Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been six months since 3 May, when Australians went to the polls. It's been six months since Australians got to participate in that great dramatic and democratic process of being able to cast their vote. It's been six months since people chose a Labor government focused on cost of living. But the measure of a party and the measure of a government has nothing to do with winning elections. The measure of a government is what it does with its time in government. The measure of a government is what it delivers for the people who elected it. The measure of a government is what it does for everyday Australians when it comes to governing.

You couldn't see a starker contrast between what we've seen from Labor in government and what we've seen over the years from the coalition government. When it comes to the Labor government, we are a government with our eyes firmly fixed on delivering for Australians every single day. Today, I want to take you through those points of delivery—what we've been focused on and what we've had our eye fixed on.

The first is urgent care clinics. The Albanese Labor government has been focused on rolling out urgent care clinics so that people in our suburbs can access bulk-billed health care. In my electorate of Moreton, and certainly on Brisbane's south side more broadly, we have one at the bottom of Canossa hospital and we've got one at the bottom of the PA. These urgent care clinics give people who have a high fever the ability to go to a place with just their Medicare card and see a doctor. They give people who have a strained arm the opportunity to go to a place with just their Medicare card and see a doctor. If your kid is sick on the weekend, they give you a place to go with just your Medicare card and see a doctor.

We've also been investing in women's health—the largest investment in women's health that this country has ever seen. And what have we seen come from that? We've seen more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. We've seen investment into putting oral contraceptive medicines on the PBS for the first time in 30 years. And we've seen menopause assessments being rebated for the first time. That's what we're doing; we are delivering on women's health.

There is more bulk-billing. On 1 November, we introduced an increase to the bulk-billing incentives. That means we will see hundreds of GP practices sign up, hundreds of GP practices who will now only bulk-bill. If you walk through the doors of a Medicare bulk-billing practice, again, that means you will only have to use your Medicare card. This is something that is incredibly important for accessible and affordable health care.

When it comes to the cost of living, we've also been investing. We've introduced a 20 per cent reduction for student debt balances. Whether that's a TAFE debt or debt related to a university course, for someone in my electorate like Helena, who has benefited from the average of $5,500 off her student debt, this is life-changing stuff. This is stuff that has a real impact.

We have made medicines cheaper so that you will never pay more than $25 for a medicine on the PBS. For people in my electorate like Ken, it means he saves more than $60 each and every month because of a Labor government. We have made deposits of five per cent available for first home buyers, and that means for people in my electorate like Kane and Jaxen they have been able to get into the housing market.

Labor is delivering, and the delivering that we are doing every day makes the cost of living easier for people, but we know there is more to do. That is why these past six months are just the start. Every day, this Albanese Labor government will be focusing on delivering for people. And when we contrast that against what we have seen the opposition spending their time on—they haven't been focused on Helena, they haven't been focused on Ken, they haven't been focused on Kane and Jaxen; they have been focused on themselves. They have been focused on the member for New England, the member for Canning, they have been focused on an absolute shambles of a party room. We are focused on delivery; they are focused on division.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When you have households across Australia paying 15 per cent more for food; 15 per cent more for health, with bulk-billing rates going from 88 per cent to 77 per cent, so down 11 per cent; 19 per cent more for housing—that's if you're lucky enough to get a roof over your head, either through ownership or rent; paying 37 per cent more for insurance; and nearly 40 per cent more for power, for electricity, then you know that something is seriously wrong with the government of the day. And something is dreadfully, horribly wrong with the administration of Australia right at this point in time.

Instead of coming in here and crowing about what they've achieved in six months, Labor should be tucking their tails between their legs, going back to their electorates and listening to the small-business community, listening to Mr and Mrs Average, listening to everyday, ordinary Australians who are hurting, who are crippled with the debt foisted upon them by this government.

Indeed, when you talk about insurance, you've got a complete market failure there, a complete collapse. You have got in some of those river communities, where they have been put in place thanks to coalition infrastructure spending—some of those opposite have no idea what I'm talking about—levee banks that were not there before. And yet people are still paying higher and higher insurance rates. There has to be a conversation with the insurance industry as to why this is so.

Then, of course, you've got legitimate businesses next to legitimate tobacco sellers who cannot even get insurance because of the fear that insurance companies have of those legitimate cigarette sellers being firebombed by the illegal gangs that are using it as their MO for making money. This is costing the government, through illegal tobacco excise, millions upon millions of dollars, and something has to give.

I feel for those state police officers who are pulling up people on the Hume Highway all of the time, and then—what do we do? Well, we just let them back into society. This has got to be something that the government should take in hand, because it's costing revenue—millions of dollars.

We've got bailout after bailout. We had it at Whyalla with $2.4 billion, Nyrstar with $135 million, Glencore with $600 million and now—Tomago. Tomago, where the Prime Minister stood and said, 'This is the vision for a future made in Australia.' And now that aluminium smelter is, potentially, facing bankruptcy. Well, if that is a future made in Australia, then Labor has to go back to the drawing board as to what it is doing to charge those high energy costs that companies simply can't afford. It'll probably be a boon for the minister for climate action and energy, the member for McMahon, because it will take 11 per cent of New South Wales's power supply, and that will therefore reduce emissions.

But is this the way we want to go? Do we want to start sending everything manufacturing and factory-wise and industrial-wise offshore? Well, that's not the Future Made in Australia that Labor purports to represent.

Of course, it's not just that. Every time people go and fill up their cars, they're paying through the nose at the petrol bowser, and they're paying through the nose at the cash-out register in their local supermarket, because of the higher costs foisted upon them by this government, and something has to give. We can't afford to keep saddling future generations with the costs that we are putting on them. And if Labor thinks that this is a novel exercise, celebrating their achievements after six months, well, I tell you what, there's a lot more work to do.

Yes, while there have been some good little achievements, the cost overall to everyday, ordinary Australians is hurting. It's hurting them because they can't put a roof over their heads. It's hurting them because they can't find a house to rent. It's hurting them because every quarter, when they open that energy bill, they should see the Prime Minister or the member for McMahon's face staring back at them, because they're the ones forcing the prices up 40 per cent over and above what they were when Labor came into power in May 2022. That was a disastrous day for this nation, and this is a disastrous six months for this nation as well.

Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today does mark six months since the re-election of the Albanese Labor government—six months of action, six months of delivery, six months of putting Australians first. And let me tell you, we have not wasted a single second. From day one, we promised results, not rhetoric. We said the first law we'd pass in this parliament would be to cut student debt by 20 per cent, and we did. Over three million Australians now save an average of $5,500. That's real money in people's pockets. That's a nurse being able to save for a first home. That's a young professional finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That's Labor getting on with the job, while the coalition hangs by a thread.

We know life is still tough for many Australians. Families are juggling household bills, parents are working long hours, young people are worried about their future. That's why Labor is acting where it matters most. We've made medicines cheaper, boosted the minimum wage, protected penalty rates and expanded paid parental leave. This is about fairness. This is about dignity. This is about giving Australians the security that they deserve.

Health care is no different. Every Australian should be able to see their doctor when they need to, without worrying about the cost. That's why we've made the single largest investment into Medicare in its history. We are opening 50 new urgent care clinics on top of the 87 that are already servicing our communities. Families can take their kids to see a doctor when they need it and they can get the care that they need quickly without having to seek help in an ED.

Mental health is also no longer an afterthought. We're opening 31 new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres, expanding Headspace services and training more professionals to meet demand. And, in Maribyrnong, young people will soon have access to a Headspace service in Moonee Valley—a place to be heard, a place to get support and a place to know they're not alone. For younger Australians dreaming of buying their first home, we're turning that dream into a reality with just a five per cent deposit, and we can see more homes being built right across the country. This is about creating real opportunities that make a difference for families, workers and young people getting into the housing market.

Right here in Maribyrnong, Labor is delivering for our community as well. The Gladstone Park Bowls Club is getting a brand new synthetic green and shelter. Walter Street Reserve will soon have a completely new pavilion, with female change rooms, and the Buckley bowls club redevelopment is transforming the site into a bowls super hub—bringing together Buckley Park, Maribyrnong Park and Essendon bowls clubs. These are the places where families, neighbours and communities come together to play, socialise and celebrate. After a decade in government, the coalition were never serious about investing in Maribyrnong. But Labor is getting on with the job and delivering for our community.

Speaking of the coalition, nothing has changed. They remain more divided than ever. They're obsessed with attacking each other and are focused on themselves and pushing extremist policies that punish everyday Australians. Even as women, young people and multicultural communities turn their backs on them, their message of division remains. While they bicker, leak and talk our country down, Labor is getting on with the hard work of delivering for working people and their families. Of course we know there is more work to be done. Life is still hard for many. Families are juggling costs, students still feel pressure and communities need support. But my colleagues and I are listening to our communities and we are prepared to work.

Fixing the damage of a decade under those opposite doesn't happen overnight, but we are determined to keep working for all Australians. Six months in, the Albanese Labor government has delivered student debt relief, cost-of-living support, stronger health care, mental health services, women's health funding, first-home-buyer assistance and local projects that make a difference to people in my community. The contrast has never been so clear. Labor is working hard together while the coalition is marred with hate and division. We are proud of what we have achieved, honest about the work still to be done and committed to building a better, fairer, stronger future for us all.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Six months ago Australians went to the polls and they weren't sure about the direction of their country. I've said publicly before that, when Australians went to the polls six months ago, they were nervous about their future. They were anxious. They did not feel that their government was necessarily the right government for the nation. But we also, I believe on our side, failed to give Australians a viable alternative. As a consequence, people ultimately made the choice that they felt was available to them. They were forced to vote for a bad government to be re-elected because they had no alternative. That's our failure. It's not something for Labor members to come into this chamber and air punch around and celebrate their incredible victory. At the end of the day, it has not been this massive vote of confidence in Labor government or its direction for our country, because it doesn't have one.

There was one seat where things were a little bit different. The seat, of course, in context was the federal electorate of Goldstein. We're enormously proud of what happened in the context of the federal electorate of Goldstein, because what we saw was where hope transcended fear and where a campaign run from local residents standing up for the type of community we wanted to be transcended a lot of the issues that were presented by the former member. It's very important to remember what happened. They campaigned on the basis of trust and climate action, but, as soon as they were elected to office, what happened? They did things like vote for billions of dollars of new coal and gas subsidies, despite saying they would do other things—as did the member for Wentworth, as did the member for Curtin, as did the member for Kooyong, as did the member for North Sydney and as did the member for Mackellar.

When you're campaigning on the basis of trust and then you go and break such a pledge to your community, it is a fundamental breach of trust with the community that will no doubt continue to haunt them for the rest of their political days. Even Senator Joyce and Senator Canavan didn't vote for these subsidies. But you had, at the time, the member for Goldstein, the member for Kooyong, the member for Mackellar, the member for Curtin and the member for North Sydney voting for billions of dollars in new fossil fuel subsidies. It raises a fundamental issue of trust.

Nonetheless, Goldstein made a different choice, because it saw that there was a direct consequence, despite having been told it was going to have a community backed Independent who was going to stand by the community. It watched $100 million worth of social infrastructure ripped out of the community. The member for Maribyrnong, who just gave her speech, boasted about all of the resources that this Labor government is now giving specifically to her community. Well, Goldstein had a very different experience during the last term of parliament. We watched as $100 million of local infrastructure funding was ripped out of our community, and what went with it was the financial resources that the City of Bayside and the Glen Eira had to upgrade things like the Wilson Storage oval in Sandringham, McKinnon Reserve and, of course, Brighton Beach Oval. What it meant is that women don't have change room facilities in our community despite election commitments having consistently been made to deliver them. This is the problem. Despite all the rhetoric and all the spin, Labor has failed the Goldstein community, and we are continuing to miss out.

Now is the time for us to stand up, because in another six months this Labor government will not have just failed Goldstein; it will have failed Australia. I've never seen a time when we've had a government that has been so inept and disinterested in combating open corruption. That's because there are cartel kickbacks that go from CFMEU public projects all the way through to connections to the Labor Party itself. Only last week we had an outrageous situation—

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll ask the member to pause.

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker, could I ask for that to be withdrawn, please.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On what grounds?

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To assist the House, it would be appreciated if you would withdraw your earlier remarks in relation—

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the sake of brevity, I'll withdraw them. But there is a fundamental reality, where we have cartel kickbacks that are taken from Australian taxpayers and first home buyers. They are then given over to the CFMEU to organised crime, to bikie gangs. And, yes, they are directly given over to officials and people directly connected to the Labor Party. If members of the Labor Party don't like that then maybe they should stop taking those—

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll ask the member to pause.

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker, we ask that that be withdrawn as well. They're the same comments he made before.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you would withdraw those remarks—

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order: they are not the same comments.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They are still a reflection on the members, and, in the interest of progressing forward, I ask you to withdraw the comments.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to cease my speech.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Goldstein would return—I asked if you would withdraw the comments because they are a reflection on members.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will withdraw.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you.

Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is hard to believe that it's been six months since the election, six months since the people of Bonner put their trust in me and six months since the Albanese Labor government was returned to continue building a stronger, fairer and more secure Australia—and what a wonderful six months it has been. In that short time we have achieved a great deal together across our community and, of course, across the nation.

Locally in Bonner we've been out every single day, listening, helping and delivering. We held our first-ever Bonner Seniors Expo. Nearly 1,000 seniors came through the doors to connect, learn and celebrate the vital contribution of older Australians. I've also visited 21 schools in the last six months, meeting students, teachers and parents who are passionate about their futures. My office has also supported over 1,500 residents, helping locals to navigate the NDIS, aged care and secure housing and to understand government services. We've hosted mobile offices each and every month to bring government to the people, not the other way round—because that is what being a strong local voice looks like.

From Carina to Carindale, Wynnum to Wishart, and Murarrie to Mansfield, we've supported 23 community and sporting clubs with almost $60,000 in volunteer grants, helping groups like the Mt Gravatt Bowls Club, Bayside BMX and the Rochedale Community Garden continue the work that brings our community together. We've also backed another seven local organisations with over $71,000 in funding through the Stronger Communities Program, delivering for groups like BABI Youth and Family Services, Mackenzie State Special School and Wynnum Manly Seagulls. That's what Labor investment looks like—practical, local and life changing.

Nationally this government has hit the ground running. We made a promise to the Australian people to keep focused, to stay the course and to keep building a better future, and we're delivering. We've delivered on making health care cheaper by strengthening Medicare. We're delivering on helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. We're delivering real cost-of-living relief—not slogans but action. We're building a future made in Australia, supporting good jobs and clean energy industries that will power us forward.

We promised that the very first thing we would do would be to cut student debt by 20 per cent, and that's exactly what we did. That's 21,000 people in Bonner who now have less student debt hanging over them and over three million Australians nationwide saving an average of $5½ thousand. We said we would strengthen Medicare and we've done that too. Just this weekend, we tripled the bulk-billing incentive, the largest investment in Medicare in its history. That means more Australians can see a GP for free just by showing their Medicare card, not their credit card. It means families won't have to choose between paying for groceries and seeing a doctor. In Bonner alone, 11 clinics have already signed on to this new incentive, with more on the way. That is what Labor's commitment to fairness looks like.

We're boosting housing security and helping more Australians into their first home. Through our Home Guarantee Scheme we've made it possible for people to buy a home with just a five per cent deposit. Already 391 people in Bonner have done exactly that. We are just six months in and we're not stopping there. There is still more to come in Bonner. We're going to see the Medicare urgent care clinic opening at Carindale in the coming months, $1.5 million to support OzFish expand reef restoration and protect our precious marine environment, $500,000 for the Wynnum-Manly men's shed for a new shed and $1 million for new lights at the Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club, giving local families and players the chance to enjoy evening games and community life under the lights.

This is only the beginning. The people of Bonner sent me here to work hard to deliver and to keep their voices strong in this parliament. That's exactly what I will continue to do every day for every person in every corner of our community. That's exactly what the Albanese Labor government will also continue to do right across our nation. We're off to a flying start. We're only six months in and we're just getting started.

Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to talk at this point, six months into the new term of government, about the government's record on integrity and transparency. In the last term, this government talked a really big game on integrity and got off to a pretty good start by announcing the National Anti-Corruption Commission. As part of the 2022 election platform the government committed to making government more open and accountable. The NACC was good in concept, but the lack of transparency and public findings have meant that it has had limited effectiveness, and I think it's been a bit of a disappointment. Six months into this term, this government is failing on integrity. The Centre for Public Integrity has given the Albanese government a fail grade on its integrity report card due to secrecy, a failure to curb lobbyists and diminishing accountability. I want to talk about a few of those areas.

Firstly, on appointments, the Briggs report was commissioned to improve transparency and merit based processes for public sector appointments. It was given to the government in August 2023. It was not designed to be a secret report, but it has not yet been disclosed. The ALP has continued the 'jobs for mates' culture and refuses to release that report publicly.

On freedom of information, the 2021 Labor Party platform committed to strengthening FOI laws. Under this government FOI refusals have risen to 24 per cent, compared to 10 to 18 per cent under the previous government, the average time for reviews by the OAIC has ballooned from six months to 15 months and proposed changes to the FOI laws have just been reintroduced into this chamber with no warning for tomorrow, at the same time as the once-in-a-lifetime environmental laws. It almost seems like the government is trying to slip these through without attention. These reduce transparency. There are more refusal powers, there are no anonymous requests and there are fees. This is not the improvement to the FOI laws that was promised.

This government has ignored Senate orders to produce documents and failed to release some really significant critical documents, including the ONI climate report and others. To rebuild trust in our government and our politicians, we need transparency and accountability. They've failed to produce the ONI climate report. We can't make good, informed decisions about decarbonisation if the stark picture of what the alternative is is hidden. We also haven't seen a response to the Murphy report on online gambling reform. It's now 859 days since that report was tabled and 677 days since the report became overdue. This theme has continued in relation to lobbying and secrecy around the EPBC Act as well. To rebuild trust in our government, we need this transparency and accountability. It's time that this government fulfilled its promises on those fronts.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:3 1