Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on this budget tonight, the first Labor budget in many years. As the Treasurer said in his budget speech, the budget is:

A coherent package of reforms based on four principles: honouring our commitments; delivering for working families; investing in the future; and beginning the new era of economic responsibility we need, to sustain growth in challenging times.

It also addresses the pressures many people are facing today. Our $55 billion Working Families Support Package will help those finding it hard to balance the family budget. The $55 billion package comprises targeted initiatives in tax, child care, education, housing and other essential components of household budgets.

The Rudd Labor government, contrary to the comments of many members opposite, have not forgotten the valuable contribution made to our community by older Australians and are committed to making sure that seniors can make ends meet. To assist with the cost of household bills, we have seen an increase in the utilities allowance from $107.20 per year to $500 per year, with annual indexation, and we have also seen the telephone allowance increased from $88 to $132 per year for those with an internet connection. Finally, the seniors concession allowance has been increased from $218 per year to $500 per year, with annual indexation, to assist those self-funded retirees with Commonwealth seniors health cards. These payments will also now be paid quarterly to make sure that the money is there when the household bills arrive. An additional $1.4 billion in lump sum payments will be made to eligible seniors by 30 June 2008, a $500 bonus which will be provided to every Australian in receipt of an income support payment over age pension age or veteran service pension qualifying age and to recipients of the seniors concession allowance, mature age allowance, partner allowance, widow allowance, widow pension and wife pension. That means that this budget supports pensioners, ensuring that they are at least $400 better off per year, and many by as much as $900.

I want to endorse the comments of many other government members in speaking to the budget and concentrate on what it means for my electorate of Hasluck. The electorate of Hasluck will benefit from this year’s Rudd government budget not only because we have delivered on our election promises but also because this budget is looking to the future. As I indicated, the budget commences an era of strategic investment to meet the challenges of the future. We have talked about the $20 billion Building Australia Fund to help with infrastructure and creating capacity; the $11 billion for the Education Investment Fund to fund capital expenditure in higher education institutions; and, of course—critically, I believe—the $10 billion for the Health and Hospitals Fund to finance the renewal and refurbishment of the nation’s hospitals and to fund major medical research facilities and projects. The government has already done more to address climate change in six months of office than the previous government did in over a decade. The budget continues to fund measures to tackle climate change—measures to reduce greenhouse emissions, invest in renewable energy and assist industry and the community to meet this fundamental environmental and economic challenge.

I am especially pleased that, as part of this year’s expenditure, the Rudd Labor government will contribute $13.9 million to help make Perth a solar city, the first in WA. The Rudd government will work with the East Metropolitan Regional Council—including my own local Hasluck councils of the City of Swan and the Shire of Kalamunda—as well as with the Western Australian government to harness Perth’s sunshine and deliver climate change solutions. The key elements of the initiative include: community engagement; social marketing; home energy assessments and smart metering; access for a range of participants including owner-occupiers and public and private tenants; solar and energy efficiency technologies; innovative financing and production subsidies; demonstration projects, including commercial buildings, public facilities and schools; an expansion strategy to move to a self-funding second phase; and an ongoing monitoring strategy to monitor results, through Murdoch University and Western Power’s data management consultants.

The Rudd Labor government values this project. It has a strong community focus and will include both new and existing homes and owner-occupier and rental properties. The project will also include an education component, with funding for 20 schools to participate as ‘solar schools’. It is estimated that more than 6,000 homes and businesses will participate in the trial. Project proponents believe that the Perth Solar City Project will deliver greenhouse gas emission reductions of more than 15,000 tonnes—equivalent to taking 3½ thousand large vehicles off the road—and cut energy use equivalent to the needs of 3,200 homes. I am delighted with this initiative and I look forward to working with the East Metropolitan Regional Council and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts to see the Perth Solar City Project come to life later this year.

Another exciting project for me is the Swan River Regional Park. The Swan River Regional Park redevelopment will receive funding of $930,000 from the Rudd Labor government. This contribution is part of a five-year, $10 million project which will develop the Swan riverside park as an environmental, recreational and cultural showpiece for both the Swan region and the state of Western Australia. I am pleased to say that this project also received the support of the former member for Hasluck. It is an outstanding project and both parties committed to ensuring that the Swan River Regional Park project got off the ground. I want to congratulate the City of Swan for working with the local community and local community groups to develop this project and for securing support from a number of stakeholders, including the state government and agencies such as Lotterywest, which has also made a contributing funding announcement of $465,700 for the development. The funding will go towards constructing riverside paths and walkways on the 100-hectare site, interpretive signage and restoration works for local wetlands. Not only will the Swan River Regional Park development provide local residents with improved recreational facilities; it will also restore important wetlands like the Blackadder Creek area and provide training opportunities for local Indigenous youth. The project is forecast to attract up to 180,000 visitors to the park and generate an additional $12 million for the regional economy each year.

In the time I have left to speak, I want to touch on a few other initiatives in my electorate of Hasluck. The federal Labor government will invest $5 million towards the creation of a GP superclinic in Midland to improve access to services and take pressure off local public hospitals. Midland has been chosen for a GP superclinic because of the doctor shortages in the area. Co-locating specialist services and allied health services with GPs will enable patients to seamlessly access the range of health services they need to improve their health. I will be working in close consultation with local doctors and the Perth Primary Care Network, as well as the Western Australian government, to finalise the suite of services to be located at the Midland GP clinic.

There are also some community safety initiatives that I think warrant mention. The government has made funds of up to $1½ million available to the City of Gosnells, the City of Swan and the Shire of Kalamunda to boost local crime prevention efforts. Funded measures will respond to hooning, graffiti and other criminal activity on local streets in Gosnells, Thornlie, High Wycombe, Midland and the like. They will address antisocial and criminal behaviour around local shopping centres, parks and train stations. I look forward to working with those local councils to see Labor’s Safer Suburbs Plan given effect and provide some much needed funding to some excellent initiatives in my local area.

The last subject I want to touch on tonight is the need for greater funding for local sporting infrastructure. Nobody doubts the benefit of sport and recreation to our community, and everybody must acknowledge the wonderful contribution made to the community by the volunteers that staff, manage and run most of our local sporting organisations. I am particularly pleased that in my own home state of Western Australia the state government has a fund known as the Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund. This is a magnificent fund, though it requires, I would have to say to the Western Australian government, a substantial increase in state government funding. It provides a pool of funding for local councils and local sporting groups to be able to partner on improved local sporting facilities. It generally operates on the basis of a third, a third and a third—one-third from the local sporting club, one-third from the Western Australian government and one-third from the local government concerned.

Through this fund in Western Australia, ably supported by some assistance from the Rudd Labor government to the particular sporting clubs concerned, we have seen money for the Gosnells Bowling Club to ensure synthetic greens and address a number of water issues related to the use of the current bowling greens. I will be doing my best to lobby the state government to ensure that they recognise the benefits of this project. The fund will see $125,000 go towards assisting the shire and the Western Australian government to put in approved standard lighting at the Forrestfield United Soccer Club facilities. Last but by no means least, the fund will see $200,000 go towards the Ray Owen Sports Centre in Lesmurdie, where they are undertaking substantial renovations to their centre. They host a number of sports up there, not the least of which is basketball. In fact, it is the place where the under-16 Australian basketball championships are due to be held in July. I think it is terrific to see assistance go to areas like these where we know the community benefits from that infrastructure, and I am sure it will be gratefully received by the magnificent volunteers who operate and manage those clubs. In closing, I congratulate the Treasurer and the cabinet on what I think is a terrific budget for Australia.

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