Rowan Holzberger (Forde, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I saw that I had an opportunity to address this MPI, I opened up the email and I couldn't believe my luck. I thought, 'You've got to be joking!' because, if the opposition reckoned that we're the ones not governing for all Australians, then they either haven't been watching what's going or have been watching their favourite television programs a bit too much again. But they certainly haven't been listening to people out in the regions, where I come from, and in the outer suburbs and suburbs, so maybe I could tell them what is going on.

We've just opened our 90th Medicare urgent care clinic. That's 90 places where mums and dads and pensioners and battlers and everyone in between can walk in and see a doctor and walk out without paying a cent—bulk-billing, no drama. There's one in the northern Gold Coast in the suburb of Oxenford, and there's one in Logan at Browns Plains, which I hear is one of the busiest in the country, because it's our people that really need this sort of help the most. And there are more urgent care clinics on the way.

Compare that to when the opposition were in government. They watched bulk-billing collapse. They starved Medicare. They abandoned Australians who were at most vulnerable. This government, though, stepped in. We tripled the bulk-billing rate for pensioners and for kids, and now we're extending it right across the board. That's governing for everyone.

Health care is just one part of it. Let's talk about housing. I spoke about housing the other night in here, about how, back in postwar Australia—really, the foundation of the economic miracle that was postwar Australia was Labor and Liberal state and federal governments working together to build housing, create jobs and lay the foundation for this country's postwar miracle. They weren't mucking about with culture wars and cheap shots; they were rolling up their sleeves. In fact, I like to surprise people a bit when I say that one of my economic role models is actually Thomas Playford, the longest-serving premier in Australia and a Liberal. It's a bit of a surprise to some people I know. Playford understood something that the current opposition don't understand, which is that you build public housing not out of the goodness of your heart but to keep the cost of living down, to give workers a roof over their heads and to help business by keeping wages manageable. Housing is the backbone of productivity.

It was inspiring to hear the housing minister, this week, talk about housing being the Labor project of our generation—from five per cent deposits to Help to Buy, where the government is going to share the equity to dramatically slash the cost of entry into the market; to supporting National Cabinet's ambitious but necessary plan to build 1.2 million homes, 100,000 of which will be earmarked for first home buyers; and to undertaking the biggest public housing program in a generation to build more homes, making it easy to buy a home and making it better for renters.

It's the same story with energy. Back then, post war, governments built the energy networks. They made sure that power was cheap and reliable not just for households but for businesses as well, to help manufacturing and local industries. That's how manufacturing was built in Australia. Now we're investing in renewables, backing cheaper and cleaner power because it's good for the environment and it's good for business. Australians don't want yelling or finger pointing. They just want progress. They want a government that puts people first, and that's what we're doing. Whether it's free TAFE, the 20 per cent cut to HECS debts, cheaper child care, cheaper energy or backing in local manufacturing, we're not just governing for some; we are governing for all.

Here's the bit that gets up the nose of Australians the most; it's the sheer negativity and the divisiveness. Every time we bring forward a policy, whether it's on health or whatever, those opposite just say no—no alternatives, no vision, just no. Well, guess what? You can't build a nation on no. I say this to the opposition: genuinely get involved, change tack, back in these policies and take a hint from the last election. The invitation is there. Let's work together, like we did in postwar Australia. If you're actually interested in governing and not just grandstanding, let's put Australians first, because all Australians want is results, and that's exactly what we're delivering—for pensioners; for parents; for apprentices; for the outback, where I come from originally; for the outer suburbs, where I'm privileged to live now; for the inner city; and for everywhere in between. Spare us the lectures. Take a good hard look in your rearview mirror at your own record.

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