Ash Ambihaipahar (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the appropriation bills before the House and, in doing so, I want to celebrate the priorities of this Albanese government. Now, budgets aren't just about numbers; they are also about values. Every appropriation bill tells a story about the country we are trying to build together. These bills are not simply line items on a spreadsheet; they are investments in the kind of Australia we want to be. They show what we believe matters, and what this government believes is very simple: that Australia works best when no-one is left behind.

The Prime Minister has coined a phrase: progressive patriotism. As Assistant Minister Hill explained in a speech earlier this year, progressive patriotism refers to a pride in Australia and an unashamed, overt focus on inclusion and a striving for a shared Australian identity. It is patriotism that looks forward, not backward. It is pride without exclusion. It is a love of country that grows stronger the more people are welcomed into the story. Put simply, progressive patriotism says that you can love your country and believe it can always be better because the Australian story has never been static. It has always evolved, expanded and grown. We are one, but we are many, as the song goes. That means we have to foster a deep respect for uniquely Australian institutions, educate one another on our core Australian values and celebrate together. Australia's not defined by sameness. Australia is defined by a shared purpose. Our diversity is not a footnote in our national story. It is the story. The Australian story is written in hundreds of languages. It's cooked in kitchens that smell like every corner of the world. It is told at dinner tables where grandparents speak one language and grandchildren answer in another. Yet the values are always recognisably Australian—fairness, opportunity, respect and community.

That is why the politics of division are so corrosive. We are not angry, vindictive or divided people. We must not let imported populist attitudes and rhetoric poison our politics and split us apart. Australians know instinctively that the strength of our country comes from pulling together. That is why this government is focused on the things that actually improve people's lives—real issues, real services, real opportunities. For this reason, my speech today is a celebration of all the initiatives this government is supporting in order to lift up all Australians and celebrate the diversity of electorates like my own of Barton.

Firstly, we are investing in our healthcare system because health care should not depend on your bank balance or your postcode. In Barton, that investment has seen a 64 per cent increase in bulk-billing Medicare practices. That is on top of the brand new urgent care clinic in Carlton where you can walk in and see a doctor with just your Medicare card. That is what universal health care looks like in practice. Investing in bulk-billing is first and foremost an investment in frontline services, but it's also an investment in equity. It shows people in very practical terms that health care is an inherent right of Australian citizenship and that you have that right not because you can afford but because you are one of us. Our Medicare cards are green and gold. It is proudly an Australian institution, and by investing in bulk-billing we are ensuring it remains so for decades to come.

In this chamber, we often hear the member for Lyne lobbying for an urgent care clinic in Taree—

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