Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 3) Bill 2021. This bill contains diverse amendments which are important to everyday Australians. These amendments may sound small individually, but let me assure you that, together, these amendments will deliver some really important outcomes for countless Australians. They address issues as diverse as ensuring affordable and accessible health care, ensuring women can more easily access affordable housing, and helping right the wrongs of those who have suffered from medical injustices in the past.

The Morrison government's commitment to providing accessible and affordable health care to all Australians is unwavering. That's why schedule 1 in this bill seeks to increase the Medicare levy low-income thresholds for singles, families, seniors and pensioners for the 2020-21 income year and future income years, in line with movements in the consumer price index. Doing this will ensure that low-income households who did not pay the Medicare levy in 2019-20 generally will not begin to pay for it in 2020-21, if their income has increased in line with or below the consumer price index. The Medicare levy low-income thresholds ensure the people who pay no personal income tax because of the tax-free threshold and structural offsets, such as the low-income tax offset or the seniors and pensioners tax offset, generally do not incur the Medicare levy.

We all know Medicare has never been stronger than under the Morrison government and never more than for those who do not have the financial means to pay for out-of-pocket costs. That is why I'm proud that this government continues to invest in Medicare bulk-billing and, as a result, GP bulk-billing rates have continued to rise to record highs. Last year, 89.3 per cent of all GP visits were bulk-billed—that is to say, almost nine out of 10 visits to the GP were provided with no out-of-pocket costs to the patient. As I said, Medicare has never been stronger than under this government. We've seen that through last year with COVID and we see that again this year. I'm proud that the changes made by this bill will help ensure that those on low or no incomes will continue to be able to access the healthcare they need, where and when they need it.

This bill is not only about ensuring we protect the incomes of singles, families, seniors and pensioners but also about making changes to ensure women's long-term safety and economic security. This is a fundamental priority for the Morrison government. Indeed, our approach is underpinned by the values of dignity, respect, equality and justice. As part of the budget handed down a fortnight ago, we're investing $3.4 billion in new measures to improve outcomes for women to rectify the significant gender divide that is an everyday reality for Australian women and girls. Fundamental in our response is the Family Home Guarantee, which is aimed at single parents with dependents to build a new home or purchase an existing home with a deposit as little as two per cent. This important amendment in this legislation recognises that the home is instrumental in providing a strong foundation for social, emotional and economic wellbeing. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. By offering a helping hand to single parents, the vast majority of whom are women, and their children, we can give families the best possible start to life. Regardless of whether the parent is a first homebuyer or previously owned a home, eligible single parents can apply after 1 July this year for one of the 10,000 Family Home Guarantees which will be made available over the next four consecutive financial years. As a result, we are providing for those who have previously been locked out of the housing market, struggling as a single parent to save enough for a deposit while paying rent and often starting their lives anew if they've been through marriage breakdown. In conjunction with the Morrison government's cabinet women's task force and a host of other initiatives, this is just one way, albeit a very important one, we are creating further opportunities for women to fulfil their potential. There has never been a stronger voice for women in an Australian government than there is now.

The bill before us today also recognises the plight of victims of thalidomide, acknowledging the grave suffering caused by circumstances beyond their control that have resulted in a lifetime of pain and hardship. As a former paediatrician, I have seen the plight of thalidomide sufferers. It has been a dreadful period in the history of medicine. Thalidomide was said to relieve everything from anxiety to morning sickness for pregnant women. But what led to what is now undoubtedly known as history's greatest pharmaceutical scandal, through no fault of their own and unknowingly, mothers consumed this drug, resulting in approximately 10,000 babies born with severe defects in the 1950s and 1960s. I acknowledge that the fight for justice from survivors and their families has been too long and too hard; therefore, I welcome the national apology that will take place later this year that recognises the plight of victims of thalidomide and understands they have suffered from circumstances beyond their control, resulting in a lifetime of pain and hardship. I also welcome the construction of a site of national recognition for thalidomide survivors and their families. This is another important step in acknowledging the suffering experienced following this medical disaster. The Morrison government is taking further action in recognition of Australia's thalidomide survivors who have suffered so terribly. The 2021 budget measure includes payments to survivors in recognition of their suffering and increased cost of living due to disability, with the annual payments due to commence in the first half of the next financial year. The government is also providing ongoing support in the form of the Health Care Assistance Fund and the Extraordinary Assistance Fund to support survivors with healthcare costs and daily living expenses. Of course, further additional support is also being provided through funding other relevant services, such as the NDIS. These actions, I know, will be welcomed by the families and friends of thalidomide survivors as well as, of course, by survivors themselves.

I'd now like to turn to schedule 4 of this bill, which acknowledges the devastating impact on several communities across Australia of the most recent fires, floods and storms that have devastated properties and livelihoods. One of the changes within this bill is to qualifying grants. These grants are activated as a category D measure under the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018. They include small business recovery grants of up to $50,000 and primary producer recovery grants of up to $75,000. These grants can be life-changing to those flood and storm affected communities. We know that, following COVID, so many people have dealt with so much, and it can be easy to forget that there are so many communities around Australia that are rebuilding after what was an incredibly difficult period of their lives. The Morrison government understands small business. It understands that small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, and the amendments in this bill ensure that the government continues to support and continually reassess the needs of disaster affected communities as they continue in their recovery. More information regarding these grants and other disaster assistance measures is available on the Disaster Assist website, and I encourage all affected Australians to access this website or contact their local member of parliament.

The final schedule of this bill, schedule 5, amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to expand the list of not-for-profits to benefit from tax deductable gift status. The list will now include, amongst others, very worthy organisations that support Australians, including Youthsafe, the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas and the Trustee for the Great Synagogue Foundation. The drafting of redistribution boundaries sees a welcome change for me in the population mix of the electorate of Higgins. If confirmed in July, and despite objections from Labor, including from the member for McNamara, the Jewish population in my electorate will rise from around three per cent to up to 12 per cent. As a committed supporter of Israel, I really welcome this redistribution, and I do hope that the community will support the redistribution going through. The organisations that will benefit from the changes in this legislation—in addition to the ones I've named, there are five more—will find that tax deductions will be applied to donations of $2 or more.

I'm particularly pleased about the benefits that will flow from this new listing to the Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation. The Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation, CERI, is a registered charity that aims to work with universities and research institutes to promote entrepreneurialism and the commercialisation of research and innovative ideas. CERI is a social enterprise for start-ups. It's focused on the people behind innovation. As an incubator, its programs have been designed to educate and empower early-stage entrepreneurs, PhD students and visionaries. Through education, mentorship, industry exposure and access to an extensive network of experts and like minded people, their mission is to enable the leaders and industries of the future. I have been to many cities in Australia and I'm very pleased that there are many incubator organisations like this that are flourishing across Australia. These sorts of programs are going to be important to our future, so I really am encouraged by the fact that the CERI program includes: a female founders network; customer development masterclasses, which will help to define the customer value proposition for new start-ups; and a CEO-in-residence program.

As Australia emerges from COVID, these programs are more important than ever to ensure we emerge as a smarter, not just stronger, economy. Innovation was seen through COVID. Who can forget the word of 2020 'pivot'? But now we need to capitalise on our ability to pivot. We are, after all, a country of enormous resilience and enormous resourcefulness. But we need to capitalise on the emerging capability as a country, and I welcome supporting organisations like CERI to enable that capability right across Australia.

In summary, this bill before us is diverse in its amendments but united in its intentions. Those intentions are the care and responsibility of helping change the lives of those less fortunate Australians for the better. It's about enabling others. It's about helping ensure the government is there for the people of Australia in their time of need—that government is not just by the people; it's for the people. I am proud of these proposed amendments and I commend this bill to the House.

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