Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last night the government delivered our first budget in nearly a decade. I'm proud to say that this is a budget the people of Bennelong voted for. The budget delivers on the commitments we made to the Australian people and the commitments I made to the people of Bennelong. It delivers responsible cost-of-living relief that doesn't put pressure on inflation. It makes targeted investments to build a stronger and more resilient economy. And it begins the hard yards of budget repair so that we can pay for what's important.

This budget is for those who are worried about the cost of living, for mums wanting to get back into the workforce and for employers that are desperate for skilled workers. This budget is for kids who worry about affording an education and for those who want to reduce emissions and invest in renewable energy.

Labor's first budget in a decade is responsible, is measured and provides the security Australians need. It repays hard work and rewards aspiration. It's right for the times and ready for the future. We know there are difficult times ahead, and we're being upfront about the challenges that we face. These are difficult times, and hard choices are required to get the economy and the budget back on track. We can't clean up this mess overnight, but we're working every day to build a better future for Australia.

One thing that was raised a lot with me in Bennelong was cost of living, and I'm proud to say that this budget has over $7.5 billion for targeted cost-of-living measures and provides responsible relief for households in Bennelong. It includes cheaper child care and early education, with higher subsidies for 1.26 million families in Australia, including 9,800 families in Bennelong. We're expanding paid parental leave, with six months paid leave by 2026. There are important amendments to eligibility for modern families.

We've got cheaper medicines. We're slashing the PBS general co-payment to $30 a script, a reduction for the first time in 75 years. We'll have more affordable housing, delivering the Housing Australia Future Fund and a new national housing accord. And we are getting wages moving again, supporting a wage increase and minimum wage increase for workers, fixing the broken bargaining system and investing in capacity in the economy.

We've also got some fantastic local commitments. I'll close by touching on these. Locals elected me to be a strong voice for Bennelong in Canberra. I'm proud that our government has listened. There's $2,000 for the Asian Australian Association of Bennelong to host the Harmony Cup. There's $20,000 for the Ryde Persian community to celebrate Nowruz, their new year, with a street and food festival in Bennelong. There's a community battery in North Epping, which is just extraordinary. We're working with the state government to widen Epping Bridge. There's to be an upgrade of Blenheim Park and there's to be additional university spaces at Macquarie University. This is a budget that delivers for the nation and delivers for Bennelong.

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