Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026, the Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026 and the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026. Australia, like most of the world, continues to experience persistent inflationary pressures, but we know that inflation is much lower than when we came to government. Inflation has a three in front of it instead of a six, but it's still higher than we would like. We also know people are under pressure and are worried about paying the bills, including people in my electorate of Dickson. That is why we have been clear-eyed and focused on responsible cost-of-living relief while, at the same time, delivering a $235 billion turnaround in the budget. This government has got the Liberal debt down by $176 billion, saving Aussies $60 billion in debt interest. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has also delivered two surpluses—something the previous coalition government could never achieve, no matter how many black mugs and premature slogans they put out.

Along with record debt, those opposite also left us with a dire housing shortage, energy and fuel uncertainty and a serious lack of access to affordable health care. They left a hot mess, and you would think they would have recalibrated and gone to the last election with a plan to reduce the massive debt that they left us, but, instead, they decided to go all in, gambling with our economic security and proposing a spending spree to end all spending sprees—$600 billion on nuclear power stations that would take at least 20 years to build. Just to rub salt into our cost-of-living wounds, that plan was widely panned by experts who said it would actually have increased electricity costs by hundreds of dollars for every household.

Those opposite also went to the election promising to raise income taxes. No-one, and I mean no-one, understood this crazy plan—a plan that the new Leader of the Opposition, the then shadow Treasurer, was the architect of. He was the mastermind behind those proposed tax increases. Fantastic! Well done! Great move! In stark contrast, the Albanese Labor government is providing real help for people with the cost of living, as promised during the election.

When I'm in my community knocking on doors or talking to locals at a coffee shop or a supermarket, cost-of-living relief is by far their No.1 concern. That's why we're providing tax cuts for every taxpayer, with another round coming into effect on 1 July and again next year. These are tax cuts opposed by those opposite. Our tax cuts, once implemented, will save Aussies an average of $50 a week—$50 a week back into the pockets of every Australian, opposed by those opposite.

We also know that Aussies are now earning more and keeping more of what they earn. Under Labor, real wages are growing again. We know that those opposite intentionally limited wage growth while in government, a cruel approach that meant that the lowest-paid Aussies could not even crawl their way to a wage they could live on, let alone thrive on. Since coming to government, we have taken significant steps to deliver wage increases to address working poverty after a decade of neglect. As a result, nominal wage growth is at its highest in nearly 15 years. We've seen an increase in the minimum wage and significant increases in award wages, particularly for feminised industries like child care and aged care. Early childhood educators and aged-care workers were leaving their sectors in droves prior to this wage rise because they could earn more working at Macca's or Kmart. Those much-needed wage rises, of course, were opposed by those opposite. The new deputy leader of the Liberals claimed that real wage increases would be the worst thing for Australians. Really? Minimum wage earners, educators and aged-care workers would respectfully disagree.

We've provided energy bill relief and cheaper home batteries to help with the cost of household power bills—opposed by those opposite. While they yell and scream about energy prices, they've voted against energy bill relief every single time. They are against investment in cheaper renewable energy. They called our Cheaper Home Batteries Program 'elitist'. Over 1,700 homes and businesses in my electorate of Dickson have taken up the 30 per cent discount on new home batteries—again, much needed cost-of-living relief opposed by those opposite.

We've also delivered the single largest investment in Medicare ever: $8.5 billion for more bulk-billing and more doctors, and $1.8 billion in extra hospital funding. This is in stark contrast to those opposite. While in government, they tried—and, thankfully, failed—to introduce a GP co-payment, which would have effectively ended bulk-billing. Interestingly, the new shadow Treasurer, the member for Goldstein, has previously suggested Medicare should be privatised. All Aussies should be low-key terrified of the member for Goldstein and of the Liberal Party's suggestion that he should ever be in charge of the country's finances.

Our investment in Medicare is unmatched, because you should not have to rely on your credit card for essential health services and medications. The Albanese Labor government has tripled the bulk-billing incentive for people who need to see their GP most often and offered an extra incentive for whole GP practices to offer bulk-billing to every single patient. New data shows Australians can now access over 3,400 Medicare bulk-billing practices across the country. That number continues to grow every single week. Almost 1,300 of those practices were previously mixed billing. In just three months, the bulk-billing rate for all Australians has jumped to 81.4 per cent nationwide. This is the largest quarterly jump in bulk-billing in 20 years.

We've launched 1800MEDICARE, a free service that will get you a free consultation with a registered nurse—or a GP, if needed—over the phone. We've opened more fully bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinics. That includes the Murrumba Downs UCC in my electorate. It is now a much-loved community service. We've made medicines cheaper, reducing the cost of medicines on the PBS to just $25—back to 2004 prices. And we're investing more than $790 million in our women's health package, providing Australian women with more choice and better treatment at a lower cost. For the first time in 30 years, we have put new contraception pills on the PBS, as well as menopause medications. That is what you get with a majority-female caucus. On that front—on the gender pay gap—it's worth reminding the House that those opposite voted against our three-day childcare guarantee, saying, 'It's not something the country can afford.' Working mums can't afford the coalition.

We've provided 20 per cent off student debt, literally changing the lives of so many students. Those opposite called it 'reverse Robin Hood', basically labelling uni students 'the big end of town'. We've also funded more free TAFE and paid prac places. On that, they said, 'If you don't pay for something, you don't value it.' Well, in Queensland, the most popular free TAFE courses are nursing and early childhood education. I know my local nurses and childcare workers value and love what they do.

The Albanese Labor government is also taking strong steps to ensure Australians have a safe, secure and affordable home. We have an ambitious $45 billion plan to build 1.2 million homes across the country. Of course, those opposite blocked our plan in conjunction with the Greens, which delayed our progress for a long time. But, with the states and territories, we are doing everything we can to increase supply right across the country. Our five per cent deposit scheme for first-time buyers is making a real difference in my electorate of Dickson. Since we came to government, 1,713 people in Dickson have been able to buy their first home with a five per cent deposit, fast-tracking their way to homeownership. We're also investing in more social and affordable housing through the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to support the delivery of 55,000 social and affordable homes right across Australia. One hundred and fifty-three of those new homes are being built right now in Joyner, in my community of Dickson.

Of course, those opposite not only opposed our investment in social and affordable homes but have also said they would repeal the laws that have allowed investment in these homes. They have said our $10 billion investment fund for social and affordable homes was a 'warped' approach. I tell you what's truly warped. It's the coalition's record on construction of social and affordable homes in the nine years they were in government. There were just 373 homes in nine years. That's not just warped; it is neglect. We've built over 5,000 social and affordable homes since being elected. For renters we've delivered real relief with back-to-back increases to Commonwealth rent assistance—nearly a 50 per cent boost—supporting 7,230 people in my electorate of Dickson. And we're backing the construction workforce, with more than 335 apprentices receiving $5,000 incentive payments. From 1 July 2025, it will be up to $10,000 through Labor's Key Apprenticeship Program.

These appropriation bills have ensured responsible cost-of-living relief. The Albanese Labor government is focused on getting inflation under control while easing cost-of-living pressures for Australian families. That is what my electorate of Dickson voted for and that's what we are delivering here.

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