Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, just says no to everything and goes down the political path of fear and division because it's all he knows. The Albanese government is getting on with historic reforms to make our country fairer and stronger. These reforms include wage increases for people on the minimum wage and aged care workers; tripling the bulk-billing incentives to save people money when they visit their GP; the opening of Medicare urgent care clinics; cheaper medicines and 60-day dispensing; childcare reform, saving Tasmanian families $2,000 a year; energy bill relief and the transition to investment in renewable energy; fee-free TAFE; a commitment to build 30,000 social and affordable homes; greater investment in Australian manufacturing; the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission; fairer paid parental leave; and aged-care reforms which are bringing dignity back into the aged-care sector.

Unfortunately, we expect that, as usual, Mr Dutton and the opposition will come to Canberra with one word—no—and one setting: anger. That is to be expected. We know the calibre of Mr Dutton. He's the man who vilifies the most marginalised in this country, the man who boycotted the apology to the stolen generation, the man who said his Labor opponent was using her disability as an excuse and the man who joked about sea-level rises in the Pacific. This is the opposition leader. As a government we are working responsibly to take pressure off families and to deliver better wages and conditions for working Australians. The opposition offer nothing positive, just delay and division, which is sad because the Australian people deserve so much better from the opposition.