Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) | Hansard source

Today, I reflect on the Albanese government's budget handed down just last month—in particular what it means for the communities I'm so privileged and proud to represent as the member for Scullin.

When I got back to Melbourne after budget week I went doorknocking in Wollert, a suburb that's rapidly growing in the northern end of my electorate. Not everyone I spoke to that day had been thumbing through the budget papers or even knew that a budget had been handed down—and I'm not surprised by this; with family commitments, work and activities in the community, people are juggling a lot at the moment. But the conversations I had that day and since then—doorknocking in other suburbs, and at train stations in the morning—reflected on how our budget is delivering for them and also delivering democratically. We see in these conversations how our Labor government has been listening and using the opportunity and the obligation we have as the national government to make Australian lives better.

People are seeing how government can and does make a difference, such as through how we're putting more money back into household budgets; tax cuts for every Australian worker; the $1,000 instant tax deduction; and the $250 working Australians tax offset. It is all part of a budget that is working to rebalance the tax system that, for too long, has taxed workers more on income earned through labour than on income that others are fortunate enough to earn through their assets.

It's also a budget focused on bringing that dream of homeownership back within reach for Australians, particularly younger Australians. That responds to a message that's been delivered to me very directly from young people right across the northern suburbs—younger people who might be renting or still living at home, saving up for a first home of their own—and from their parents and their grandparents, who worry that their kids won't be able to reach the milestone that they were able to. That dream was at risk of disappearing for an entire generation of Australians—driven, in part, by tax breaks for investors that made it easier for people to purchase a 10th home than a first.

We know, of course, that rebalancing tax settings alone won't fix the housing crisis. We've got to continue to boost supply, and that's why we're investing so heavily in enabling infrastructure—the nuts and bolts, or, in this case, more the pipes and the power—to unlock 65,000 new homes, while maintaining incentives for new housing construction and for workers to do that work, too. We're not standing still; instead, we're taking action to expand opportunity and security for more Australians in communities like those in our northern suburbs.

People in my electorate also welcome the certainty that comes in the budget from the news that the Medicare urgent care clinic in Epping is here to stay. Since opening in 2024, it's seen 23,000 presentations—around 45 a day—easing pressure on Victoria's busiest emergency department, at the Northern Hospital, while saving on medical costs for families right across the community. This builds on the work that we've done to make the cost of medicines cheaper, bringing PBS medicines down to a maximum cost of $25, or $7.70 for concession card holders. We're also delivering, for our public hospitals, an extra $25 billion in funding, so hospitals like the Northern can have more beds and are better resourced to service a growing community. All of this is bringing health care closer to communities—more accessible and more affordable—when we see, around the world, health systems drifting further away from the people they need to be reaching.

Beyond housing and health, the budget's also been focused on helping people get where they need to go safely and efficiently. I'm so pleased to see that $37.4 million has been invested to continue upgrades along Donnybrook Road, cutting congestion and improving the flow of traffic for motorists in Melbourne's outer northern suburbs—less time on the road; more time to enjoy at home.

This is a budget that's built on listening, and recognising the challenges that people face right across our communities. It demonstrates to people that they have been heard and they matter. The confidence that they placed in our government, across two elections, is not and will not be taken for granted. We're getting on with the job that they have tasked us with doing.

Today, I was absolutely thrilled to read in the Herald Sun that Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre was recognised for the extraordinary work it does in educating young First Nations people. Bubup Wilam is an amazing facility, and early learning, early education and care are only the tip of the iceberg for what it delivers for Aboriginal communities in Melbourne's north. To Lisa Thorpe and her amazing team: I look forward to seeing you when I'm back in town, but I'm so pleased to see the work that you do, and the impact it has, recognised more broadly.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:27

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