Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank my friend the member for Banks for moving this motion to mark six months since the re-election of the Albanese Labor government. While those opposite cherrypick facts and only look at the negatives, we haven't wasted a day delivering what we promised at the election.

As members opposite would know, on the Saturday just passed, 1 November, we delivered on our commitment, with the largest investment in Medicare in its history, to triple the bulk-billing incentive to address exactly the kinds of declines in bulk-billing rates the member opposite raised. We do things about the issues facing Australia; those opposite just complain about them. We know our reforms will mean that there's more bulk-billing and that, by 2030, nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed. This includes 17 clinics in my electorate who have expressed interest in going fully bulk-billed—more free GP visits for people across my electorate in Box Hill, Blackburn and Doncaster.

We're continuing to roll out our other reforms. We delivered 87 Medicare urgent care clinics in our last term of government, and we're slated to open 50 more across the country in this term. We're delivering cheaper medicines as well so that Australians will save on out-of-pocket costs, with PBS listed medications costing only $25 per script to fill.

Not only are we delivering, but we've moved forward some of our commitments so that from 1 October we're helping Australians buy their first home with only a five per cent deposit. This will cut waiting times in saving for a deposit and, importantly, save on expensive mortgage lenders insurance. It will get first home buyers into their first home sooner and give them a leg-up over investors. Nationally, over 190,000 first home buyers have taken advantage of this scheme, including 300 in my electorate of Menzies. I'm so glad that there are more people buying their first home thanks to our support.

We've also rolled out the solar home battery program. It has been a huge success. Over 100,000 people around the country have taken up our 30 per cent rebate, that price point providing a real incentive for them to get a solar home battery. It's good for the environment. It's good for the hip pocket. When I've been out doorknocking in my electorate, in Warrandyte, so many people expressed interest in getting in on it. This included Glen in Templestowe Lower, who was really proud to show us his solar home battery system and talk about how it's going to save him hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per year on his power bills. In Menzies, 536 people have got themselves a solar home battery—again, thanks to our reforms.

Last Friday, we introduced the environmental protection biodiversity and conservation bill into this parliament, delivering on our election promise that we were going to prioritise the environment and that we were going to make sure that we're protecting Australia's beautiful natural environment and unique biodiversity. This will, importantly, create an independent environmental protection agency. Again, it's because we listen to our voters and we listen to the Australian people. I was out doorknocking in Surrey Hills on Saturday, a part of my electorate that cares deeply about climate change and cares deeply about the environment. Again and again, I heard from people who said: 'Yes, we need an independent environmental protection agency. We don't want the Liberals and the Greens to team up to block this important legislation again.' The message was really clear—we need to get this done.

We're also getting on with delivering election commitments in Menzies. In the election campaign, we committed $1.1 billion to mental health support. It's a really important area of health care. This includes new and expanded Medicare mental health centres, which will include one in Box Hill in my electorate of Menzies and a further 31 around the country. We're also supporting organisations to get their paperwork in to deliver on our election commitments. That includes for Box Hill United soccer club to resurface Sparks Reserve for a synthetic pitch so that they can play more of the year and practise more of the year. Soccer is absolutely huge in Melbourne's east, so we want to make sure that more people can get out and play. We've committed $3.5 million for Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club for female-friendly change rooms and $187,500 for Warrandyte Arts to upgrade their pottery centres, and there are many more election commitments that we're delivering for the people of Menzies and for Australia.

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