Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, here we all are, the first day of parliament in what the member for Barton has rightly described as 'the year of the Voice'. This is a year when Australians will finally have the opportunity, at a referendum, to make sure our First Nations people are recognised in our Constitution. It's also a year where we've got a lot of work to do, and we as a government intend to do it. Just this week we're going to see the referendum machinery bill, which sounds a little bit boring but is about important changes to how referendums are run so that we can have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice referendum.

We're going to see legislation to set up the Housing Australia Future Fund, which is so important for safe and affordable housing in this country; legislation for the National Reconstruction Fund, which is so important for industry and jobs and coming out of the impacts of COVID; and legislation to reduce the gender pay gap, which is so important for women and for productivity in our workplaces.

This is a year when some of the hard work we did last year with our legislation has already come to fruition and will continue to do so. On 1 January we saw cheaper medicines, with the first cut to the PBS in 75 years. Last week the Prime Minister and the arts minister launched our National Cultural Policy. As of 1 February, millions of Australians are now able to access 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave. On 1 July, cheaper child care will kick in. It's a big year, 2023. Let's get going! (Time expired)