Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks so much to the member for Canberra for her question. I was really pleased this morning to visit Vinnies Samaritan House here in Canberra with the member for Canberra and to meet Brett and Elizabeth and the whole team there at Samaritan House. We know that members right across this parliament love the work that Vinnies and services like Vinnies do around Australia, helping people at times of need. The war in Iran is a long way from Australia, but the impacts are being felt here. We're doing our very best to make sure that we're keeping the fuel supplies coming, but we're also doing our best to help Australians with the cost of living and the pressure that that's putting on Australian families.

I was very pleased today to be able to announce that the Albanese Labor government is investing an extra $11.7 million in emergency relief funding for services like Vinnies and others right around Australia. That includes $8½ million for 196 Commonwealth funded emergency relief providers. Those services will get an extra 15 per cent on top of their annual funding. We announced that today. That will help them with things like food parcels for families that need that help. We're also putting almost $2¼ million extra into financial counselling and an extra million dollars for emergency relief providers that are in those Top End areas that have been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Narelle. The extra funding has been welcomed by UnitingCare, Anglicare, the Salvation Army and, of course, St Vincent de Paul Society. Vinnies said, 'This funding is welcome and necessary.' Anglicare said, 'This funding will help make sure people can get support when they need it most.' Of course, we're investing almost $460 million over five years in supports like this. When those opposite were in government, they cut $20 million a year from these programs.

That's not all we're doing to help Australians with the cost of living. There are tax cuts and more tax cuts coming for every taxpayer. We've been supporting wage increases, paid parental leave expansion, three-day childcare guarantee, cheaper medicines, more bulk-billing, five per cent deposits for first home buyers and free TAFE and cutting student debts. Since we came to government, aged pensions have gone up by about $5½ thousand dollars a year, unemployment benefits have gone up about $4,300 a year, and Commonwealth rent assistance has gone up $1,900 a year.

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