Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that in May 2022, Australians voted for change and for a Labor Government to build a better future;

(2) further notes that in the six months since the election, the Parliament:

(a) has already legislated to:

(i) fix the mess the previous Government made of the aged care sector;

(ii) deliver a cleaner and greener future to tackle climate change;

(iii) deliver cheaper medicines;

(iv) provide ten days paid family and domestic violence leave;

(v) repeal the cashless debit card;

(vi) expand access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card; and

(vii) deliver a 'Future Made in Australia' with Jobs and Skills Australia; and

(b) is currently debating legislation to deliver:

(i) secure jobs and better pay;

(ii) a national anti-corruption commission;

(iii) safer and secure workplaces for Australian women; and

(iv) cheaper childcare for Australian families; and

(3) acknowledges that the Government is:

(a) delivering on its election commitments to build a better future; and

(b) being a responsible government in the face of challenging times globally.

The Albanese government is delivering on its plans to build a better future. This government is responsible in the challenging global times we face. As the Chief Government Whip, I'm proud of the progress our government has taken in just its first six months. The laws they've already passed through the parliament speak to our commitment to backing in the things that we took to an election.

We said we'd fix the mess the previous government made of the aged-care sector, and that work has well and truly begun under the care of the member for Lilley. We said we'd deliver a cleaner and greener future to tackle climate change, and the member for McMahon, as minister, is leading that work every day through legislation in this House.

We said we'd deliver cheaper medicines, and the member for Hindmarsh has done just that and brought legislation through this House.

We said we'd provide 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave, and the member for Watson, as minister, has seen that legislation through this House.

We said we'd repeal the cashless debit card, and the member for Kingston, as minister, has made that happen. We said we'd expand access to the Commonwealth seniors health card, and the member for Kingston has made that happen too.

We said we'd deliver a future made in Australia with Jobs and Skills Australia, and the member for Gorton has overseen the passage of that legislation.

We said we'd deliver cheaper child care and early childhood education for Australian families, and the member for Cowan and the member for Blaxland have brought legislation to this place to do exactly that. I was pleased last week to be at a local prep to year 9 college in my electorate, with the member for Blaxland and the state Minister for Education, to host a round table and hear from teachers and principals about the crippling teacher shortage in my state. And I am pleased to stand here today and say that the member for Blaxland not just has a plan to tackle that skills shortage but has begun a review to tackle one of the pressing issues in my electorate, which is teacher quality through initial teacher training.

I'm really proud of the work that we've done so far. Before the parliament this week will be the secure jobs and better pay legislation, which we will, hopefully, get back from the Senate and pass before we break for Christmas.

As well as that, the Member for Isaacs led the legislation for a national anti-corruption commission through this House last week.

We are doing the things that we said we would get done. We are a committed government. We're working together as a team to make sure we deliver on the promises we made to the electorate. Later this morning we'll be dealing with legislation to make workplaces safer and more secure for Australian women, something that I'm very proud this government is working towards for every woman across this country. I want to commend Senator Gallagher for her leadership in the portfolio, as Minister for Women, and for getting this piece of legislation through both houses of parliament to ensure that our workplaces are safe for women—that women are free from harassment in the workplace. As well, I commend the work that is going on in this parliament through committee structures, like the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards, and behind the scenes to ensure that this place is held in the highest esteem and that every woman—every person—who works in this building does so in a safe and secure environment.

I am proud to be a member of the Albanese Labor government. I know my colleagues are all proud of the work that we've done to date. We're looking forward to the next tranche of changes that Labor will bring in to make a fairer and better country—to ensure that workers around the country are safe, that businesses thrive and that we have an economy that works for people and with people. It is an absolute pleasure to have been returned as the member for Lalor in this place and to represent my community. I'm really looking forward to the next few years of working with the state Labor government in Victoria to deliver for my electorate both federally and with my state colleagues. It really is humbling to be in government and to be able to deliver the change. The old saying, 'Governments change lives,' is absolutely true.

Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the government's motion congratulating themselves on how good they are. Of course, I don't necessarily agree with that premise, so in the short time I've got I want to make three points. Firstly, there's nothing impressive in a government implementing promises that it took to an election—that's an expectation. If the bar is now so low that the government think they need to move a motion of self-congratulation on the things they took to the election, which they promised the people of this country they would do and have merely proceeded to implement, then I think they need to learn to be a bit better than that at impressing people.

Secondly, of course, the more concerning thing is what they've done since the election that they didn't tell the people of Australia they would do during the election campaign. The member talked about industrial relations reform, and it's staggering to me that, of the reforms that the government are putting in place through this legislation that the member touched on in her contribution, many of the core elements were not talked about whatsoever during the election campaign. If these reforms were so important, so vital and going to be so good for the people of this country, I'm truly shocked as to why they weren't front and centre of the Labor Party's election campaign to win government back in May. One wonders very deeply why it is that all these things that are going to apparently be good for the economy, dramatically increase wages and lead the Australian workers to the land of milk and honey were not points that they thought would be relevant to prosecute during an election campaign to help them win an election. Frankly, if this legislation on industrial relations is going to be so good for the people of Australia, that was a dramatically missed opportunity for the Labor Party to win a lot more votes than they did back in May, if their claims are that this legislation is so popular and going to be so good for the workers of this country are true.

One suspects, therefore, that the geniuses in the Labor Party campaign strategy team were not confident whatsoever that the people of Australia wanted these industrial relations reforms that are being rammed through this parliament right now. If there were any value to the claims that the government make about them as far as their benefit to the economy and their benefit to workers, then of course they would've prosecuted that in the election campaign. In fact it would've be front and centre of what they had as their argument for government. But multi-employer bargaining and a whole range of other things that are being rammed through this parliament in the final sitting week of the year were not talked about by the now government whatsoever in the election campaign. That is regrettable, and it's a breach of faith with the people of this country—that you had a secret plan, clearly, to implement reforms that you're so embarrassed about that you wouldn't talk about them during the election campaign, because you're repaying the union movement for the donations they gave you during the election. That's the reality of what's happening with that reform, we all know it and, unfortunately, we're all going to see the economic impact of those reforms if that does pass through this parliament week.

Finally, the thing that's missing from this motion is what the government isn't doing, which is taking any action whatsoever to assist households and businesses in this country to address the dramatic and crippling challenges of inflation and costs of living spiralling out of control. They've confirmed there's a huge problem. They said in their budget that electricity prices alone are going to increase over 56 per cent over the next two years. They handed down a budget and said, 'Electricity prices are going up by 56 per cent, and we're also going to do absolutely nothing about it.' That is what the budget was, 'Here's a problem, and no solution from your federal government.' How appalling. What a disgrace. The households and businesses of this country are now left in a very concerning predicament of having to plan for those challenges and a whole range of other cost-of-living challenges that keep on getting worse and worse as the economic data is released day after day, week after week. We don't want to see inflation spiralling out of control in this country, but the reality is the budget says it's climbing to at least eight per cent—so, inflation at eight per cent, electricity prices up 56 per cent, gas over 40 per cent. We all know how difficult it has been at the petrol pump and in the grocery stores of late, and that's the first responsibility of this government, to help people make ends meet. They're doing absolutely nothing about that. So, they can congratulate themselves on implementing changes they never told the people of this country about during the election. But they should focus on the things that matter, and that starts with addressing the cost-of-living crisis we have in this country.

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Lalor for moving the motion. I'm so proud to stand before you today as a member of the Albanese Labor government, one of the most diverse federal governments in Australian history. I'm proud to stand with a government that has a strong representation of women, that is inclusive and that welcomes different backgrounds, cultures, religions and experiences. I'm proud to stand with a government that is getting the job done. There are many changes that the Albanese Labor government have implemented in the last six months. I want to discuss three of these changes, because these changes have the most impact on my constituents, the people of Tangney.

The first is clearing the coalition visa blockage, the big backlog. Every day, my office receives many calls from people who are suffering at the hands of the previous government's cruel visa system. These people are wracked with anxiety. They are people who have not seen, heard or touched their loved ones for several years and who are not sure when they will get an opportunity to embrace them. They are people who do not know if they will be deported in a matter of hours, people who are crying, people who are hurt, people who are traumatised.

My staff, like me, have big hearts. We've worked very hard to help people in this painful situation. I have lost count of the number of constituents who have come into my office—to thank me and my staff—in tears of relief, hugging us for hearing their sufferings, for extending kindness, humility and empathy. I want to personally thank Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his compassionate leadership, in understanding the importance of clearing the coalition visa backlog, and Minister Andrew Giles for his tireless hard work.

The second change I want to speak about is the introduction of legislation to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission. This is long overdue. The people of Australia rightfully demand integrity and trust in our national institutions. This trust was eroded through nine years of coalition governments, including a government that saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison secretly appoint himself to several ministries. The people of Australia demand better, The people of Australia deserve better, and an Albanese Labor government is delivering. I'm honoured to serve as a committee member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and I have played a role in introducing this crucial bill. It is my privilege to utilise my extensive background in law and order as a police officer throughout the process. Thank you, Mark Dreyfus, for the opportunity. There is more work to be done, and I look forward to continuing our work together.

Lastly, I would like to speak about another policy, that the Albanese Labor government has enacted, that is having a real effect on our older Australians. Our older Australians deserve dignity, care, security and respect. Under the previous government, many of our cherished elders were not being granted fundamental human decencies, and an Albanese government made fixing this mess a priority. We have implemented a pay rise for aged-care workers. We have put nurses back in nursing homes 24/7. We have lifted income limits for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. An Albanese Labor government has also made Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines cheaper, the first time this has happened in 75 years. In addition, we have supported an increase to the pension. This is the biggest increase to the pension in 30 years. I am proud to stand behind this achievement.

I am proud to stand beside a team, the Albanese Labor government, that is building a better future for Australians. There is more work to be done, and I look forward to standing before the people of Tangney as we see local election commitments come to fruition. I thank members of parliament for getting the job done, and I thank the people of Australia for keeping us accountable. We will not waste a day.

Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion calls on us to note the achievements of the new Labor government over the last six months. Listening to those opposite, you would think that they'd overseen a great golden age for our nation. But the sad truth is that Australia is facing soaring interest rates, higher energy prices, higher gas prices, a decline in real wages, slowing GDP growth and rising inflation. Unfortunately, the government is offering no plans to remedy those issues and certainly is offering no relief. We've seen nothing over the first six months of this government that will address the very real concerns for those back in my electorate and across this country, yet the government wants us to spend time in this final sitting week of parliament for the year to acknowledge their greatness.

Let's have a look at some of the aspects of this motion. Firstly, there's a set of categories of things listed in this motion that I refer to as copycat policies. These are things that the previous government was implementing or had proposed that were copied by the now government, and I certainly don't hold it against them for copying good ideas. I think that's something that we should do more of in this chamber, so let me run through a few of them. Firstly, we have the claim that they're delivering cheaper medicines. The general co-payment bill cuts the PBS charge by $12.50, and that's of course a policy that was introduced in response to the coalition committing to reduce it by $10. As part of our record in government, the coalition listed more than 2,800 new and amended medicines on the PBS, and that's almost 30 new medicines every month. There's certainly no sign that Labor will have such a positive impact on the sector over the long term.

The motion seeks our support for the government's 10-day paid family and domestic violence leave, which of course mimics what the coalition did back in 2018 in taking a Fair Work Commission recommendation and ensuring it applies to everyone. Once again, it's good to see the government following the coalition's lead. The motion calls for us to acknowledge the expansion of access to the Commonwealth seniors health card, and credit where credit's due. The legislation tabled regarding the Commonwealth seniors health card is actually positive legislation. However, this is no surprise for one simple reason: it was a coalition election commitment that the Labor Party subsequently decided to match. Yet again, the government's most of effective policies, the things they've had success with, have proved to be those campaigned for by the coalition.

Unfortunately, we have to go from the good to the bad and the ugly. I've heard previous speakers make mention of the repeal of the cashless debit card. Has there been anything this government has attempted that could be more disgraceful than that action? They are opening the door to greater violence and abuse in the communities where the cashless debit card has had such a successful introduction. They ran a horrendous scare campaign during the election, trying to claim that the coalition government was going to impose this on senior welfare payments. It was certainly something that was raised a lot in my electorate during the campaign, but luckily not many of the voters believed them. I'm often surprised by Labor's enthusiasm on removing the cashless debit card because we've seen it work. The feedback on the ground is that it works, and I don't understand what demographic the Labor Party think they're appealing to with this move. But it certainly isn't the demographic in these communities where the cashless debit card is having such a positive impact.

Another thing that's mentioned in this motion is the secure jobs and better pay bill. Has a new government ever faced such a united chorus of opposition to a bill in their first six months? This is a direct attack on small businesses in my electorate and across the country, and it's an absolutely blatant attempt to give the unions some increased relevance as we go deeper into the 21st century. But the problem is that they are now in government, and they'll have to come up with their own ideas. It will be things like the IR bill that we'll see more of, which is where the trouble will begin. The motion calls for us to acknowledge the government are delivering on their election commitments. In response to that all I would say is: where is their honouring of the election commitment for a $275 reduction to household energy bills? My constituents are waiting for that. My message to the government members is that, if they think it is a solid record of achievement over six months, good luck to them. They have a long way to go.

Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to support the member for Lalor's motion today, acknowledging the remarkable achievements of the Albanese government in just six months. We have gone hell for leather, initiating the reforms that people in my electorate on the New South Wales South Coast voted for—the reforms that our country deserves.

We started on day one with reforms to fix our broken aged-care system. We said we would put the care back into aged care. We promised 24/7 nurses in aged-care homes. We promised to end the decade of neglect under the Liberal government. On our very first day of government in this place we introduced the bill to do just that, and now it is the law. On top of that, we have also delivered a long-overdue pay rise for aged-care workers so that we can encourage more people into this vital sector and ensure that our aged-care workers are paid fairly for the incredible work they do. That is a significant achievement in itself, but it is just the beginning.

I often talk about the improvements this government has made for pensioners, but, with one of the highest rates of pensioners in Australia, that is no surprise. Pensioners on the South Coast are benefiting from their biggest pay rise in more than 12 years and the biggest increase to allowances in three decades. That is money already in local people's pockets because we wasted no time. We have also supported self-funded retirees by increasing the income threshold for the Commonwealth seniors health care card, meaning more people can now access cheaper medicines. If that's not enough, we have also brought down the price of prescriptions on the PBS by 29 per cent and added more to the list so that local people can afford the medicines they need.

The government is making cost-of-living improvements for people across the country. We are supporting families, because we know it is good for our country and good for the economy. In our six months in government, we have passed laws to deliver cheaper child care for around 4,800 local families in my electorate. We have increased paid parental leave to 26 weeks per year and delivered universal family and domestic violence leave—10 paid days leave. And we have delivered a historic rise in the minimum wage.

As a former TAFE teacher, I know how important a good education is. So I am so pleased we are delivering free TAFE places and more university places in areas of skills shortage.

The South Coast is experiencing an escalating housing crisis that the former government watched spiral out of control. Just last week, the Minister for Housing released $575 million in funding to allow the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to deliver social and affordable housing, getting us one step closer to building 40,000 new social and affordable homes. Our Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee is already open, giving first home buyers in regional areas a government guarantee of up to 15 per cent. One thousand first home buyers have already taken advantage of this. Turning our housing crisis around will be a long-term project, but we are wasting no time in getting started.

My electorate has a large defence and veteran population, so I am delighted that, just last week, we passed laws to help our Australian Defence Force members and veterans buy their own home. The $46.2 million expansion of the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme will see more veterans and ADF members become eligible for the scheme, helping more people in my electorate get into a home sooner. Not only that, but last week also saw laws passed to improve support for totally and permanently incapacitated veterans from 1 January 2023. These well-deserving veterans, who have put their lives on the line for our freedom, will receive a $1,000 annual increase to their rate of pension, benefiting 27,000 veterans and their families around Australia. We're also delivering a veterans employment strategy and responding to all the recommendations put forward by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

The Albanese government promised we would help with the cost of living, take meaningful action on climate change and support our renewables transition. We promised to help communities impacted by disaster by investing in resilience and preparedness through the Disaster Ready Fund. And we promised to advance a Voice to Parliament. We have delivered on all of these commitments and more, in just six months. This is only a small snippet of the incredible nation-building reform this government has delivered so far. We are building a better future for all Australians, and I couldn't be prouder to be part of this amazing team.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I must say, in this parliament there are few things more cringe-worthy than a pat-on-the-back style of motion like this from the government—a motion that says: 'Look how good we are!' and 'Look what amazing things we've done over the last six months!' I say to members opposite and to the member who moved this motion that these sorts of aren't-we-good, let's-pat-ourselves-on-the-back motions are completely disconnected from the feelings of many in the community. There is the litany of broken promises and the most significant failure of this government on the economy. I can assure you that this how-good-are-we motion does not resonate out there.

This government failed the biggest test. We heard before the election that, if they won, shortly after the election they would have a budget that would set out their agenda. We saw the budget spoken about for about one day and then they moved on. They went out to sell the budget the morning after the budget and they got a bit of a reaction from the Australian public, who said: 'This thing is a stinker. This thing is a shocker.' We have scarcely heard about the budget since that morning.

Quite frankly, it was a budget that was able to do a few things quite remarkably. Get a group of year 12 students or a group of economics 101 university students together and ask them: 'What's the one thing you wouldn't do in an environment of high inflation? What's the one thing you wouldn't do?' You wouldn't pour fuel on the fire of that inflation, putting more pressure on inflation, putting more pressure on mortgage rates and, therefore, putting more pressure on families.

What did this budget do? It ran a larger budget deficit than the year before, which was in the middle of the pandemic. In the middle of the pandemic we ran a budget deficit of $32 billion—quite rightly—to deliver the support that Australians needed at that crucial time. Yet in a year where we have elevated and rising inflation we have a budget deficit higher. I am sure the economics 101 students or the year 12 students who have just studied economics would say, 'Every extra $1 billion that the government spends is an extra $1 billion that the Reserve Bank Governor has to take out of the economy via higher mortgage rates.'

They were able to simultaneously do two things: they broke faith with the Australian public that they could be trusted to manage the budget, first and foremost, and they also outlined in their budget that, sadly, we won't see the $275 reduction in power bills that was promised on no less than 97 occasions by members opposite. They don't want to talk about it now. They don't want to repeat those promises now. I challenge members opposite to put those shiny little tiles on their Facebook pages today—the ones they put on before the election that said they would deliver power bill reductions of $275. Why? Because we saw in the budget that power prices are set to increase by more than 50 per cent. The government hashed the economics of this nation so badly in the first five minutes of government. It is not something that they should be patting themselves on the back for.

As the member for Bowman eloquently outlined, this motion also mentions the success of repealing the cashless debit card. In my 10 or so years in this place there have been few things that have perplexed me more than this policy from the Labor Party. I think we have to accept in politics that people are here for the right reasons. In my experience all members of parliament are basically decent. So how on earth could an otherwise intelligent, decent person think that pouring more alcohol, drugs, gambling and pornography into vulnerable communities will somehow not have a devastating impact on those communities? How could anyone think that that's not going to lead to more children being neglected and more domestic violence?

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Show us the research that shows it's worked.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Show us the research? Apparently more drugs and more alcohol are good things for communities and don't lead to more destructive behaviour! You don't need to be Einstein to work out that more drugs and more alcohol in those vulnerable communities is going to hurt the people who can least handle it, and that will be the children, who will be neglected, and that will be the women in particular, who will suffer domestic violence. To see the government patting themselves on the back for this litany of failures and the moral failure of the CDC is quite galling.

Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin may not have realised that in May this year the Australian people voted for change. They voted for a government that would finally put people first and build a better future for our nation, much better than the one that those opposite left behind. When the previous government left office, the vital services and supports Australians built for vulnerable people were in an absolute mess. In my previous role as a staffer, I saw just how much our community was suffering due to the nine years of neglect from the previous government. Our Public Service had been gutted and contracted out. This has decimated the morale of public servants and had a devastating effect on delivering the services that all Australians will need at some point in their lives.

Since the election in May, people in my community have said that they felt absolute relief when the Albanese government was sworn in, relief that they now have a government that cares, a government that listens, a government that makes them feel safe. Most importantly, they have said that the adults are back in charge. This Labor government is working hard to make our communities and our country a better place. This is a government that cares about people. It cares about our planet and it cares about our economy and jobs.

From speaking with my colleagues in recent months I know all of our offices have been inundated with people who need things fixed—and urgently. Many of them have told us that they had completely given up seeking help under the previous government. Since the election, my staff and I have processed over 1,000 meeting requests and invitations and helped more than 2,000 members of our community to get the support, services and assistance that they require. We have been inundated with people trying to resolve urgent care requirements under the NDIS, to progress Centrelink applications and to resolve year-long delays in their visa inquiries.

When Labor was first elected, there were one million backlogged visa applications. That's one million people who were awaiting the knowledge that they could come or stay in this country, build a family here or visit their loved ones. That's one million people who the previous government was unable to help or who it was simply uninterested in helping.

Then there were the passport delays. All of us in this place will know the impact that passport delays have had on our communities. We have all heard the stories of locals having their family visits postponed or cancelled, having holidays delayed and, of course, being tragically unable to leave the country in time to visit a loved one before they passed. My staff have worked tirelessly and productively with the offices of the minister for immigration and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, making representations on behalf of many local constituents who have family members desperately waiting to come and visit them, especially after such a long time apart due to COVID.

I would like to congratulate the minister for immigration, who last week announced that the Albanese-Labor government has cleared almost one-quarter of the backlogged visa applications that we inherited, and he hopes to clear 40 per cent of them by the end of the year. There are still a lot, but at least we are working our way through them. I would also like to thank the minister's staff for their help in assisting so many of my constituents. I know they are very grateful when we get good results.

I would also like to take a moment to thank my staff and the ministerial staff in this building for their tireless work in helping our community in the six months since my election. You have all done an amazing job in this busy, busy Labor government.

In addition, we have been busy legislating the mandate that was given to us by the Australian people. Since being elected just six months ago, we have passed historic legislation, putting the care back into aged care. We are working hard to repair the system after nine years of neglect by those opposite. We have also legislated our climate targets and brought Australia back onto the world stage to help deliver a cleaner and greener future to tackle climate change.

We are delivering on our commitment to provide Australians with cheaper medicines and 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave and to repeal the cruel cashless welfare card. I know many in my community are particularly excited for us to deliver on our A Future Made in Australia plan, ensuring regional Australia is at the forefront of manufacturing and helping to build our clean energy future. That's not all: we are currently debating legislation on secure jobs, better pay, cheaper child care, safer workplaces for women and a national anti-corruption commission. I am so proud of the first six months of this government, and I can't wait to see the better future we are building.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.