by creating local jobs and keeping local communities safe. There are five elements that I have been campaigning on and will continue to campaign on in the electorate of Mallee: firstly, health; secondly, infrastructure; thirdly, small business; fourthly, workforce; and, fifthly, the environment, and this budget speaks to each one of those.

Our health should not be determined by our postcode, and this budget means, for Mallee, that there are rewards for regional doctors, better access to health care, improved aged-care services and support for mental health. In Mallee, we have thin markets; we have few in our workforce, and we need so many more healthcare professionals to meet the needs across Mallee that, regardless of the healthcare sector that we're talking about, Mallee experiences shortfalls in healthcare services. Mental health has become a concern for many since the pandemic, and this budget displays our government's commitment to regional and remote health care.

For rural health we have $65.8 million to increase the rural bulk-billing incentive for doctors to work in rural and remote towns. While this is not necessarily going to mean doctors flooding from urban centres to our regions, it will reward our regional and remote and rural doctors. We are providing $9.6 million to add 90 workplace training packages through the allied health rural generalist pathway and $1.8 million to expand the trial of collaborative primary-care models into other states and territories, and I've been campaigning with the regional health minister and the minister for health on this very issue—for Mallee to be one of those pilot centres.

I'm really pleased to say that the telehealth extension is going to be made permanent. It has meant a great deal to people across Mallee who were not able to see a doctor during the COVID pandemic when there were restrictions and lockdowns, but also to those in rural and regional communities who've not been able to access a doctor in their local town. Telehealth, while it is not the be-all and end-all and does not replace face-to-face health sessions, nonetheless does go a long way to meeting the need. There's $204.6 million to extend telehealth. That brings the total investment, to date, to $3.6 billion. In Mallee there have been 417,879 telehealth consults through Medicare since the start of the pandemic, and this extension means better access to health care across Mallee.

Our aged-care sector is so precious, and, in our thin markets across rural and regional Australia, it has been problematic—again, largely as to workforce but also in the way that it has been set up. We are committing, in response to the royal commission, $17.7 billion on top of our existing investment into aged care. Our five-year, five-pillar aged-care reform plan commits to major reform for home care: the release of 80,000 more home-care packages over the next two years, bringing the total to 275,000 home-care packages all up.

On the weekend, in my electorate, I had the privilege of meeting Jean Robinson, who is 100 years old, a very sprightly lady who is absolutely connected to her family and her community. It was a delight to meet Jean and to pass on the regards of this government, of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, and of course, I had a card to give her from me personally. Jean is one of the few who has not only aspired to reach 100 but has reached it with glowing health. There aren't many who are in her shoes.

Across Mallee we have aged-care facilities such as the Sunnyside Lutheran facility in Horsham, Jacaranda Aged Care in Red Cliffs, Chaffey Aged Care in Merbein, Princess Court Homes in Mildura and others who will be very happy about the extension of funding for our aged-care services and sustainability, to increase the amount of face-to-face time for each resident in our residential aged-care facilities; for residential aged-care quality and safety, to improve access to GP led care for senior Australians; $652.1 million in workforce funding, including additional training places for aged-care workers through JobTrainer; and of course governance.

Our mental ill health has been exacerbated through COVID. The measures that our government is putting in place to increase funding to $2.3 billion for the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan for prevention, early intervention, treatment, support and workforce is welcomed in Mallee: $248.6 million for prevention and early intervention and $111.2 million for digital services, including the creation of a world-class single digital platform, under Head to Health, which will provide online counselling, peer support, clinical support and referrals. I think it is only when you are in a regional and rural setting where the workforce is so thin that you can really appreciate how this is such an important investment.

We will be providing $1.4 billion for treatment in the Head to Health adult mental health treatment centres and improved access to community-based mental health services, including through the initial establishment of eight new centres, 24 new satellite centres and ongoing funding for eight existing centres. We will also establish a dedicated phone service to support intake, assessment and referral, at a cost of $487 million. There is $202 million for strengthening our workforce and governance arrangements; $27.8 million to increase the number of nurses, psychologists and allied health practitioners in mental health settings through scholarships and clinical placements; and $11 million to grow the psychiatrist workforce, with more training places, supporting regional and remote training pathways and promoting it as a career pathway in itself. We are creating a landmark national network, including up to 57 additional mental health treatment centres and satellites for adults, as well as more centres for youth and children through the Head to Health and headspace programs.

I speak tonight about the budget recovery from COVID and from the economic shock that it brought. In Mallee we need better roads, infrastructure and connectivity, and I am pleased to say that our government is committing even more funding for these important measures. Every resident in Mallee deserves safe and efficient roads and rail and reliable telecommunications. The measures that we are implementing will mean safer roads, better infrastructure for our communities and more connectivity, making Mallee roads safer so people can get home to their families.

This government recognises that regional councils often do not have spare cash left over for important roadworks and infrastructure projects. This budget will improve regional communications and infrastructure. In the past couple of weeks I have announced that the Calder Highway will have a $15 million boost to its $60 million budget for upgrades to the Calder Highway—a major transit from Melbourne to Mildura. It is very welcomed in Mallee.

Under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, under the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, we have a billion dollar extension. I have fought hard for this. The councils across Mallee have made it really clear to me that this untagged funding has made a world of difference for them to be able to choose the roads that they want to upgrade and to be able to choose which halls need refurbishment. Councils across Mallee will share in $37.7 million of the third round, more than round 1 and round 2 combined. Mallee has received $73.5 million through this program. Before the budget, I sent a list of projects to the Deputy Prime Minister and asked him to consider extending the program. Many of the projects can now be funded. Talking with the CEOs across Mallee, I found such a sense of support and encouragement. In fact, the LRCI funding has already delivered great projects across Mallee, including the Napier Street streetscape improvements in St Arnaud, a new clubroom for the Nhill tennis club and town hall improvements in Central Goldfields Shire, along with essential drainage works in Murrabit and several roadwork improvements across multiple councils.

The Building Better Regions Fund is now $250 million. It was $200 million. I have fought for it to be increased, and I am so pleased that the Deputy Prime Minister has increased the funding to $250 million. Last week in Mallee I had the pleasure of taking him, the Hon. Michael McCormack, to see just a handful of these projects. The Mildura South sports precinct is almost ready to open. In the Deputy Prime Minister's words, it's a world-class precinct. In fact, he knows that his electorate will be very jealous of what has been built through rounds 1 and 2 of BBRF. I took him to see the Horsham livestock exchange after a sale—we almost needed masks for other reasons—and the Woodbine Inc. disability accommodation, where we turned the sod last week. They are very exciting projects that have engaged the community and are built from the community's passion. Round 5 was incredibly oversubscribed, and many are anticipating further funding for Mallee as that is being announced.

There is an additional $1 billion for what is now our $3 billion Road Safety Program. This additional investment will deliver upgrades to thousands of kilometres of road in regional Australia and is expected to support around 4,500 jobs. The Regional Connectivity Program, which is so important, as the member for Berowra said, is providing $84.8 million for improved connectivity in the regions through round 2. Mallee received $5 million in the first round for projects to install new 4G base stations and to connect Hopetoun and Kaniva to fibre to the premises, the best technology NBN has to offer. There is so much more that this government has put in place for our regional communities to thrive following this budget.

There will be more apprentices for local businesses and more support for education and training. As the Minister for Housing, the Hon. Michael Sukkar, has stated, businesses are crying out for skilled workers. We are funding more apprentices and more traineeships. We need in Mallee the right people to fill those jobs to fulfil our potential and meet those ambitions. While 2,155 apprentices are already being supported in Mallee, this measure in the budget means there will be more apprentices for our businesses. There is $1.5 billion to further extend the boosting apprenticeships commencement wage subsidy for an additional six months, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. This brings the government's investment in Australian apprentices to $2.7 billion. I recently visited businesses in Mallee. Bernie Casey at Casey's Truck and Tractor in St Arnaud, Anthony Dal Farra at the Mildura Truck Centre, Interlink Sprayers, Entegra Signature Structures, Polymaster, and Top Meats in Maryborough all desperately need apprentices. This measure will ensure that more young people, and even not-so-young people, will take up those apprenticeships and start a new career.

We're extending and expanding the JobTrainer fund as well. The government already has a successful $1 billion JobTrainer fund, but it will provide an additional $500 million in funding, matched by state and territory governments. This measure will deliver around 163,000 additional free or low-fee training places in areas of skills need, with around 33,000 of these places to support aged-care skills need and around 10,000 places for digital skills training.

There is so much more that this government has implemented in this budget to ensure that we recover from COVID and from the economic impact of COVID on Australia. I welcome this budget, and I know that many, many people across Mallee have commended it. We know that we will thrive following.

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