Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

it's 14,000 in the member for Lalor's electorate, as she has said—doesn't just make a tangible difference to household budgets by making early learning more affordable. It increases the opportunities for women to re-enter the workforce, to take on more hours and to contribute to that household budget. So, when they are sitting there working out how many more hours they can take on before their extra money is being eaten away by early childhood education and care fees, they know that, as those fees come down, they can work more hours and the household budget can increase.

We know that the rising cost of living is hitting a lot of Australians hard, and inflation is the defining economic challenge in 2023, as it was in 2022. Let me say, in my electorate of Cowan, in some of the lower socioeconomic suburbs, cost-of-living pressures have been on those people for much longer than the last two years. I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to stand here for the last six years in my two terms, and now third term, as the member for Cowan and speak on their behalf. Unfortunately, every time I spoke about cost-of-living pressures for the people in my electorate, it fell on deaf ears while those opposite were in government. Not only did it fall on deaf ears; there was absolute disdain whenever we mentioned issues around cost of living or mortgage stress for the people in our electorates. When they were in government, they did nothing about it except shake their heads whenever we spoke about it.

We've acted successfully as a government in the short time that we've been here in arguing for a Fair Work Commission minimum wage increase in line with inflation and in introducing legislation that will drive investment in cleaner and cheaper energy, putting downward pressure on power prices. The May budget will include direct energy bill relief for households and businesses—something which the opposition tried to block. We're delivering cheaper and more affordable early childhood education. We're delivering cheaper medicines—something that is hugely important for so many people in my electorate of Cowan, as I know it is for electorates right across Australia. We're delivering fee-free TAFE and more university places, expanding paid parental leave and building more affordable homes. Pensions, allowances and rent assistance have all increased in line with inflation. We've brought in a new pensioner work bonus so older Australians can keep more of what they earn without it affecting their pensions.

In May last year, the Australian people voted for a Labor government. They voted for this government because they realised that this was the government that was going to give them the cost-of-living relief that they so desperately needed. I'm proud to stand on this side of the House, and I'm proud to now look down the lens here and say to Mary: 'Mary, you finally have a government that thinks you matter.'

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