Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I recently visited Shepparton in the beautiful electorate of Nicholls for the northern forum of the Country Labor Executive, also known as the CLX. It reinforced why Labor matters in the regions and why regional communities deserve a fair go. A fair go isn't just a phrase for Labor; it is absolutely our foundation. Born in regional Australia and forged in the shearers' strikes, ours is a movement built on working people standing together for a fair go. Built in union halls and trades councils like the Goulburn Valley Trades & Labour Council, where we gathered in Shepparton, Labor's strength has always come from collectivism—Australian workers organising for change.

At CLX we heard directly from locals about housing, skills, industry and health care, and I was really proud to be able to get up and say that Labor doesn't just listen—it delivers. In Nicholls 1,726 people have bought their first home with the five per cent deposit through our expanded Home Guarantee Scheme. In Mallee, my old stomping ground, 1,547 have bought their first home, and in Indi 1,289 people have gotten into their first home. That is not just a headline; that is keys in doors. We're funding new social and affordable homes in Shepparton.

Across regional Victoria more than 35,000 free TAFE enrolments are building skills locally. It's also easier to see a GP, with over half the clinics in Indi, Mallee and Nicholls now bulk-billing. Indi is at 51 per cent. In Mallee it's 53 per cent. In Nicholls it is 61 per cent. That's thanks to the $8.5 billion investment into Medicare. Thousands of apprentices are training in our regions, backed by direct support. We've extended the home batteries initiative to help households keep down power bills.