Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Right now, families across Elizabeth, Salisbury, Gawler and Munno Para are feeling the pinch. Groceries cost more. Power bills bite harder. Mortgage repayments stretch further than they used to. At a time like this, Australians expect their government to focus on them, not on internal squabbles.

The Albanese Labor government is focused on easing cost-of-living pressures. Whilst those opposite fight each other, we are fighting for working people in communities like Spence. We're delivering more tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer. That means workers in Edinburgh, tradies on job sites in Playford and small business employees in Gawler keep more of what they earn. Combined with stronger wage growth and record job creation, that's real support in the weekly household budget.

We've taken decisive action on student debt. We've cut 20 per cent off HELP and student loan balances, wiping an average of $5,500 dollars from individual debts. That's three million Australians nationally carrying a lighter burden. In Spence alone, 19,243 current and former students benefit. That's young apprentices; Uni Hub Playford students; and nurses, teachers and tradies starting their careers in the north. We've changed the repayment system as well. If you're earning $70,000 a year, your annual repayment drops by around $1,300. That's $1,300 staying in your pocket for groceries, fuel, school costs or whatever you choose.

We've made the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago, because, in Spence, bulk-billing matters. We've expanded the bulk-billing incentive and boosted payments to GP clinics that bulk-bill every patient. More than 3,300 GP practices nationally are now fully bulk-billing. In the north, 21 Medicare centres are delivering that support, and by 2030 nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed, because we're dedicated to expanding financially accessible services for all Australians.

We've delivered the largest medicines price reduction in the 75-year history of the PBS. No Australian pays more than $25 for a PBS script—concession card holders no more than $7.70. Australians have saved $2 billion at the pharmacy counter, and we've added or expanded those savings to more than 400 medicines on the PBS. For pensioners in Gawler, families in Elizabeth, veterans across the north, that's real relief.

Our Medicare urgent clinics are another game changer. We promised 50; we delivered 124, with more to come. More than 2½ million Australians have received free urgent care. The Elizabeth Medicare urgent care centre is doing outstanding work for the northern suburbs—open seven days, extended hours, fully bulk-billed, no appointment needed. We've also committed $1.1 billion to strengthening mental health services across the country, including new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres offering free walk-in care, because mental health support must be accessible, local and free.

We recognise energy prices are too high. Families across the north know it every time the bill arrives. The people of Spence also understand how important renewable energy is to Australia's future.

That's why our community has embraced the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. We now have the fifth highest battery uptake in South Australia and the ninth highest in the nation. That is the north stepping up. That is households investing in solar and storage to bring down their bills. It delivers real short-term relief through lower quarterly bills and long-term security through cleaner and more reliable energy.

On housing, we are making it easier for Australians to buy their first home. First home buyers can purchase with just a five per cent deposit. If you buy a house in the north, that means that, on average, you will only need a $32,500 deposit to get your foot in the door. That cuts years off the time it takes to save in growing areas like Munno Para, Playford or Gawler. And they won't pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance. We're building 100,000 new homes just for first home buyers, including 17,000 in South Australia—nearly 7,000 reserved for first homebuyers. This is practical cost-of-living relief and an increase in supply.

We've delivered tax cuts, lower student debt, cheaper health care, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief now and energy security for the future, and a fairer path into homeownership. There is more work to do, and we will keep on doing it. Whilst others focus on themselves, we remain focused on everyday Aussies. We're focused on easing pressure, on practical relief and on delivering for every household across the north.

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