Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm incredibly proud to be part of a government that is delivering for my community of Newcastle—delivering real projects, delivering real investment and delivering real opportunity because that is what Labor governments do: we build, we invest and we back communities for the long term, not just election cycles. Over recent months the people of Newcastle have seen that commitment in action—first, high-speed rail. For too long people have said that it would never happen, that it was a dream, that it was just a line in the map. But under the leadership of the Albanese Labor government high-speed rail is not just talk; it's moving into its next development phase. The establishment of the High Speed Rail Authority in 2023 marked a turning point. For the first time in our nation's history there is a dedicated body tasked with turning high-speed rail from a concept into construction.

The next stage of work between Newcastle and Sydney is now underway: detailed planning, corridor preservation, station precinct planning—the serious work that turns ambition into reality. For the people of Newcastle this is transformative. It means travel times of around one hour between Newcastle and Sydney. It means students can access greater education opportunities with ease. It means workers having access to job markets without uprooting their families. It means being able to travel to a concert, a sporting event or a business meeting and be home again on the same night. But more than that, it means economic development for our city, it means jobs during construction, it means new industries and new housing opportunities and it means investment confidence. Let's be clear: this is happening because Labor made a choice. We choose to invest in nation-building infrastructure, we choose to back regional Australia, we choose to deliver and we are delivering.

The same commitment to backing innovation and industry can be seen in the work being done in Newcastle to support clean energy research and manufacturing. Recently we officially opened a $3 million upgrade to the Renewable Energy Integration Facility at CSIRO Energy Centre, Newcastle. This upgrade more than doubles the lab's capacity for renewable technologies, allowing researchers and industry partners to simulate and validate how solar, batteries, electric vehicles and grid integration technologies can operate under real-world conditions, including advancing testing of grid faults, microgrids and vehicle-to-grid systems. This enhanced facility will help Australian innovators develop and commercialise clean energy solutions right in the heart of Newcastle and the Hunter region, strengthening our national capability as we transition to a cleaner, more resilient and more secure energy system.

Alongside research infrastructure we're also backing Australian-made manufacturing. Newcastle's Kardinia Energy has received significant backing from the Albanese Labor government through the Industry Growth Program to accelerate the scale-up and commercialisation of its printed solar technology. This funding boost will help Kardinia scale production in Newcastle and has already seen its technology deployed in high-profile settings, including powering events like Coldplay's world tour, showcasing how Newcastle-made clean energy technology can support a big stage performance without relying on fossil fuels. These are exactly the types of projects that turn ideas into real jobs, solidifying Newcastle as a hub for clean energy innovation and manufacturing and giving local businesses the confidence to grow and compete on the global stage.

If we're serious about the new energy future of Newcastle and the Hunter, we must also be serious about building the workforce that will power it, and that's why it is so exciting to see construction now underway on the New Energy Skills Hub at the University of Newcastle. This is exactly the kind of practical, forward-looking investment our region needs. It's a purpose built facility dedicated to helping train the next generation of workers for the new energy economy. It's a place where university, TAFE and public school students, alongside those studying in other training provider settings, have a very clear pathway to high-quality STEM education through access to hands-on learning, specialist equipment and direct industry engagement. In other words, this is making sure that local people can gain the skills they need for the jobs that are being created in Newcastle and the Hunter.

The transition to cleaner energy is not some distant idea; it is happening now. Our region should not just be watching it happen; we should, and indeed we will, lead it. The New Energy Skills Hub will help ensure Newcastle remains at the forefront of that transformation, linking education, training and industry all in one place. That collaboration between education, researchers and industry partners is what our community excels at. It will support the development of a highly skilled local workforce, strengthen our region's capability and help deliver the workers needed for those industries of the future. Labor understands that building the future is not only about infrastructure; it's about people, it's about skills and it's about giving communities like Newcastle the tools to seize those opportunities ahead. With construction now commenced on this important project at the University of Newcastle, this is exactly what we are doing.

Delivering for Newcastle also means investing in our cultural heart. I recently had the privilege of speaking at the long-awaited reopening of the Newcastle Art Gallery. This revitalised gallery is much more than bricks and mortar. It's a statement about who we are as a city. It's a place where First Nations art and storytelling are honoured and elevated, a place where contemporary voices sit alongside those historic works and a place where young people can experience worlds beyond their own and maybe even imagine their own art hanging there one day. The expansion has created jobs, of course, during the construction phase. It's boosted local contractors, and it will drive tourism and visitation in our region for decades to come. More importantly, it gives our community space to gather, to reflect and to experience other worlds and experiences through art.

Labor understands that infrastructure is not just about roads and rail; it's also cultural institutions and community spaces, places that enrich our lives and strengthen social cohesion. Once again, Labor is delivering. The reopening of Hexham Street and the restoration of the full 80 kilometres per hour speed limit might not make national headlines, but for the 50,000 locals who use that stretch of road every day it matters. Hexham is a critical gateway into Newcastle and the Hunter. It carries freight and commuters and it connects communities. The completion of this project has improved safety, reduced congestion and restored confidence for people who rely on that corridor, as I said, each and every day, and the job is not stopping there. Progress is continuing on the M1 extension through to Raymond Terrace, and I know my good parliamentary neighbour and electorate neighbour, the member for Paterson, is very pleased about that progress. We're not only continuing that work on the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace but also on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass ,with the finish line now in sight for both projects, so stay tuned. These are city-shaping investments that will take the pressure off local roads, improve freight efficiency and make those daily commutes faster and safer for everybody across our region. It's a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful investments are indeed the practical ones, the ones that make everyday life easier. It's another example of this Albanese Labor government working to get things done.

Across our city, the Albanese Labor government is delivering on real, tangible investments, with more than $46 million directly going into the City of Newcastle to make our community stronger, safer and better connected. This is funding that people can see and use in their everyday lives. It's going into critical road upgrades to ease congestion, to improve safety and to keep our city moving. It's upgrading local sporting fields and community facilities so that our kids have better places to train, play and compete so local clubs can continue to thrive.

We're investing in disaster resilience, making sure our region is better prepared for the challenges that we know come with a changing climate. That means strengthening infrastructure, reducing risk and helping protect homes, businesses and livelihoods. Importantly, we're also backing the revitalisation of our local town centres because we know that strong, vibrant neighbourhoods are the heart of a connected community. From improved streetscapes to upgraded footpaths and public spaces, this funding is helping to create places where people want to gather, shop and spend time. And it's those small, everyday improvements that matter just as much—safer footpaths, better accessibility for people with disability, more welcoming public spaces for families. These are investments that deliver an improved quality of life. This is what Labor governments do. They are the kinds of investments we want to make into communities, with the kinds of partnerships that we typically foster and help across this nation with local governments. This is the way we have constructive relations across all levels of government to deliver for our communities. We're delivering the infrastructure that supports growth while helping our cities remain liveable spaces.

For the City of Newcastle, this $46 million is more than just a number; it's a reflection of the Albanese Labor government's confidence in our city and its future. It's about backing the people of Newcastle, supporting local jobs, and making sure that our region continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.

And I do want to tell you this, Deputy Speaker Buchholz: we are not done. We have great ambitions for Newcastle and the Hunter region, and I know that I and all our colleagues on this side of the House will work hard each and every day to make sure that regions like Newcastle and the Hunter, which contribute so much to the prosperity of the state of New South Wales and indeed our nation, will continue to do so for generations to come.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member. I was in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago for a wedding. It was a beautiful destination.

Trish Cook (Bullwinkel, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026. These bills represent the Albanese Labor government's unwavering commitment to delivering for all Australians. As we move through the parliamentary term, our focus remains clear: providing responsible economic management and cost-of-living relief. For the people of Bullwinkel, a brand new electorate that I am incredibly proud to represent, these appropriations are not just figures on a page; they are blueprints for a healthier, more supported and more connected community. As a nurse, I'd like to use my speech to talk about the health expenditure that this bill allows for.

There's Medicare and bulk-billing success. Medicare is the foundation of our social contract. When we came to government, that foundation was crumbling. After nearly a decade of neglect from those opposite, bulk-billing was in freefall, but we've turned that around with the largest investment in Medicare's 40-year history. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive, and the results have been historic. Nationwide, we're seeing bulk-billing rates jump up to over 81 per cent, and, more importantly, nine in 10 visits for children and concession card holders are now free. For a young family in Mundaring or a pensioner in Northam, this is the difference between getting the care when you need it and waiting until the condition becomes dire. We're not just saving the system of Medicare; we're expanding it so it works for the modern era.

Cheaper medicines are another aspect addressing the cost-of-living issues. As of 1 January this year, we capped PBS scripts at $25. This is the first time in two decades that the cost of medicines has actually gone down. For those managing chronic conditions, this isn't just a minor saving; it is hundreds of dollars back in their pocket every year. This is what Labor governments do. We manage the budget so we can manage the costs that hit the kitchen tables and the back pockets every single week.

We've also had a revolution in women's health, and I want to highlight a particularly proud achievement of our government, which is the $573 million package for women's health. Our caucus is 50 per cent women. That changes conversations, and it changes budget allocations. For too long, women's health was underrepresented and underfunded, but we're changing that. One example is a new contraceptive that has been placed on the PBS list—for the first time in 30 years, a new contraceptive is on the PBS list. This significantly lowers the cost of reproductive care. We're also addressing women's health at all times of their lives, for fertility, for people with issues like endometriosis—we've instigated endometriosis clinics across the country—and also for menopause, so it's specialised women's health support. And, not forgetting men, we've put $32 million specifically towards men's health and promotion as well.

Our commitment to a fairer Australia also extends deeply into the disability sector, and I'm thrilled to discuss the $5 million Assistive Technology Rental and Refurbishment Pilot. This Albanese government initiative is run by Ability WA and is now being expanded to Western Australia. Under this pilot, Ability WA provides vital infrastructure and expertise needed to recycle and distribute disability support equipment. It's a very commonsense policy that allows people with disability to choose whether to rent, purchase or exchange technology through a streamlined platform. Importantly, it allows users—particularly children, who are growing and whose needs are rapidly changing—to test the equipment and switch to more suitable technology without being locked into expensive purchases. This pilot is available to all people with disability under the age of 65, not just NDIS participants, and Ability WA are working closely with the national Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. By renting and refurbishing assistive technology, we're ensuring timely, affordable access to the tools people need to live independently. This initiative represents a new, cost-effective model for support.

The transformation of primary care is also something that the Albanese Labor government has addressed. In our first term of government, we promised 50 urgent care clinics across the country, impressively delivering 87 during that term. We've also committed to another 50 for this term of government, and I'm proud to say that we are now at 134 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics open and operating nation wide. In Bullwinkel and its surrounds, this revolution is saving our emergency departments and it's also reducing the management load for busy GPs. As a nurse in GP clinics, I know the pressure of when an urgent case walks into the GP clinic, and it is sometimes chaotic. Obviously, they have to be addressed, and people end up waiting for hours; it's frustrating. The urgent care clinics have replaced the urgency of some of those presentations attending for treatment when they need it.

I'm very proud to have delivered on my election commitment by opening the Mundaring Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at the GP Super Clinic in Mundaring Weir Road. It officially opened its doors just last month on 23 February. One month later, the community's needs for this service are already clear. There have been more than 530 presentations to the Mundaring clinic in the last month since it opened, and this is providing enormous relief for our local hospital at the bottom of the hill, the Midland Hospital. Together with the Gosnells and North Midland Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, it kind of forms a ring of support for our region. Taking the pressure off St John of God Midland Public Hospital emergency department has been a game changer, with the staff there noticing the dramatic difference. For parents of children with a fever or a worker with a deep laceration or a sporting injury, the urgent care clinics, open seven days a week, with extended hours, are really providing a relief valve in the health system. They provide high-quality, fully bulk-billed care for urgent cases, without people having to reach into their wallet. This is what it means to strengthen Medicare and to directly provide direct cost-of-living relief for people of Bullwinkel and across Australia.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the strides that we've made in mental health care, opening mental health clinics around the country. We recently opened the Northam Medicare Mental Health Clinic, which is a regional area of my electorate, and we are looking forward to the election commitment of a Kalamunda Medicare Mental Health Clinic being delivered within the year. We know that mental health is just as important as physical health. Yet for too long, walk-in support has been out of reach for many in the Hills area, and this clinic will provide a safe, free space for people to get the help when they need it without turning to their credit card and without an appointment or a referral. This clinic will be a great addition, as I said, to the Northam Medicare clinic and the Midland based Headspace.

Furthermore, we're investing in the next generation, keeping the little ones healthy and educated with a $5 million Mundaring Early Childhood Education Centre. We look forward to finding a permanent home for this election commitment, and we hope to co-locate it with the local school. This will make life easier for parents and ensure that children have the best possible start in life. Of course, this is supported by the 15 per cent pay rise for the early childhood workforce, a highly feminised workforce that has been undervalued and underpaid for far too long. These are the commitments for the people of Bullwinkel and they are commitments that only a Labor government will deliver.

This government is about delivery. Whether it's $25 capped scripts, the expansion of bulk-billing and incentivisation of bulk-billing, or the ring of care provided by our urgent care clinics, we're building a healthy system and a health system that works for everyone. I'm proud to stand here as the member for Bullwinkel representing an electorate named after a nurse and delivering a health system that would make Matron Vivian Bullwinkel very proud. I commend these bills to the House.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026. High-performing governments invest money efficiently and in line with their priorities. It takes hard work, careful diligence, running the numbers and then running the numbers again and again. It requires a degree of engagement with risk. It's a deliberate policy act, and I am careful to refrain from describing this as spending, because it is actually investment. It is an investment in Australia's people—their futures and Australia's future. It is an investment in sustainability, in security and in health. It is an investment in systems that work and in infrastructure that delivers value for Australians. This is what the Albanese Labor government is doing. We are investing in Australia for the future. In these appropriation bills, there is more than $3.2 billion to implement the 2024 NDS, the National Defence Strategy, and Defence's 2024 Integrated Investment Program, the IIP, and to enable the delivery of prioritised capabilities.

Let's consider some of the investments that this Labor government has made in defence capability. The Australian Ocius Bluebottle—and I just spoke with the operators and owners of that great Australian company in the Great Hall a moment ago. Earlier this month, our government announced it would be investing $176 million in a new fleet of Australian-made uncrewed vessels known as Bluebottles, from Ocius Technology. We will be getting 40 of them, making it one of the largest sovereign uncrewed surface vessel fleets in the world. These innovative surface vessels will significantly boost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance—or ISR capabilities—in our maritime approaches. This will include—based out of my electorate in Darwin—providing situational awareness and maritime domain awareness to the north of Australia. By virtue of their being powered by solar, wind and wave energy, they will have extended operational endurance, and this demonstrates the high levels of innovation we have in Australia for harnessing those forms of energy. I was lucky enough to see a couple of these Bluebottles and meet the team behind them when the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade visited the Ocius crew in Darwin last year. It's a very innovative capability backed by a great team.

On AUKUS long-lead items, continuing in the maritime domain, just last month the government announced a $310 million payment for the long-lead items from the UK in support of the manufacture of critical components for nuclear powered submarines, including the propulsion systems of the SSN-AUKUS. This is further evidence that we are delivering on AUKUS, and that it is making way, full steam ahead. This announcement came off the back of a $3.9 billion downpayment to deliver the new submarine construction yard at Osborne in South Australia. We're not only delivering; we're building our industrial capacity to increase our enduring and sovereign capacity to deliver.

Still in the maritime domain, in recent weeks the government has also signed two key contracts with Defence's strategic shipbuilder to build the Army's new medium and heavy landing craft, which the National Defence Strategy and the Defence Strategic Review before it had called for, in order for the Army to be optimised for littoral manoeuvre. These landing craft will be central to that optimisation. The Integrated Investment Program has $7 billion to $10 billion for littoral manoeuvre vessels out to 2033-34, and we are funding that optimisation. This will deliver the largest recapitalisation of Army's littoral capability since the Second World War.

Moving to the air, there's the Ghost Bat. In the air domain, the Albanese Labor government is investing $1.4 billion in the MQ-28A Ghost Bat, turning it into a fully operational war-fighting capability for the ADF. It has now successfully engaged, and destroyed, an aerial target. This places us at the cutting edge of collaborative combat aircraft technology globally. It is Australian innovation at its best and demonstrates what Australian industry is capable of. The government is backing industry and innovation.

On GWEO, we have announced that we will start making Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, missiles right here in Australia—in fact, at Port Wakefield in South Australia. This type of missile will be fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, HIMARS, being delivered for Army, giving it a long-range strike capability. This is a key milestone in the government's plan to invest up to $21 billion to acquire more long-range strike systems and make long-range munitions in Australia.

Regarding our support for Ukraine, in February we marked four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in a blatant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter. We have seen four years of unprovoked Russian aggression against a sovereign, democratic Ukraine. Australia continues to be steadfast in its commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We commend the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people. This support is bipartisan and extends across the parliament, across party lines. We saw this at the recent launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Ukraine on 4 March, and I see it in my electorate of Solomon, with the Ukraine association of the NT.

We are backing this support of Ukraine with funding, with action. We are supporting our friends in Ukraine with more than words. Australia has committed over $1.7 billion in total assistance, including $1.5 billion in military support. In December last year, the government announced a further $95 million package in military assistance for Ukraine as part of that. We help our mates in real ways and we stand against aggression.

Now, I want to remind everyone that this is not an exhaustive list of all that our government, the Albanese federal Labor government, has done—far from it. I have only mentioned some milestones, some recent announcements and some achievements that have occurred since December last year. Everything I've spoken about has occurred in only the past few months. We are moving at speed, investing real money and achieving major milestones in defence.

I want to move to Medicare and health. Not only are we investing in our security, defence capability and sovereign industrial capacity but we're also investing in health and looking after Australians and Australian families. The Albanese Labor government has also delivered a once-in-a-generation change to bulk-billing, which will mean that more Territorians and more Australians can see a doctor for free—no out-of-pocket expenses.

We had some fantastic major announcements in my electorate of Solomon last month, in Darwin and Palmerston, with the location of the Darwin Medicare urgent care clinic being announced and the successful tenderer for the 120- to 150-bed aged-care facility to serve Darwin and Palmerston, as well as the Top End. There are now 23 Medicare bulk-billing GP practices across Darwin and Palmerston, allowing Territorians to access free medical support when they need it, which is particularly important in these times of cost-of-living stress. Over 70 per cent of all local GP practices are now registered as Medicare bulk-billing practices. It still allows people to choose to go to non-bulk-billing practices, of course.

Record hospital funding for the Northern Territory—$3.5 billion over five years from the 2026-27 financial year—has also been delivered. That's on top of the 30 per cent increase in this current financial year. We're also building the long-term health workforce, with the NT's own medical school at Charles Darwin University having opened last month. It's housed in a brand new building called Garrwa. It's also known as the Better Health Futures building. Garrwa, the Larrakia name for the building, also means 'green tree frog', and that is because of the green tree frog's significance in that area of the beautiful CDU campus in Casuarina. I'm very proud that Charles Darwin University now has its own medical program, as well as of the fantastic work that Flinders University's program continues to do, and I also acknowledge Menzies.

We have expanded mental health services, with the Darwin headspace centre upgraded to a headspace Plus and with a youth specialist care centre in Darwin for young people with very complex needs. We are continuing to work with the Northern Territory government to strengthen maternity services in the Northern Territory. I call on the Northern Territory government to stipulate that the new not-for-profit provider of Darwin's private hospital includes maternal health services and maternity services in its licence.

We also launched services like 1800MEDICARE, helping to keep people out of emergency departments. In addition to this, we're making prescription medication cheaper by capping PBS medicines at $25 and at just $7.70 for concession card holders. This is the least we can do to help people who are concession card holders. This is making a real difference in the lives of Australians and Territorians. People should be able to get the medicines they and their families need without the need to make difficult choices.

I say again: we are investing. These are investments in the health security of our community. We are investing in the health and welfare of Australians. We are investing in a health system that actually works for Territorians and for Australians. We are investing in making health services more accessible to people who need them. Furthermore, this investment is also delivering cost-of-living relief for Australians, as I just mentioned.

This appropriation bill gives $325 million to the Treasury to provide loans to Housing Australia to support social and affordable housing projects as part of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Housing and home ownership is a challenge in my home of greater Darwin, as it is everywhere, so we announced support for more first home buyers from Darwin to get into home ownership by increasing the property price cap for the five per cent home deposit scheme. On 1 July this year, two price caps will now operate in the Northern Territory. The one for the greater Darwin region, where home ownership is set generally at a higher mean than the rest of the Territory, will now be $750,000. For the rest of the Northern Territory, it will be set at $600,000. The five per cent deposit scheme has already helped more than 1,800 Territorians move into their first home since we came into government.

I say again: we are investing in our national security and defence, in our health and wellbeing, and in our housing. We're investing in putting roofs over the heads of people who can call those roofs their own. We're investing in having places for people to call home—places in which they can raise their families and make memories with their loved ones.

In the time remaining, I want to talk about home batteries. The Albanese Labor government is helping more households, small businesses and community groups bring down their energy bills for good through sensible changes to expand and secure the sustainability of our Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Territorians in greater numbers every day, every week are cutting their energy bills by installing cheaper home batteries and using them to store all that Territory sunshine, all that Territory gold. Darwin residents are installing batteries at double the rate of residents in Melbourne. Nearly 700 residents have taken up the government's offer of support to have a 30 per cent discount on the cost of a home battery, saving them up to $2,300 per annum.

Under Appropriation Bill (No. 3), the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will receive around $2.9 billion, predominantly to continue their support for the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. After having been expanded to $7.2 billion over four years, an increase from the initial $2.3 billion, this program is expected to see more than two million Australians install a battery by 2030. This should deliver around 40 gigawatt hours of capacity, increasing expected capacity fourfold.

I'll say again that this government is investing—investing in the sustainable generation of solar energy, investing to help Australians cut their energy bills. We are investing so we have more cheap, fast, safe solar energy available in our homes by day or by night when and where it's needed. I'm proud that this government is investing in Territorians and Australians.

Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No.3) 2025-2026. Since coming to office, the Albanese Labor government has been focused on strengthening Medicare and delivering more accessible and affordable health care for all Australians. As the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health and the federal member for Dobell on the Central Coast of New South Wales, I am proud of the progress that we're making.

Firstly, I want to highlight the real difference our network of Medicare urgent care clinics is making in my community and right across the country. Medicare urgent care clinics treat urgent but not life-threatening health conditions—a sprain, fracture, cut, minor infection, burn or viral illness. They're all fully bulk-billed, open extended hours and available every day with no appointment required. Since the first clinics opened in mid-2023, there have been more than 2.7 million presentations, including nearly half a million across New South Wales alone.

On the Central Coast, we opened two clinics in 2023, one in the north and one in the south. Since then, the Lake Haven and Umina Medicare urgent care clinics have seen more than 60,000 locals. Delivering on our election commitment to open a third Medicare urgent care clinic, I recently joined the member for Robertson for the opening of the new Erina Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. I'm delighted to share with the House that the Erina clinic has already seen more than 3,700 locals in the few short months it's been open. Crucially, these clinics are helping to ease pressure on Gosford and Wyong hospitals, where around 44 per cent of emergency presentations in the last financial year were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.

Across the nation, our Medicare urgent care clinics are having a significant impact. With my responsibilities for rural and regional health, I've opened new Medicare urgent care clinics in Gladstone and Mackay, in Central and North Queensland, as well as in the outer suburbs—including the new Deception Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic alongside my friends the member for Petrie and Senator Mulholland. When speaking with locals in these communities across the country, many people have shared with me the difference, the real difference, access to urgent care is making to them and their families. Nicole from Deception Bay said:

I recently attended the clinic with my 4-year-old. We were seen quickly and did not feel like we were being rushed through for the next person. If you're feeling unsure, I would recommend attending.

Parents like Nicole are leading most of the presentations to Medicare urgent care clinics, with about one in four presentations being from children under 15 and more than one in four being out of normal clinic hours. So they are really opening up access to urgent care for children and families. That's what Labor governments do. We listen, we act and we deliver new health services for all Australians.

Our government is putting mental health at the heart of Medicare and services in the centre of communities. Our network of Medicare mental health centres is rapidly expanding, with 53 currently open, growing to 92 over the coming years. Medicare mental health centres are a new service offering wraparound mental health support and care and removing barriers to access. No appointment, no diagnosis, no referral—simply walk in and be greeted by a peer worker, someone who's likely walked in your shoes, because sometimes the best support you can have is from someone with their own lived experience.

I'm delighted that a brand new Medicare mental health centre will soon open on the Central Coast. It is expected to be up and running by the middle of this year. Operated by Grand Pacific Health, in partnership with Hunter Primary Care, Relationships Australia and Odyssey House, the new Central Coast Medicare Mental Health Centre will offer people in our community free walk-in wraparound care, close to home and when they need it. The centre will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team including psychologists, social workers, counsellors and peer workers. Importantly, the centre will be linked to our virtual network of specialist psychologists and psychiatrists. So if someone walks in and needs that extra expert support, it'll be available to them for free under Medicare.

When a young person needs free mental health care, headspace is a safe and welcoming place where they can seek support. As the minister responsible for headspace, I've now had the privilege of visiting more than 60 headspace centres across the country, from city centres like headspace Marion in Adelaide South to regional centres like headspace Townsville in North Queensland, to services in the most remote parts of our country such as headspace Mutitjulu on the eastern side of Uluru in Central Australia.

All our headspace centres are staffed by dedicated teams of clinicians and support staff with a collective goal of supporting young people, and I thank them for their ongoing work and dedication. In my part of the country, headspace Lake Haven continues to support young people on the northern end of the Central Coast, and I was proud to open the new and expanded service in 2023. The year before, in 2022, I had the real pleasure of opening a brand new Headspace in my home town of Wyong, which has been able to support more young people, particularly in our local schools. At the last election, as part of our record $750 million election commitment to youth mental health, we announced that Gosford headspace will be uplifted to a headspace Plus to care for the more complex and ongoing mental health challenges that many young people face today.

As a pharmacist, I also want to shine a light on the PBS changes that we've made to make medicines more affordable for all Australians. When we came to government, people were delaying or avoiding filling prescriptions because of cost, which was having an impact on their health and wellbeing. Since we came to government, we've reduced the cost of PBS general prescriptions from $42.50 down to $30 and now down to $25. The last time the PBS general copayment was $25 was early in my career as a pharmacist in 2004. Importantly, and I hear this in pharmacies that I visit right across the country, putting a freeze on concession prescriptions capped at $7.70 until the end of the decade, until 2030, is making a real difference in patients being able to access medication. No-one should be forced to make a decision about delaying or avoiding filling a prescription or skipping a prescription because of cost, and this is making a real difference to people in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales and right across the country.

Another change that's making a really big difference in my community is fee-free TAFE. My late father was an engineer and a builder and, proudly, a TAFE teacher. I know the difference that quality education through TAFE has provided over decades in communities like mine on the Central Coast of New South Wales and right around the country, opening up opportunities, career pathways and business opportunities, and driving the local economy for so many local people. I'm pleased to share with the House that more than 13,000 people on the Central Coast have enrolled in a fee-free TAFE course, and many of these enrolments are in early childhood education and aged care, helping to train people in areas where workers are needed, particularly in a growing community like mine. I recently joined the team at Goodstart Tunmbi Umbi, who have trainees enrolled in fee-free TAFE courses, who are studying to be the next generation of early educators. I want to thank Goodstart Tumbi Umbi for the care that they provide on most days to 120 children. That is close to 200 families getting quality early childhood education also supported by the three-day guarantee, which is making a really big difference in communities like mine. But fee-free TAFE has saved locals a collective $12 million in tuition and course fees.

The Albanese Labor government is investing in our communities. It's investing in the outer suburbs, in the regions. We're providing cost-of-living relief, supporting individuals, families and businesses. I'm particularly proud to be part of a government that has restored bulk-billing, so improving access to care. As a pharmacist and as someone who worked at my local hospital for nearly 10 years, the difference that it is making to people in our community is profound. I know that we have more to do, and that will continue to be the focus of our government as we continue to roll out more support through urgent care clinics, Medicare mental health centres and headspace to make sure that every Australian, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances, has access to quality care that is close to home and that is affordable.

David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The communities of southern Sydney that make up Hughes are truly special ones. It is such a great honour to be able to serve them in this place as the member for Hughes.

One of the key ways that this parliament serves the communities we represent is in allocation of resources through bills, such as these appropriations bills which are before us today. It's one of the ways that this parliament can deliver for those communities that send us here, and it means we can get on with delivering the projects that make a real difference in our communities—projects like Heathcote Road, where the Albanese government jointly funded a $188 million upgrade of the section through Holsworthy with the Minns Labor government.

The congestion-easing 2.2-kilometre upgrade along Heathcote Road between Voyager Point and Holsworthy has widened the road from a single lane each way to a dual-lane carriageway. Carrying around 36,000 vehicles each day, this upgraded section is expected to significantly reduce travel times in peak hours for general vehicles by several minutes. Heathcote Road is the spinal cord of the Hughes electorate. It's the primary road connection between the Sutherland Shire and the growing south-west region. Its role as a key connector will only continue to grow with the opening of the new airport. As someone who uses the Heathcote Road, sometimes as often as six times a day, I can tell you, Deputy Speaker Buchholz, how much this upgrade is making a difference to travel times and the wellbeing of motorists from Sydney and the Illawarra and for residents of my community.

The upgrade saw two bridges being built across local waterways, Williams and Harris creeks, which are designed to withstand a one-in-100-year flood event, as well as a bridge constructed along the T8 railway. I was honoured to be there for the opening in November of last year with the member for Werriwa; the New South Wales Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison; the state members for Heathcote, Leppington and Liverpool—Maryanne Stuart, Nathan Hagarty and Charishma Kaliyanda—and Cameron Murphy MLC.

The official opening featured a charity walk for cancer in honour of the late state member for Menai Alison Megarrity MP, who represented the area on Liverpool council before serving as the state representative from 1999 to 2011. Alison was a tireless advocate for this improvement. She knew how important it was for this section to be upgraded for our community. Tragically, she lost a prolonged battle with cancer in 2022. Alison was well respected across all sides of politics and left a deep legacy in my community, which I referred to in my first speech in this place. It was such an honour to join with her family, including her husband, Robert, to see her vision realised and the dedication of a new road bridge in her name. The Harris Creek crossing has been named the Alison Megarrity Bridge, and it was so fitting that those who are now benefitting from Alison's legacy have an ongoing reminder of this each time they use this road.

On the day, I also participated in the community cancer walk along the footpath of this new, upgraded road in support of the work of the Cancer Council of New South Wales. To herald in the new road, a smoking ceremony was performed, artworks were unveiled along the road depicting flora and fauna native to the area, and there was a commemoration of World War I POWs who built the railway connection through to Liverpool. The improvements to Heathcote Road also include a new intersection to improve access to Voyager Point and a major upgrade at the intersection at MacArthur Drive, including new turning lanes and traffic lights access station facilities at Holsworthy. More than 200 workers were employed on this project. It's a fantastic example of what the Albanese Labor government is doing for communities in the south-west of Sydney.

Work also continues on the M5 upgrade between Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway, a project jointly funded by the Albanese government through a $190 million investment. Work has been taking place on this project since the start of the year, and further work will be commencing from 30 March. This includes utility work on Powerhouse Road, drainage and earthworks in Helles Park, Georges River embankment enabling work and non-intrusive survey work.

Anyone who uses the M5 around Moorebank knows exactly the problem that occurs in the area. In the afternoon peak, traffic is banked up as cars and trucks enter westbound at Moorebank Avenue and try to merge with traffic already on the motorway attempting to exit the highway. It's why the Albanese and Minns governments are getting on with delivering the critical infrastructure Western Sydney needs.

The project includes a new three-lane toll-free bridge over the Georges River and the train lines at Liverpool, dramatically improving the connection between the M5 Motorway, Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway. It also removes the dangerous weave on the M5 between Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway, improving safety and traffic flows for drivers entering and exiting the motorway. A new underpass at Moorebank Avenue will directly connect the M5 westbound to the Hume Highway, and the intersection between the M5 and Moorebank Avenue will be fully upgraded. This matters because the existing bridge currently sees more than 2,500 trucks a day moving from the Moorebank Intermodal Precinct terminal onto the Sydney motorway network, with truck numbers only set to increase as new sections come online. This project gives motorists the confidence that the road network is finally catching up with demand. It's being delivered through a strong partnership between the Albanese and Minns Labor governments, each committing $190 million as part of the broader Western Sydney infrastructure blitz.

Those opposite claim to represent people in industries that require them to move around on our motorways. I can recall Tony Abbott, whose contempt for public transport is well documented, famously saying that every man in his car is a king, as if that was an excuse for not investing in public transport across Australia, especially in Western Sydney. I note that today we have taken significant steps to ensure that we are properly delivering for the trucking industry, in ways that those opposite never did. When you look across the network, from the M7 to the M5, WestConnex and the M4, this intersection is such an obvious choke point for a growing region of Sydney. For those opposite to have overlooked it for so long shows their absolute contempt for those who live in south-west Sydney.

South-west Sydney is the gateway to Sydney. It's the engine room of the economy. We've got the Moorebank Intermodal Precinct and we've got the new airport coming in. The idea that we would avoid investing in this key infrastructure is beyond belief. We've got trucks that can't get off the road safely, and this is something those opposite knew about when they were in power. Obviously, they didn't want to invest in building a new railway line from south-west Sydney to the new airport, but to not invest in roads just goes against all sensibility and logic. I'm very proud that our government is delivering this and I'm very proud that we're investing $190 million in a key piece of infrastructure for south-western Sydney.

It's not the only roads investment that this federal government is making in south-western Sydney. It's in addition to the $50 million that the federal government allocated towards the final business case for the project to support businesses that rely on Cambridge Avenue in Glenfield. This is a project that has been neglected for far too long. The Glenfield Causeway is something that is brought up frequently whenever I am engaging with the community in the south-west. It's something that people have been hearing about for a long time, and I'm so glad that the Albanese Labor government is finally taking action and investing in a project that increases reliable and efficient access to the Moorebank Intermodal terminal and aligns with the Transport for NSW Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Road Access Strategy, or MITRA.

This government is also ensuring that education is accessible in my community. That's why last year this government opened the Macquarie Fields suburban university study hub, and it's why last week Minister Clare opened the new campus of the University of Wollongong at Liverpool. The suburban university study hub at Macquarie Fields is part of the Albanese government's $66.9 million investment to more than double the number of university study hubs across the country.

Nearly half of all young Australians have a degree, but in Macquarie Fields it's only around 29 per cent. The evidence shows that, where there are study hubs, university participation goes up. As a former student of a suburban campus of the University of Wollongong, I know how much of a difference local campuses, like the new site in Liverpool, make to students who live nearby. It makes university less disruptive to lifestyle, meaning that students can work and meet life obligations without university attendance and study creating too much disruption for them.

The cost and accessibility of health care is also one of the most pressing cost-of-living pressures for families and individuals in my community. For years, seeing a doctor was becoming more difficult. Bulk-billing rates across our community were in decline. Practices were charging higher and higher out-of-pocket fees, and too many families were having to make calculations and ask the question: 'Can I go to the doctor, or can it wait?' Health doesn't wait—health can't wait. More importantly, health shouldn't wait. This government inherited that decline, and this government is reversing it.

The Albanese Labor government's $8.5 billion investment in Medicare is the single-largest investment in Medicare since it was created. The latest data tells the story, and it's crystal clear. With 22 clinics now bulk-billing, the majority of clinics in Hughes can now display a little sign with those two beautiful, alliterative words: bulk-billing. We have seen the largest quarterly jump in bulk-billing in 20 years outside of COVID, and this has happened because of what we're doing. Nearly 96 per cent of Australians are now within a 20-minute drive of a registered Medicare bulk-billing practice. More and more practices that were mixed billing are converting to fully bulk-billing every single week.

On medicines, the change that came into effect on 1 January this year is one of the most direct cost-of-living measures this government has delivered. The maximum co-payment for a PBS script is now $25 for general patients, the lowest it's been since 2004. For concession card holders, it's frozen at $7.70. For those in my community managing chronic conditions on tight budgets, that difference adds up across a year in a way that is really making a difference to their bottom line.

House ownership has also drifted out of reach for a generation of young Australians, and the former government's record on this is critical to understanding exactly how we got to where we are and why we are facing the challenges that we are now facing as a country—nine years in office and only 373 social and affordable homes built nationally. That's years and years of neglect. We can contrast this with the work of the Albanese Labor government, of the single largest investment in housing since World War II, the Housing Australia Future Fund, the Help to Buy scheme, the five per cent deposit guarantee, the 45 per cent increase in Commonwealth rent assistance and the ban on foreign buyers purchasing existing dwellings. These are functioning mechanisms backed by appropriations like these. The government is on track to deliver more than 55,000 social and affordable homes and support more than 100,000 Australians into homeownership. For the young people in Hughes who grew up in these suburbs and are watching themselves be priced out of them in real time, this is what this government is working to change.

There are many qualities that make Hughes genuinely unique in this parliament, but one of the most notable is that it's the only community in Australia with a nuclear reactor. ANSTO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, has its headquarters and main research facilities in Lucas Heights in Sutherland Shire, in the heart of my electorate. Each week, ANSTO produces approximately 12,000 patient doses of nuclear medicine, sent to around 250 hospitals and medical centres across Australia and the region. Between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of nuclear medicine isotopes used in Australia come from the Lucas Heights campus.

On average, each person in Australia will require at least two nuclear medicine procedures during their lifetime. That means, statistically, everyone in this chamber and virtually every constituent across Hughes will one day depend on what is produced at that site—Australians like Will McDonald, who is a Channel 9 news presenter based in Adelaide. At 42 years old, fit and active, he went to his GP expecting to hear about a hip injury. He was told instead that he had stage 4 prostate cancer, which had already spread from his prostate to his hip, with no other symptoms. He was given a frank diagnosis—he would never be cured, only ever in remission. He's continued presenting the news throughout his treatment, undergoing hormone therapy and chemotherapy, all while advocating for men to prioritise their health and for the medical research that, in his words, will keep him alive.

Will's story really struck me because Will's story is not unique. Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Australian men. One in eight men will be diagnosed in their lifetime, and the treatments that give men like Will the best possible chance of surviving it—the diagnostic imaging, the targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies, the nuclear medicine procedures that detect cancer spread before symptoms even appear—rely on radioisotopes manufactured at ANSTO's Lucas Heights campus right in the heart of Hughes. I had the privilege of meeting Will, alongside representatives of nuclear medicine Australia, and, when I sat with Will and the team from nuclear medicine Australia, the conversation was heartfelt and real about the benefits of the nuclear medicines like those produced by ANSTO. It was about a man who's alive and working, raising a young family, because of the nuclear medicines that this country produces.

This government is investing in the construction of a new medicine manufacturing facility at ANSTO's Lucas Heights campus, purpose built to produce and distribute nuclear medicine products to hospitals and medical clinics right across Australia. The new facility will replace the ageing building 23, which has been operating since 1959 and is approaching the end of its working life. The project is now in the procurement and design phase, with expressions of interest already issued for the process, equipment and associated infrastructure. This is a major capital investment in Hughes, with high-skilled jobs on the Lucas Heights campus, sustaining growth for decades and Australian sovereign capability to manufacture the nuclear medicines that give people like Will McDonald a fighting chance. I want to acknowledge the workforce at Lucas Heights—scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff who are our neighbours and who do the work of genuine national significance.

Our community in southern Sydney has always worked hard, and it's great to see that the federal Albanese Labor government is finally returning that investment. What residents tell me they need from government is straightforward: GPs who can bulk-bill, medicines people can afford, a pathway to homeownership that does not require a deposit the size of a small inheritance, an education system that comes to you rather than expecting you to travel long distances, world-class scientific infrastructure that is properly funded and protected, roads that work, schools that are fully resourced. These appropriation bills deliver on these things as funded operational programs that are already making a difference in the lives of people across Hughes and across the country.

I commend the bill to the House.

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

I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026. These bills represent the continuation of our government's responsible and fair economic management. They provide roughly seven-twelfths of the annual funding required for this fiscal year, alongside allocations for budget measures announced earlier in the 2025 budget and some additional items since that include funding for election commitments and measures highlighted in the pre-election fiscal outlook and adjustments following machinery-of-government changes.

It's worth taking stock of what we already delivered in our first term. We have stabilised and strengthened the economy. We have made meaningful progress in easing inflationary pressures. Real wages have begun to recover after a period of decline. We have maintained a strong labour market by historical standards, even in the face of global uncertainty. And we dramatically improved the budget position. Australia has now recorded the largest nominal budget improvement in a parliamentary term. We delivered the first back-to-back surplus in nearly 20 years, and recent budget outcomes have come in significantly better than forecast, reflecting disciplined economic management. That did not happen by accident; it was the result of responsible management discipline and an economic plan that works for ordinary Australians, not just the top end of town. The Albanese Labor government will continue this approach in our second term. In a time of global economic uncertainty, rising interest rates and geopolitical instabilities, Australia has remained resilient. That is not by chance; it is by design—balancing the budget, lowering the debt, investing in people and delivering the high-quality services that Australians deserve.

These appropriation bills are about more than just numbers in columns; they are about priorities and they are about values. Once again, health is at the very heart of what this government is doing. We know our health system is under pressure, and that is exactly why these investments matter. Medicare is the centrepiece. It always has been for Labor governments and it always will be. In this year's budget, we committed to making sure that by 2030 nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed. That is a tripling of what we inherited from those opposite, who froze rebates and sent bulk-billing off a bloody cliff. We have increased funding for public hospitals. We have rolled out more Medicare urgent care clinics, taking the national total to 137. We are building up our health workforce with more doctors and nurses, and we're lowering costs for patients, particularly women, by expanding access, choice and affordability.

In my electorate of Hunter, this is not an abstract comment. It is something families are seeing in real time. I want to acknowledge the doctors at Always Healthcare in Cessnock and Kurri Kurri, who have taken up the opportunity and are now fully bulk-billing patients just like the other 27 in the Hunter are doing right now. Every single patient who walks through their doors is bulk-billed. That means more families in the Hunter can see a doctor without worrying about whether they can afford it. It means pensioners, young families, apprentices, people out of work—every one of them—can get the care they need when they need it, without the stress of the out-of-pocket costs. That is Medicare working exactly the way it was designed to. And it is happening because this government has put money where its mouth is. I hear from families every week who tell me they can finally go into the GP again, that they're not having to put it off, that they are not sitting at home hoping the cough or the pain just goes away. That is the difference bulk-billing makes. That is the difference Labor makes.

I want to be crystal clear: if you live in Cessnock, Singleton, Kurri, Toronto, Edgeworth, Wyee or Greta, Medicare matters to you. If you're a pensioner living week to week, bulk-billing is the difference between getting care and going without. If you're a young apprentice with not much cash in your pocket, bulk-billing means you can see your GP without worrying about how you're going to pay the next lot of rent. If you're a single mum juggling work and kids, cheaper medicines and bulk-billing will mean that you can keep your family healthy without breaking the bank. That is what Medicare is all about.

I know families are doing it tough right now, and that is why we have provided responsible cost-of-living relief across the board. We have delivered more energy bill relief. We have delivered tax cuts for every taxpayer. We have cut student debt by 20 per cent. We have made medicines cheaper, because no-one should be splitting pills in half or skipping prescriptions just to make ends meet. We have also supported renters and first home buyers with practical housing measures. We have helped parents with cheaper child care and guaranteed preschool hours. We have backed apprentices with cash payments to keep them in training. Every part of this budget is about making life just a little bit easier, while still being responsible with the nation's finances. These are practical, responsible measures that make a real difference, while not adding to inflation, and they are part of a bigger plan—a plan that takes the pressure off households right now, while investing in the services and skills that make life better in the long run.

I want to take a moment to focus on men's health. As colleagues are aware, I was asked to serve as the Special Envoy for Men's Health, and I take that responsibility very seriously. For too long men's health has not been front and centre in the national conversation. We know the statistics. Men die younger. Men take their own lives at higher rates. Men are less likely to access preventive health services. Too many blokes put things off, stick their head in the sand and think that going to the GP is not for them. We are determined to change that, and that's why we announced a dedicated $32 million men's health package, the most significant national investment in men's health in years.

The package supports local men's sheds, which provide safe spaces for blokes to connect and look after each other. It supports targeted prostate cancer awareness and screening campaigns. It helps expand suicide prevention and mental health support, and it helps address the barriers men face in accessing the right care at the right time. In the Hunter, I've seen this up close. I've visited men's sheds from Cessnock to Singleton to Lake Macquarie. I've spoken with blokes who say that without their shed they would be isolated, depressed or even worse. These places save lives, and government is backing them in. We are also talking openly about things blokes often avoid—prostate checks, mental health, heart health. I often say to blokes in the Hunter, 'It's not weak to speak; it's actually strong.' Now, thanks to simple blood tests, there are no excuses when it comes to a prostate cancer check-up. Our investment is about sending a message: your health matters, your mate's health matters and your government backs you in looking after it, as well.

I also want to highlight women's health, because the two go hand in hand. This government has put record funding into women's health. When women are healthy, families are healthy and communities are strong. We are expanding access to reproductive services. We are funding more endometriosis clinics. We're improving menopause care and research. We are backing in more Medicare support for women's health services across the country. For the first time, women's health is not a side issue; it's a centrepiece of Medicare reform. This is about fairness. For decades, women were told to just put up with endo pain. For decades, menopause was ignored. That is changing under this government, and I know women in my electorate are noticing. From Kurri Kurri to Morisset, from Broke to Cameron Park, women are telling me they finally feel like their health is being taken seriously.

As Special Envoy for Men's Health, I want to be absolutely clear: men's health and women's health are not in competition. We rise together. Supporting women's health makes our community stronger. Supporting men's health does the exact same thing. That is the vision underpinning our investment, and that is what Labor governments do. We invest in people. We put health care first. We back the services that Australians rely on every single day.

This budget is also about the future—a future built by skilled workers. I left school at 15 to become a fitter. I know firsthand how much opportunity TAFE provides you with. It gave me a trade, a career and a future, and it's still doing that for thousands of young Aussies today. That is why this government has made fee-free TAFE permanent. Skills are the backbone of our economy, tradies keep the lights on, build the houses, fix the machines and keep our economy moving. So many nurses, aged-care workers and disability support workers get their start at TAFE as well.

In the Hunter, I meet young people taking up fee-free TAFE to become sparkies, chippies, plumbers and nurses. They are the workforce of the future, they build the homes Australians desperately need, and they will staff the hospitals, aged-care homes and childcare centres that our communities rely on. We're also providing up to $10,000 for eligible apprentices in housing construction trades. That is practical support that helps people stick with their training, stay in the industry and deliver the homes of the future.

I will say this bluntly. The other side never believed in TAFE. They cut it, they hollowed it out, and they pushed people into expensive private providers. We are rebuilding it because this government backs skills, backs training and backs Aussie workers.

This budget is also about homes, jobs and a future made in Australia. We are taking action to ensure Australian homes are prioritised for Australians, including measures to limit foreign purchases of existing homes. We are making Help to Buy bigger and fairer. We are investing in green metals, clean energy and the future industries. We are cutting reliance on consultants and labour hire, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. This is responsible nation building—investments where it matters, savings where we can and always putting Aussies first.

People in the Hunter know what responsible government looks like because they are seeing the results on the ground. They are seeing it in bulk-billing at our GPS. They are seeing it at the new urgent care clinics. They are seeing more TAFE opportunities, more apprenticeships and more homes being built. They see it in better support for Men's Sheds and mental health services. They see it in cheaper medicines and stronger hospitals. They see it in investment in jobs and industries of the future, whether that is clean energy, advanced manufacturing, green metals or our traditional industries as well. They also see it in everyday things that matter most—kids getting better support at schools, older Australians being looked after in aged care and young people getting a fairer go when it comes to jobs and housing. This is what Labor governments deliver: practical, fair, responsible outcomes that make life better for working people.

The 2025-2026 appropriation bills are about keeping our economy strong, repairing the budget and delivering services Australians really rely on. We are continuing the fight against inflation while making sure Australians are supported through cost-of-living pressures. We are providing responsible cost-of-living relief, and we are building for the future.

At the centre of all this is Medicare, making sure Australians can see a doctor, get the care they need and look after their health without breaking the bank. I am proud of the $32 million package we have delivered. As a Labor MP, I am proud of our investment in women's health, in Medicare, in hospitals, in skills and in homes. As the member for Hunter, I am proud that families in places like Cessnock, Kurri, Singleton and Lake Macquarie are already seeing the benefits. These bills are about building a healthier, stronger, fairer Australia. That is what Labor stands for, that is what Labor delivers, and that is what we'll keep delivering in this term and beyond. I commend the bills to the House.

Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This bill is all about delivery of the commitments we took to the last election. We, as a government, are focused on delivering on the things that matter to everyday Australians, and I'm focused on delivering for my electorate of Menzies—investments in our local infrastructure, in our community organisations, in our local festivals, in cost-of-living relief, in health care, in education and in housing. I'm extremely grateful to the people of Menzies for providing me the opportunity to represent our local community and create real outcomes. Our government is incredibly grateful to the people of Australia for their endorsement at the last election, and we're working every day to make sure that Australians know we've got their backs.

Unfortunately, my electorate of Menzies has not always received the investment it deserves. We have a wonderful, hardworking community full of devoted volunteers, hardworking small-business owners, conscientious young people and hardworking families, and I'm committed to making sure we get our fair share of investments. We've done that through our local sporting clubs. Sporting clubs play such an important role in our community. They help our young people stay active and make sure that they're getting enough exercise, but they also provide a sense of community. Through the volunteers, which are often the parents of players, they provide a sense of community and the chance to give back to the community.

We're making a long-overdue investment in Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club, at Sheahans Reserve. We've committed $3.5 million to upgrading the basketball stadium there. Basketball is absolutely booming in Melbourne's east, and that's especially the case with the women's game. When Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club, the Bulleen Boomers, approached me early on in the election campaign, they told me how their female players, because they didn't have enough space to get changed, were getting changed in the car park before getting in for the games, that the change rooms they did have were pretty small—you wouldn't want to see a sweaty group of boys or girls getting changed in close proximity to each other there—and that the floor cleaner was in the same room, so it was badly in need of an upgrade.

This investment will go towards girls' change rooms to make sure that more of their female players have an appropriate place to get changed, and towards improving their general facilities, making sure that their courts are up to standard and safe for players to continue to play on. I acknowledge all the hard work and advocacy of their president, Derek Pangbourne, as well as committee members Mitch Burich and local legend Michelle Timms, who, as we know, has given so much to women's basketball not just in the local area but in Australia. Their advocacy meant that I was very proud to support this investment for both the Bulleen Boomers and the wider community—and all the local teams who come and play at the stadium as well.

I was also able to advocate successfully for an investment in the Box Hill United soccer club and their Sparks Reserve field—an investment of $3.925 million to upgrade their existing pitch to a synthetic pitch. That means that more of their players will be able to play for more of the year, that they're going to have more home games so their parents won't have to drive them back and forth long distances to play away games, and that they'll be able to train more of the year. Like basketball, soccer is growing and growing in Melbourne's east. Providing more people the opportunity to play the beautiful game will be a great benefit to the local community and to all the people who are involved in the club—people like George Petheriotis, the president, and Scott Findlay, who advocated so strongly for this much-needed upgrade. Both those commitments are taking place with support from the respective local councils—in particular Sparks Reserve, which has a commitment from Whitehorse council. They're at the stage where contracts are being signed. Those election commitments are progressing, and I look forward to seeing and following each stage of delivery.

We were also able to support some of our local arts organisations. We've got the Warrandyte arts and mechanics institute, located in the northern part of my electorate. They took me for a tour of their pottery studio, which is located in the old Warrandyte firehouse. This was one of the visits that illustrated how much need there was in the community for local investments. The back of the firehouse is made of wood and had been eaten by termites—so there were holes in the walls. As I was walking around with them, there were holes in the floor—I was a little bit afraid that my leg would go through—and that made a pretty good argument for making an investment in this space. They use the front of the old firehouse—a beautiful heritage-listed stone building—as their pottery studio. I was lucky enough to visit recently with the minister for infrastructure, Catherine King, and see the pottery group in action. They made some beautiful pieces that were drying in the kiln.

As well as, importantly, providing a creative outlet, it provides an opportunity for people to get together, talk about any issues they may be having in their lives, reduce social isolation and feel part of the wonderful Warrandyte arts community, which is very active. They hold regular plays, but they also hold all kinds of activities. They hold life-drawing classes. They've been trying to twist my arm to be a life-drawing model for a little bit, but I've been refusing them—it may not be the best move for a political career! But they're wonderful, active members of the community, and I'd like to acknowledge all the hard work of people like Grant Purdy, Bruce Turner, Marion Cooper and Andrea McMahon for their work with Warrandyte arts and their important advocacy in securing an investment of over $187,000 to upgrade the old Warrandyte firehouse.

Another electoral commitment that we've been able to make is to the five-ways intersection in Warrandyte which borders my good friend the member for Deakin's electorate. That is a $25 million commitment for planning and early works. Anyone who's been around to that intersection knows it's one of the most dangerous intersections in the electorate. It had a pretty high speed limit, with blind corners around school drop-off and pick-up areas. Around peak hour, it gets pretty congested, and people take some pretty dicey turns when the road is really busy. So this is a much-needed and overdue investment. Consultation in collaboration with the Victorian state government is now complete, with the local community being really invested in the outcome of this project. Many residents have shared their safety concerns about this notorious intersection. One of the positive outcomes from this already is that the speed limit in the area has been lowered to 60 kays an hour. We'll continue to work with the Victorian government to deliver on this important commitment.

One of the local commitments that I'm most proud of is the Box Hill Medicare mental health hub. We know that the mental health system has a lot of gaps in it. I'd like to get to a stage, as I've said before, where mental health is treated the same as physical health. When I speak to young people in my electorate, I hear a lot that mental health is one of the highest priorities for them. There's a missing middle in the mental health system for people whose conditions aren't so severe that they may need to go to hospital as an inpatient but are severe enough that they can't be managed. As well as that, we hear about long waiting lists to see counsellors. As you may know, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker Freelander, there are times when people won't put their hand up to go and see a counsellor or put their hand up to go and see a psychologist until their mental health reaches quite a severe stage. That delay of a few months or even weeks in being able to access help—let alone any cost barriers—means that some people may not get the help they need when they need it. A Medicare mental health hub will mean that there are free, walk-in, accessible mental health supports when people need them. I was really proud to announce that with Assistant Minister McBride. Work is now underway to establish that hub. I was out doorknocking on the weekend, letting people know about it. It's an investment in the local community that people have really welcomed. It's expected by the community to open late this year.

I was also proud to support some of our local community festivals with a $200,000 commitment, and those festivals have now been delivered. Just last month, I had the privilege of welcoming Minister Aly, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, to the Manningham Chinese New Year Festival. This was the inaugural version of the festival, held in Jackson Court in Doncaster East—a wonderful local shopping strip and a great venue for our latest Chinese New Year festival. I live quite close to that area. I am someone who grew up in the area; we always used to go into the city in order to celebrate Chinese New Year. The fact that we can do this in our suburbs now really does mean a lot to me. It's good to see people being able to celebrate Chinese culture but also share that culture with the wider community. So I'm very grateful to the Jackson Court Traders Association and to President Con, whom I saw on the day of the festival. People commented that they hadn't seen Jackson Court so alive. There were lion dancers. There were stalls. The colour red was everywhere. There was the opportunity to do calligraphy. There were traditional Chinese musical instruments and a lot of different ways in which the local community could experience Chinese culture, including enjoying some delicious local food, and I think that's something that a lot of people enjoy. So I was very proud to be able to deliver that.

As well as that, we saw the Box Hill Chinese New Year Festival delivered. That's been running for a long time and it's become a real staple of the cultural calendar, not just locally but on a much broader scale. I think it's one of the best Chinese New Year festivals that we now have in Melbourne. Over 100,000 people get through there. It recognises not just Chinese culture; now there's also Korean culture and Vietnamese culture. Similarly, we were able to see some fantastic lion dances and traditional performances. I'm grateful to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister Wong, for visiting that festival and sharing it with my local community. I'd also like to acknowledge all of the hard work of the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse. Bihong Wang, Richard Shi, Charley, Shaun and Tim and all the volunteers put in so much work. The festivals always go off without a hitch and look flawless and get bigger and bigger every year, but I know that's because of a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, so full credit to the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse.

As well as that, we're also providing things at a national scale which are delivering for people in my electorate of Menzies. Of course, we went to the election promising that we would increase bulk-billing rates, making the biggest investment ever in Medicare in its 40-year history, and this is one of the areas in which we've been able to deliver most in terms of health care. Recent data shows that bulk-billing rates have increased to 81.4 per cent nationwide. This represents the largest quarterly increase in over 20 years outside of the pandemic period, and that's just since November, when the new bulk-billing measures came into effect.

There are now more than 3,400 bulk-billing practices across Australia and more than 96 per cent of Australians live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing clinic. We know that primary health care is the most efficient form of health care. It's the most affordable and the cheapest form of health care, because if we address health issues sooner, then we know that they won't get worse and they won't cause a bigger cost in terms not only of the healthcare system but also of making sure that people are able to keep working and being productive members of the community. So this is an investment not just in health but in all Australian workers and all Australian families being able to access the health care they need when they need it. In my electorate, that's already yielded huge results in the last three months. Ten new bulk-billing clinics have opened in Menzies. This brings the total to 26, which is an increase of 67 per cent. This is affordable health care when people need it.

One of the other areas in which we've been able to deliver is $25 scripts for PBS listed medications. This is the lowest cost for PBS medications in 20 years. This is just another way in which we're making sure that people are treating their conditions early and they're getting the health care they need early, when they can manage it themselves, and we're also helping with cost-of-living relief, because we recognise that there has been pressure on the household budgets of Australian families and we want to make sure that we're addressing that.

I'm proud to be part of a government that's delivering for my community and delivering for everyday Australians. I commend this bill to the House.

Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia's budget is too exposed to global fossil fuel shocks and too soft on capturing a fair return from our own natural resources. The war involving Iran and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz is a brutal reminder that energy security is national security and that price shocks overseas hit Australian households, freight, food and inflation at home.

If Australians are being asked to absorb the pain of global instability then gas exporters exploiting Australian resources should be paying more back to the Australian public. That means reforming the petroleum resource rent tax properly, and it means seriously considering a 25 per cent export tax on LNG exports as a budget repair and resilience measure. The deeper point is that renewable energy and a renewable economy are not just climate policies; they directly translate to economic security and national resilience.

As we're here talking about an appropriation budget, we need to talk about those aspects. Australia remains dangerously exposed to imported oil shocks. Our fuel system still depends heavily on liquid fuels, and the government's own stockholding framework only requires private industry to hold minimum days of supply. If government supports fuel security it must also support the transition to lower-emissions transport, because lower-emissions transport is itself part of energy security.

The current conflict involving Iran has shown exactly why. Around one-fifth of global oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and the International Energy Agency has warned that the present disruption poses a major threat to the global economy. Petrol and diesel spikes do not stay at the bowser. They ripple through freight, groceries, construction, business costs and inflation. That is how an overseas conflict lands directly in the Australian household budget.

An electrified transport sector, including heavy vehicles, is critical to immunising ourselves against uncontrollable and unpredictable international crises. At the same time, our tax system gives Australians a rotten deal on our main resource: gas. The PRRT is far too weak. The 90 per cent deductions cap should be reduced to, at a minimum, 80 per cent. Exemptions and excessive deductions have allowed huge export volumes and huge profits to generate far too little public revenue. Ordinary Australians are exposed to every international oil shock, but multinational exporters exploiting finite Australian resources do not return a fair share to the Australian people.

First, reform the PRRT so it actually works as a resource rent tax, not a permission slip for minimal returns. Reduce the deductions cap from 90 per cent to 80 per cent. Remove the seven-year exemption. Tighten uplift. Carry forward integrity rules. Increase transparency and crack down on profit shifting.

Second, it is well past time for us to apply a 25 per cent LNG export tax. Australians own these resources. Australians should receive a better dividend for them.

Third, at a time when Australians are already exposed to global oil shocks and rising transport costs, the last thing this country should be doing is making it harder for people to switch to electric vehicles. If we are serious about cutting emissions, improving fuel security and bringing down long-term household costs, we should be accelerating the shift away from petrol dependence, not putting new obstacles in the way. An EV is not just a cleaner car. It's a small piece of national resilience, because it does not draw on those fuel reserves.

What makes this worse is a contradiction that is now coming out of the government's position. It cannot claim to support cleaner transport and lower emissions whilst simultaneously floating new taxes on EVs and winding back incentives that help people make the switch. Today it's been reported that the Albanese government is considering introducing an EV tax in the form of a road user charge, beginning with electric vehicles. It's poor policy design. At a time when Australia's emissions are not declining quickly enough and households are already under pressure from fuel price volatility, introducing a new EV tax that targets only electric vehicles sends a wrong signal and risks slowing down that uptake, undermining efforts to reduce transport emissions whilst completely leaving off the hook those high-polluting, high-fuel used cars.

A well-designed road user charge could be a sensible long-term reform. I don't deny that. However, it should be applied fairly across all road users, with a structure that ensures that higher-emitting vehicles pay a greater share of the cost—in particular, those heavy-duty utes and American vehicles that are dangerous on our roads. If Australia wants genuine resilience in the face of global instability, transport reform must make sense from end to end,. That means stronger EV incentives and better charging infrastructure. Keep fringe benefit tax incentives for EVs. Consider exempting EVs from the luxury car tax and give a clear recognition that renewable power transport is not just a climate policy; it is economic security policy, too.

The war involving Iran has exposed a hard truth: Australia is still too vulnerable to crises we do not control. We cannot keep running a budget that socialises the pain of global oil shocks while privatising the gains from Australian gas exports. Budget repair, fuel security and climate action should not be treated as separate debates. They are the same debate because, in the end, the strongest shield against global fossil fuel chaos is this: a renewable energy system, a renewable economy and an Australia less dependent on the volatility of other countries' wars. It's very clear that wind and sun cannot be stopped by geopolitical oil shocks and cannot be stopped by wars. Yet we're not hearing anything from the opposition in this debate in terms of sensible policy of how we can actually maximise that fuel use. We're hearing a lot in this place about concerns of shortages but not much, when the opportunities are there, about actually prioritising where those fuel supplies should be going.

If we facilitate and accelerate a transition of passenger car transport away from fuel use and to renewables and EVs, we do then prioritise the precious commodity of fuel that we import to be used for those industries that still require it—farming and those areas of industry that have no choice. We import 90 per cent of our fuel to Australia. A vast majority of that is coming from refineries offshore. We are highly vulnerable, and so it is incredibly concerning that what is coming out at the moment from this government, in anticipation of the budget, is a mixed message.

So I urge the government that, if we are looking at budget repair and we're looking at appropriation, we have to be really clear about what is in Australia's long-term interest and make sure that policies match that.

Matt Gregg (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026 and related bills. Like every appropriation bill, it is about priorities—the choices we're making as a government to tackle the big challenges and seize the opportunities before us as a country. But it also means changes and opportunities at a local level, so I'll begin by talking about things happening locally in my electorate of Deakin, and then I'll go to some of the broader economic initiatives seen in these documents.

Locally in Deakin, I'm proud to say we've now got the Croydon Primary School gym, which I discussed here only a couple of weeks ago. That's now open. We're working on the Croydon Main Street Revitalisation, which is now underway. That's supported by a $7.5 million investment from the Albanese Labor government. To give you a bit of a picture, picture an outer suburban area, very mid-century infrastructure and design, and pavements that aren't exactly what you'd call even when you're trying to use wheels on them. This project is updating and revitalising facilities that a fantastic community deserves so that people who are using walkers and things like that don't need to trip over. They're very practical but also great visual changes for a growing part of our electorate, with that beautiful revitalisation.

That's also complementing the Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct, which is just a short walk from there as part of a very open, walkable experience, where we'll have new performance and event spaces, meeting spaces, a new library and fantastic facilities for local community groups. That is also backed by a separate $5 million investment by the Albanese Labor government. That's part of a new multipurpose hub, which is space for sports clubs and community groups and is backed by a $7.5 million grant from the Albanese government. So there's been really heavy investment by the Albanese Labor government in the fantastic community out there in Croydon, who are getting the updated facilities they very much deserve and have needed for a long while. No longer will we be taking a journey into the time tunnel and seeing what facilities looked like 50 years ago. We will finally have the facilities our community groups very much need as they continue to grow and thrive.

Another fantastic project now open is Forest Hill Reserve's redevelopment project. This was advocated for in 2022, when I was the candidate for Deakin. I was very, very happy to see this opened up after being elected as a member of parliament. Finally, in the 21st century, we have female-friendly change rooms. That's something we might take for granted in a lot of parts of the world, but certainly in my electorate, for a long while, if you had gone to many sports facilities and looked for the female bathroom, you would have realised there isn't one. We've been working on that for a little while now, and, finally, this great facility will have a brand-new female-friendly change room with unisex amenities as well, plenty of room for everyone, a refurbished social room, an upgraded kitchen, referee facilities and improved public toilets as well. I really want to thank the Forest Hill Football Netball Club and the Forest Hill Cricket Club, who have both worked together really well in advocating for those projects.

Another bit of work we're doing is the North Ringwood Reserve Pavilion redevelopment. That has been announced. That's a $2 million investment, and we'll be building a two-storey, very accessible pavilion with female change rooms, an elevated multipurpose space and a new viewing area for spectators as well. We're bringing these things into the 21st century so we can actually have inclusive clubs and as many people as possible playing sport without feeling like they need to get changed in their car in the car park, which has sadly been the reality for many individuals, particularly women, for far too long.

Another exciting development is the Nunawading Basketball centre, which serves our area as well. It's close to the member for Menzies seat, as well as the member for Chisholm's. That is a $45 million investment and a fantastic new facility. Young people are playing basketball at levels that certainly are unfamiliar to me as someone from the many generations of just football and cricket, but that has received huge take-up and is engaging a lot of communities. We're expanding that to really just reflect demand that's been there, pent up for years, to make sure it's serving as many people as possible. That will be something we'll hopefully get a little bit more support from the Victorian state government on, if possible, as soon as possible. The centre, like many things in our part of the world in our outer suburbs, is ageing. The funding will deliver more courts, better and more accessible facilities and more space for people of all ages to play basketball, as well as netball and other sports.

If I go onto the broader picture for what this means for Australia, in health care the maximum co-payment for medications on the PBS has now gone down to the lowest level it's been since 2004, 22 years ago. That is, of course, in addition to the freeze of the price for those on healthcare cards, which has been frozen by this government so people aren't, as has sadly become too common, getting prescribed something by their doctor and not feeling like they can afford to pay for it, missing out on the benefits of those medications. This makes things a little bit easier for those people, particularly those who have to go on multiple medications simultaneously, because that can be very expensive.

We've also seen the single largest investment in Medicare in over 40 years, $8.5 billion, delivering more bulk-billing around Australia. That is 12 fully bulk-billed clinics available to the people of Deakin. That's 12 of 3,400 around Australia, so, finally, that Medicare card is doing what we all expect it to do, and people can go to the doctor when they need health care and ensure that they're not going to lose a heap of money, adding to their concerns at this time. A lot of people were missing out on essential health care because they simply could not afford it, and this important work around Medicare means that we're finally able to return Medicare back to its original promise. It's something I—and, I think, everyone in the government—is incredibly proud of. Despite the naysayers, this has been successful. Doctors have realised that this makes economic sense. They have started offering these services, and it continues to expand over time as the economics really stacks up on this.

As was noted by the member for Menzies, investing in primary health is essential. We see hospital waiting lists. We see full emergency rooms and things like that. Investing in primary health is a fantastic investment. If we can deal with things early, before they get out of hand and before hospitals are required, it's the best bang for buck you can get in the healthcare system, so it's incredibly important work. I know that the mission of strengthening Medicare continues. We've got a minister for health and ageing who is absolutely dedicated to making sure that Medicare continues to fulfil its promise and benefit Australians around the country. That record funding is in addition to record funding in hospitals. We've got a new hospitals deal, providing an additional $25 billion in Commonwealth funds to support hospitals in Australia, which is going to make a huge difference. That deal with the states has been a long time coming, but it's something we can all be incredibly proud of—to make sure that the hospitals continue to serve patients with the quality of care that they deserve.

Another exciting aspect of the agenda, reflected in these appropriation bills, is housing, after years of neglect from governments, federal and state. Traditionally, housing was not part of the federal government's role, but we've now got a problem 40 years in the making that has reached such a scale that it can only be dealt with by a Commonwealth government, and this Commonwealth government has stepped into the game. We are seeing investments from a $45 billion plan focused on three things—building more homes, making it easier to buy a home and making it better for renters. More than 570,000 homes have been built since Labor was elected.

There is more to do. There's an ambitious target of 1.2 million—a fantastic aspiration—and we continue to work for it. Even as challenges around Iran and supply chain issues come up, the focus on making sure supply is there is really addressing the root cause of the problem: demand versus supply. We need more and more supply. We need to continue on that relentless mission to ensure that we actually have enough houses for the people in Australia and that we can also deal with the very significant issue of price. This has been a supply-and-demand imbalance decades in the making. It's finally something that is being dealt with at a Commonwealth level. It really is going to be something that addresses one of the great intergenerational inequities that we're seeing. The ability to get your own home and have that sense of security is something that is invaluable to people and something that young people—people of my generation—felt was elusive. So these investments are incredibly significant and actually make that dream possible.

That's not to mention the work around the five per cent deposit scheme. Again, five per cent is still a significant bit of savings. You cannot be financially undisciplined and save five per cent of the current price of a house. Five per cent of $800,000, five per cent of $1 million, is still a lot of money to save. It is highlighting the financial prudence—the very reason we have deposits—as well as giving people a shot and actually making that dream possible. If you're saving for years and years for a deposit, that's time where you're going to struggle to rent or it's extra time you're going to have to stay at home. Saving that huge deposit has proven impossible for so many people—and not just people on the lower income scale. People who are on a pretty good wicket will, understandably, struggle to save a 20 per cent deposit for a home with contemporary prices, which have continued to, really, in my part of the world, double every decade. It's something that has been an important initiative, and it's been taken up by many people in my community. About 907 people in my electorate of Deakin have taken advantage of the five per cent deposit scheme. That is life-changing stuff and something they're incredibly grateful for. It's also a really important piece of reform to make sure that we're addressing that intergenerational issue of housing.

After a decade, we saw—I think the Commonwealth government built about 373 houses, something that does not reflect the scale of the problem at all. I hear debates in some state parliaments—'Do we build here or there?' Really, the answer is both. We need to build a lot of homes. The scale of the problem is huge, so we need to be considering all ideas of how we go about it. Rezoning, building in activity centres in the suburbs and building in the cities are not mutually exclusive. We have to have a solution that reflects the scale of the problem. 'Build, baby, build' would be my approach to this!

Finally, governments are seeing the light on this. They realise that this is going to be key to fairness. It is going to be key for social mobility. It's going to be key for health. The roof over your head is one of the most foundational needs of human beings. Finally, we are addressing these priority issues, and it's fantastic to see the work being done by the Australian government in making a real difference to people's lives not only in my community of Deakin but around Australia.

Jobs and wages is another area. Again, this all connects with the cost of living. Since the election of the Albanese Labor government, 1.2 million jobs have been created. That is an incredible record. Our reforms have got the enterprise bargaining system working again. Now, about 2.65 million Australians are covered by an enterprise agreement. That's an arrangement negotiated between workers and their employers, terms and conditions that suit the parties involved, rather than a generic award. This is something that is suitable not only for the industry but for the individual employer. We know that, when we can get rid of disputation and actually come to agreement and an accord between workers and those who employ them, that gets better outcomes for both. It is the best model to ensure fairness for workers at the same time as addressing opportunities for productivity, because we know that, really, the workforce and the economy don't work well when industrial policy is defined by a race to the bottom on wages. No-one wins from that. It's actually anti the productivity we very much need. If it's all too easy to get a competitive advantage just by short-changing your employees, you're not innovating; you're not coming up with new ideas; you're not changing what you're doing to do things better. You're simply saying, 'Well, I can make more profit if I spend less on this input'—that input being a human being who's doing the work. So it's really important to see the enterprise agreement system working as intended, and I'm pleased to see that the changes made continue to support that model.

We're also seeing a government that is actually dedicated to increasing the wages of those on the lowest amounts, a government that is willing to support increases to those on the minimum wage—people who we know are doing it tough, people who are really facing the brunt of this cost-of-living challenge that so many of us are facing—a government that actually wants to see workers doing better. It's not a deliberate design feature of our economic architecture to see wages go down. We want workers to share in the prosperity that we are going to be building together. We also want to support business in increasing productivity. That doesn't mean lowballing wages. It means doing things better. It means innovating. It means investing in research and development. We are focusing on what will build productivity—not the shortcut, not the short-changing. We need to be focused on what is going to make our economy work and tick for the decades to come.

That's also connected with the initiatives we're doing around superannuation boosting the low-income superannuation offset—or LISTO, as almost no-one knows it as—from $310 to $810 and raising the eligibility threshold from $37,000 to $45,000 from 1 January 2027. In layman's terms, it simply means that the taxation of superannuation isn't antiquated. Paying more for having money in super than not would make no sense. It's keeping up with the reality of our tax system and also ensuring that the benefit of tax cuts for, particularly, low- and middle-income people are being fully enjoyed. This is going to benefit about around 1.3 million people, and it could mean a benefit of around $15,000 to a lot of individuals. Of course, that depends on their income over their career.

The payday super reforms as well are going to make a huge difference. For an average 25-year-old worker, in their retirement balance on the compound interest alone—that compound interest being the magic underwriting superannuation—they're going to see an extra $6,000, or equivalent to that, in their accounts by the time they go to retire. It also clamps down on unpaid superannuation, which the ATO estimated to be around $6.25 billion in the most recent financial year data. So it's addressing a very real problem. Earned wages—money that has been earned by workers not being paid to them. This is recovering money that's really been taken from workers through no fault of their own—sometimes not deliberately but certainly in a way that is incredibly significant and needed to be addressed. So those are incredibly important reforms.

In education, the Albanese Labor government has wiped 20 per cent off the HECS debts of thousands of Australians, including 24,000 in Deakin, and over 3.2 million around the country are now better off under those reforms. We've also got a new schools agreement which is going to see the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement increasing money to public schools by a huge amount. That's worth about $16.5 billion over the next 10 years.

So, in all areas of public policy, the Albanese Labor government is focused on the cost of living, ensuring that we're increasing the social mobility of our community and making sure that tomorrow continues to be better than yesterday.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.