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

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that since the last sitting of the House, the following have come into effect:

(a) cheaper child care;

(b) strengthened paid parental leave;

(c) reform to the Safeguard Mechanism;

(d) registered nurses in aged care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;

(e) the National Anti-Corruption Commission;

(f) a pay rise for aged care workers;

(g) the Small Business Energy Incentive;

(h) additional support for more social and affordable rental housing;

(i) expanding eligibility for the Home Guarantee Scheme;

(j) the Net Zero Economy Agency; and

(k) a pathway to citizenship for New Zealand citizens;

(2) further notes that the Government has delivered on these commitments in the face of relentless negativity and opposition from the Liberal-National Coalition; and

(3) acknowledges that the Government hasn't wasted a day since coming to Government by laying strong foundations.

Well, 1 July saw some of this government's changes of the past 12 months come into effect, and in my community they have been greatly celebrated. On wages, the minimum wage is up by $1.85 an hour, taking the total increase under the Labor government to nearly $3 an hour. And 2.7 million workers across the country who are on awards have received a 5.75 per cent pay rise—the largest increase since 2009. In a community like mine, where people are working hard to get a start in life—perhaps to buy that first home, or they're new families with young children—these pay rises are really reducing cost-of-living pressures.

Regarding aged care, I note that, like many of my colleagues, across the winter break I visited some of our aged-care facilities, where I was able, with staff, to celebrate the pay rise for aged-care workers, with 250,000 aged-care workers across the country receiving a 15 per cent pay rise. This means that nurses who are on award wages will earn an extra $10,000 where they're working in aged care. And of course there are the changes that see engagement in care by registered nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which I know residents were really pleased to see.

Another change coming in on 1 July was around cheaper child care. Again, across the break I visited some childcare centres in my electorate and was really pleased to hear about not just how pleased staff were about their pay increases but also their commitment to a quality education as well as care in my electorate. This increases subsidies for up to 1.2 million families across the country. And a Commonwealth Bank economic insight noted: 'The changes to the childcare subsidy are expected to see a 32 per cent decline in out-of-pocket expenses for households. It is worth noting that cheaper child care for families will also, in the medium term, put downward pressure on inflationary pressures in the economy.' Well, that is good news for families in my electorate, and that was celebrated across the electorate.

We've also seen electricity bill relief, with $3 billion to help shield five million households and one million small businesses across the country. And the Small Business Energy Incentive comes into play. The bonus tax dedication will provide businesses that have an annual turnover of less than $50 million with an additional 20 per cent deduction on spending that supports electrification and the more-efficient use of energy. On top of that we've had additional support for more social and affordable rental housing. We've got the $2 billion social housing accelerator and we've expanded eligibility for the Home Guarantee Scheme. This week we'll reintroduce the HAFF bill into the parliament and ask those opposite to support this important piece of legislation that would see more support for those who most need it getting into housing.

On top of that, 1 July marked further action on climate change, with the reform to the safeguard mechanisms coming into play and the establishment of the Net Zero Economy Agency. The transformation to a net zero economy is a significant source of opportunity for Australia, its regions and its workers as our new industries emerge. The establishment of the Net Zero Economy Agency will help manage the transformation and ensure that the benefits of the net zero economy are realised and shared. It will engage with communities, regional bodies, industry, investors and First Nations groups.

On 1 July, the National Anti-Corruption Commission came online. This was long overdue. It was promised by the former government, yet not delivered. It has now been established by this Labor government. We've also seen a pathway for citizenship for New Zealand citizens, with much celebration in my community. This is certainly being celebrated across the electorate of Lalor. This has all been done in the face of deliberate, relentless negativity from those opposite, and, in some instances, joined by the Greens party. This is a serious government that is cleaning up the mess of a decade of a Liberal-National coalition government. We are helping ease the cost-of-living pressures without adding to inflation, and we're laying a strong foundation for a better future. I'm proud to be a member of this government. I'm proud to stand here post 1 July with those new things implemented so that we can build a better Australia.

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

Is the motion seconded?

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion attempts to pat the Labor government on the back with spin. But I wish to use my time to explain how this Labor government's decisions are hurting rural and regional Australia. I do not know how often the member for Lalor speaks to her residents in her electorate, but I've held almost 100 mobile offices this year on the side of the road, in regional shows and in community centres, and not once have I been told that this Labor government is doing a good job.

The member first noted that the Labor government had introduced cheaper child care. Many families in my electorate of Flynn cannot find child care. This is preventing people from returning to work sooner. Our communities need availability and accessibility as well as affordability. There are no childcare vacancies Boyne Island, Gayndah, Mundubbera and Wondai. There are also childcare centres in Agnes Water, Emerald and even Gladstone that do not have any vacancies available. The kindergartens in Mount Morgan and Biloela have announced they will be closing, all because of a lack of funding and bureaucratic red tape. Many families in regional Australia cannot access child care, which begs the question: without educators and without access, how can the Labor policy deliver for families and children, particularly in rural and regional Australia? What's the point of having lower out-of-pocket costs if you can't get your child into a childcare place?

Now to the safeguard mechanism. It has been reported that Rio Tinto has slashed US$1.2 billion from the value of its Australian aluminium assets on the back of the federal government's safeguard mechanism, writing off the value of its Yarwun alumina refinery completely due to the need to buy carbon offsets for this asset and the unavailability of these offsets. Rio has also slashed US$227 million from the value of its shares in QAL. Since Labor's safeguard mechanism was announced, I have called it an attack on heavy industry and the thousands of workers that work in this sector, and it has proven to be exactly that. While Labor claims to be a friend of the working man and woman, it is happy to shut down these industries than employ them. You simply cannot trust the Labor government with your job.

I note another thought that was quite shocking is that the member for Lalor wants to give the Labor government a pat on the back for the reintroduction of registered nurses in aged care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Earlier this month, Carinity aged care announced the closure of the aged-care facility in my electorate of Flynn, Carinity Summit Cottages in Mount Morgan and one in my neighbouring electorate of Wide Bay in Tiaro. Labor's one-size-fits-all approach in aged care does not work in rural and regional Australia. Analysis shows that an additional four full-time registered nurses and 6.5 full-time personal care workers are required to have a sustainable long-term workforce at Carinity Summit Cottages. Despite ongoing efforts, Carinity has been unable to recruit sufficient staff to fill these vacancies.

The Labor government has failed older Australians by forcing this requirement on providers when they know they cannot meet it, as the aged-care sector deals with the immense stress of trying to fulfil this requirement when the workforce is simply not there. We know the facilities have already had to close and many more are considering this option, forcing older Australians out of their homes. It's extremely worrying that the Albanese government is now forcing aged-care providers to assume the legal risk if they do not have a registered nurse on site 24/7. This is now a requirement by law, and during these difficult conditions it's absolutely appalling.

I could go on all day about Labor's destructive policies—including the 60-day dispensing rule, the 82 per cent Renewable Energy Target by 2030, the truckie tax, cutting additional mental health support and desperate dodgy deals with the Greens—and its broken promises, such as to have urgent care clinics up and running in Rockhampton and Bundaberg by 1 July 2023 or to have 24/7 nurses in every aged-care facility by 1 July 2023.

I urge members opposite to stop patting themselves on the back for something that the Labor government is supposed to have done and it clearly has not, particularly in rural and regional Australia. Get out and speak to these people in rural Australia! They are the people who are hurting. And it's all because of ill-thought-out Labor government policy.

Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion put by the member for Lalor and speak about the remarkable initiatives of our government and how they directly impact the federal seat of Pearce.

The Albanese Labor government has delivered on its promises. We now have our policies in place to deliver cheaper child care and have strengthened paid parental leave, allowing for partnered couples to claim up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave between them, and parents who are single at the time of their claim can access the full 20 weeks. The change to paid parental leave is a welcome one for new parents. I'm sure that many in this chamber will remember the stress of welcoming a new baby into a household and trying to juggle this, often without the backup of paid leave and support of a partner.

Many young families in Pearce will benefit from the Albanese Labor government's cheaper childcare scheme that commenced on 1 July 2023. Pearce has nearly 34,000 families with children and continues to grow, with more young families moving to our fast-growing area. Cheaper child care will help ease the cost-of-living pressures on families and make it easier for parents to return to paid work or work more paid hours if they want to.

My seat of Pearce is located to the north and north-east of the Perth CBD and attracts many new homebuyers to the area, as we still have land available to build new homes in desirable locations. The new Home Guarantee Scheme changes are designed to support homebuyers to buy a home sooner, by expanding the definition of a couple to allow family members or two friends living together to access the scheme. This will help so many young families and others in my electorate. It is a very welcome initiative and has been articulated clearly by those who live in Pearce.

Equally important is the additional support for many using social and affordable rental housing. Demand has continued to grow for houses, to rent, and the cost of renting, in many instances, has risen rapidly. Pearce, like many other areas across the nation, needs more social housing, so the new $2 billion social housing accelerator, to deliver thousands of new social homes across Australia, is most welcome. Working with state and territory governments, this investment will build thousands of homes for more Australians on social housing waiting lists in a more timely manner. We have a very proactive minister for housing in Western Australia, and I am confident that this initiative will help boost the work being done in our own state to achieve real change and build more homes.

From 1 July approved aged-care providers must have at least one registered nurse onsite and on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at each residential facility they operate. This is an important and necessary change, considering the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care, Quality and Safety that identified that staffing levels are critical as well as the quality of residential care. This initiative will provide confidence to families that their aged relatives are receiving the quality of care they deserve. It also goes without saying that the pay rise for aged-care workers was long overdue. There are 10 aged-care homes in the Pearce electorate. The staff are wonderful and do an amazing job looking after the most vulnerable and valuable elderly. I'm going to use this opportunity to say a very personal 'thank you' to all the aged-care workers not only imperious but around the nation for their valued contribution to our community.

I welcome the new safeguard mechanism policy, which sets legislated limits on the greenhouse gas emissions of our largest industrial facilities. Pearce has an expanding industrial base, and our region is attracting more businesses to the area. Safeguards like this are important in helping to protect our environment for generations to come. The new legislated net zero authority will support workers to access new employment skills as we transition.

I now come to matters of integrity. I commend the Albanese Labor government for delivering on its promise to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission, an independent Australian government agency that detects, investigates and reports on serious or systematic corrupt conduct in the Australian government public sector. The NACC will also educate the public service and the public about corruption risks and prevention so as to ensure we all work to the highest standards and that we are all held accountable.

I will speak briefly on the new pathway in Australia that gives to New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for four or more years eligibility to apply directly for Australian citizenship.

This is a government that it is demonstrating its dedication to improving the lives of Australia and its residents not only in the electorate of Pearce but right around the country. The government has delivered, despite the negativity of the Liberal-Nationals coalition. We on the side get things done, and our nation is better for it.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Pearce just indicated that the government is getting things done. I would ask the member for Pearce and every other member opposite to go and ask their constituents whether they are better off now than they were prior to May last year. The resounding answer will be no. The resounding response will be a big fat negative, because people are not better off now than they were when we, the Liberals and Nationals, were in government. We achieved a lot.

We see in the motion of the member for Lalor 'cheaper child care'. That's all well and good, but it's got to be available—not just affordable but available—and in regional areas it is not available. The opportunities to get child care are just not there. The member for Lalor talked about reform to the safeguard mechanism, yet you only have to look at the Australian article from last Thursday entitled 'Power pain: long winter of high costs.' The front page report says:

Households and businesses face extended power price pain into next year after the energy market operator revealed the cost of generating electricity rose—

wait for it—

31 per cent in the three months to June.

Labor members: ask your constituents if they are any better off, if their power prices are coming down. The answer will be no, because they're not—

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

Order! Props are not allowed.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) | Link to this | Hansard source

Because the answer is no. I wasn't using the newspaper as a prop, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander; I was just using it to gesticulate the fact that people are frustrated. They are very frustrated at the power price pain that they are enduring.

The members opposite talk about aged care. I know the member for Pearce genuinely—and I join her to thank those workers in the aged-care sector because people in their twilight years deserve the very best of care. What we saw from the royal commission—a royal commission that, I might add, we put in place—indicated that much more needed to be done. But let me tell you that taking away from an aged-care centre in Temora $3.68 million that was promised, pledged and committed under the coalition government for the Whiddon group to provide another wing for that valuable aged-care centre—stripping that money away—was not 'protecting' the aged-care sector. Making it impossible for regional centres to get people—it is so tough at the moment. Allawah Lodge at Coolamon has had to close an entire high-dependency unit, an entire wing of its very well run local government aged-care centre, because it just can't find the workers. I've spoken with the aged-care centres of Cowra and I've spoken with the aged-care centre organisers and owners at Junee and elsewhere in my electorate, and they are doing it tough. When you see that Labor want to put in 24-hour nursing, that's all well and good in utopia but it doesn't work in regional Australia, because you just can't find the nurses. I appreciate the aged-care minister has put a caveat in there that aged-care centres can apply for an extension to not have to do that, but eventually it will be there and those aged-care centres will close. What will happen to the people who've lived in their communities all their lives? They'll have to go hundreds of kilometres away to find a bed; hundreds of kilometres away from their loved ones; hundreds of kilometres from the communities in which they have lived, in many cases, for most of their lives. This simply isn't good enough.

It's simply not good enough for Labor members to come in here and read from their talking points, bagging the previous government and praising themselves. Stop patting yourselves on the back. Get out there and talk to your constituents and talk to your small-business people.

I note that in this there's the Small Business Energy Incentive. Ask your small-business operators how they feel about the fact that Labor has taken away the instant asset write-off to the point of an unlimited guarantee to purchase goods and utes and goodness knows what else for tradie operators et cetera. Ask them how they feel about that and you will find a big negative.

You will find when you talk to people that grocery prices are going up, fuel costs are going up and power is going up, and what's Labor doing? They're coming in here and praising themselves and patting themselves on the back. I say it's not good enough, and so does Australia.

Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The first year of the Albanese government has been defined by our relentless pursuit of building a stronger Australia for the future. Our focus on addressing cost-of-living pressures has never been clearer. We're more committed than ever to improving the lot of Australians, including in my electorate of Hawke. We have done this in the face of relentless and often belligerent hostility from those opposite. They stand in the way of progress for the sake of it and not because they genuinely believe in the things they whinge about. That hasn't got in our way. There are simply too many achievements to list in this speech alone, but I'll give it a crack. Whether it's cheaper child care or cost-of-living relief, whether it's pay rises for workers or more homes for Australians, we're getting on with what we said we would do, and we're doing it despite those opposite standing in the way at every turn.

My electorate of Hawke is full of young families juggling work, starting a family, paying their mortgages, looking after their kids. There were 58 babies born and 72 new families choosing to call the city of Melton home every week in 2022. We are the fastest growing corridor in the country, from Sunbury down past Hillside to Melton, from Bacchus Marsh out to where I live in Ballan. That's why we've brought in cheaper child care, starting earlier this month, delivering real cost-of-living relief for the average Australian family of about $1,700 a year. It's these sorts of policies that make such a difference for the almost 7,000 families who will directly benefit in my community in Hawke.

Paid parental leave reforms are high on our list too. It's good for our economy, and it advances gender equality. That's why we increased it to the full six months, while making changes to increase flexibility and accessibility. In Hawke, that means almost 2,000 families will benefit every year. These changes are good for our kids and they're good for our parents.

Who could forget the appalling, hypocritical behaviour of those Liberals opposite in relation to the safeguard mechanism earlier this year? It seems like every few months the Libs muster enough courage to stick their heads above the parapet just long enough for them to lob some bombs and disappear again. They did it with the safeguard mechanism, and they're doing it again with the Housing Australia Future Fund. The safeguard mechanism, which is one of our best defences against the rapidly growing threat of climate change, should not be controversial. It was brought in under the previous government. It helps lower our emissions and advances us further down the path of achieving net zero. We've already moved on from the climate wars by bringing forward a net zero authority to support workers in emissions intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support. The shift to net zero emissions by 2050 must happen fairly for all Australians. We can't leave anybody behind.

A particularly vexed issue this year has been the provision of more social and affordable housing for those that need it. You'd have hoped that we'd moved beyond the point where some in this country denied homes for people in need, but unfortunately not. While all the bickering from the sidelines has carried on, we've been busy actually delivering more homes for Australians, like the $2 billion investment for more social and affordable rental housing in the May budget or the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme helping thousands more Australians into homeownership. Owning a home shouldn't be a luxury. It's increasingly out of reach for more and more young Australians, and it's simply not fair. We're tipping the scales back in their favour, making it easier and better for people to buy their first home.

One of the biggest areas most in need of reform when we came to government was clearly our aged-care system. Too often, people were left to languish in their later years after having given so much to our communities. It's never fair, and it's not right. The horror stories from the royal commission speak for themselves. So we did something about it. Starting this month, we've mandated that there be registered nurses in aged care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not only that, but, in recognition of the amazing work done by that workforce, we made the call to fund a wage rise of 15 per cent for aged-care workers, an unprecedented bump representing our respect and appreciation for the tough work that they do every day.

We're delivering for all Australians. We're getting wages moving again. We're creating Aussie jobs. We're tipping the scales back in favour of people that need it the most, and we're doing it while we deliver a budget surplus. We can't expect much more from those opposite than the open indifference they have for the Australian people, but this government will keep delivering despite them.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is well rehearsed in a one-size-fits-all headline but poor in addressing the diversity of need across Australian communities. The childcare and aged-care policies are prime examples of this. While they peddle the benefits, they fail to account for the unique circumstances faced particularly in regional communities.

Labor's policies no doubt benefit people in Labor seats in the suburbs and cities. However, the Labor government clearly has no idea about or interest in the lives of the nine million people who make up our regional Australia. The headline for cheaper child care is an effective sound bite, but, for too many living in small, isolated communities around Australia where there is no child care available at all, there is obviously zero benefit from the headline of cheaper child care.

I read a letter in this chamber recently from a desperate mother in my electorate who is unable to return to work as a teacher because there are no places available for her children until 2025. As she pointed out, this situation is perverse when so many regional communities are crying out for teachers, nurses and others, most of whom are younger mothers. These women tell me they want to work, they want to contribute to their local community and they're ready to do their bit to help meet the desperate need for teachers and nurses in rural areas, yet they are unable to do so because there is no child care. What good is subsidised child care when there is no child care available? What is this government going to do to increase the supply of child care in regional Australia, where it is desperately needed?

I find it offensive to listen to the Albanese Labor government boast about childcare subsidies when most parents in my electorate live in childcare deserts with no access to childcare services at all or completely full services, and Labor have no plan to resolve this. Similarly, the government's insistence on 24/7 coverage of nurses in aged-care facilities blindly overlooks the existing desperate shortage of nurses in regional communities. Again, a one-size-fits-all approach in policy will not suffice. We need targeted and tailored solutions that address the specific challenges faced in regional areas.

I urge the ministers responsible to address childcare deserts in rural Australia so that more nurses become available to meet the 24/7 mandate. I urge them to consider that the one-size-fits-all approach to policy continues to undermine and hurt regional Australian communities. One-third of Australians live there. I recently hosted the Regional Aged Care Summit in Mildura, where I heard from frontline workers, providers and peak bodies such as Anglicare Australia, the Australian College of Nursing, Bupa and many more. They were unanimous in their feedback: we desperately need more health- and aged-care workforce in regional Australia. Mandating a 24/7 requirement without solutions to supply the extra workforce is seeing more regional aged-care facilities simply give up and close.

What about Labor's pay rise for aged-care workers? When you can't attract aged-care workers for love or money, promises of pay rises are empty pipe dreams. I spoke to a national aged-care provider recently who told me they were already offering a $50,000 sign-on bonus and pay 1½ times higher than average to work in regional aged-care homes, and they still couldn't attract nurses. Unless those opposite have been living under a rock for the past three years, they would be fully aware that there are thousands of elderly people sitting in beds in public hospitals because they cannot be admitted to aged-care facilities, due to bed shortages caused by a lack of available staff.

Did it occur to the Labor government to tailor the 24/7 mandate to account for the specific circumstances in regional Australia, rather than enforcing their unworkable one-size-fits-all approach? Apparently not, hence the increasing number of facilities that are closing across Australia. My question is: what is this government going to do about childcare deserts and chronic workforce shortages in aged-care facilities in regional and rural Australia?

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

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is therefore adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.