Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Despite spending quite a bit of time this month here in Canberra, my weekends have been spent out and about in my community. Recently I hosted a community barbecue in Flemington with members of our proud Somali diaspora. It was a chance for me to speak directly to them about what matters to them and their families, and what pressures they're experiencing. Also in that time between sitting weeks, I held a mobile office in Keilor East, again providing an opportunity to speak directly with local residents about what matters to them. On both these occasions, the topic that was consistently raised was around the pressures that many people are under around rising cost of living. That issue is front and centre in the minds of many, many working Australians. The conflict in the Middle East is another flashpoint that our communities must now face when sitting down to do their household budgets.

It's incredibly important that we cut through some of the misinformation and sheer dishonesty of those opposite and be clear with Australians about what this government is doing. While those opposite look to help their own political gains, we focus our efforts on helping Australians. We are responsible and structured. We've delivered reforms that have provided immediate effect, like cutting 20 per cent off student debt and our first round of tax cuts.

We're matching this relief with longer term reforms like changes to student loan repayments. No longer are Australians with student debt being lumped with repayments that are measured by total income; now they only repay on the amount of income earned over the threshold, and that threshold has been raised from $54,435 to $67,000. That means if you earn under $67,000, you will not be required to make an annual compulsory repayment. If you earn above $67,000, your repayments are calculated only against the proportion of your income above that threshold. This new repayment system means that people will make smaller compulsory repayments each year and effectively be able to keep more of what they earn and have more money in their pockets. Younger Australians already feel that our economy is stacked against them, but this government recognises their frustrations, and that's why we have taken action.

Another structural reform that we've made will take place in just a few months time. From July 2026, every Australian taxpayer is going to receive another tax cut, and then another one in 2027. Beginning in 2027, we have reformed our tax system to be simpler and to provide real cost-of-living relief by introducing a $1,000 instant tax deduction. This takes some of the stress out of tax time. Aussie workers can now claim a flat rate instead of claiming individual work related expenses. Working people deserve to be able to keep more of what they earn. This Labor government heavily believes in this.

At the last election, Labor made a promise to the Australian people. We said that we would strengthen Medicare, and that's exactly what we've been focused on. At the beginning of this year, PBS medicines were capped at $25 a script. I love this reform, and I know I've spoken about it quite often in this place. Another aspect of this reform is on the concession card; the co-payment continues to be only $7.70 until 2030. For Australians with complex medical needs and chronic conditions, these are real savings that are taking the pressure off their bank accounts and making a difference in their lives.

You cannot strengthen Medicare without investing heavily in bulk-billing. It is the cornerstone of our health system, and Australians are proud, quite rightly, of our universal access to care, no matter where they live or how much they earn. That's why we've tripled the bulk-billing incentive, which has doubled the number of bulk-billing clinics in my community, so more people can see their GP for free.

My community voted for real cost-of-living relief. They voted for tax relief and for a stronger Medicare, and this Labor government is delivering on its promises to them. We started our second term by passing student debt relief and have continued to be steadfastly focused on providing responsible cost-of-living relief at every opportunity we can. We're investing in working families because Labor know that that is an investment in our country's future.

See this speech in context