Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very happy to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No.1) 2020-21 and highlight the impact that this budget will have in my electorate of Curtin. 2020 has been a year none of us will forget. We didn't expect it, but we won't forget it. Tragically, lives have been lost, businesses closed, jobs lost and families separated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic we are experiencing the most extreme economic crisis since the Great Depression and the Australian economy has entered its first recession in almost 30 years.

While Australia's performance on the health and economic front has been better than many other developed countries, the global economic environment remains uncertain, with the impact of this crisis likely to be felt for many years to come. But Australians are resilient. I have spoken previously in this place of the resilience of the people in my electorate of Curtin. The can-do, buckle-down attitude alongside the strong community ties we all share have been tested this year. But, rather than being frayed, they have, if anything, been strengthened.

Australia's better placed than many countries to recover, because of the health and economic measures that have been implemented since the pandemic first hit our shores. Since the onset of COVID, the government has committed $507 billion, or 25.6 per cent of GDP, in overall economic support, which has kept Australians safe, protected jobs and ensured that Australia is in a very strong position upon which to base its economic recovery.

Some of the actions already taken have had a direct impact on my local community. The government's JobKeeper payment has supported 6,700 businesses in Curtin, supporting them through the pandemic and keeping them connected to their employees. Ian Belton, the managing director of Caterlink, a third-generation family-run company in my electorate, managed to keep their 30 employees employed because of JobKeeper. Ian said, 'We were flying through a storm and the government assistance has been one of the strategies we are using to extend our runway so that we have a safe landing.' JobKeeper has also supported Creative.adm. Run by Marty Shearwood, Creative have been supported by the JobKeeper payments, allowing them to keep their 11 staff in work. Marty told me, 'The JobKeeper wage subsidy gave us the confidence we needed to retain our staff, to boost team morale and, most importantly, ensure we could provide a consistent level of service to our clients as they dealt with their own COVID-19-related issues.'

The cash flow boost has helped around 6,000 small and medium businesses in my electorate of Curtin. Glen from my local cafe Deli Chicchi in Mount Claremont had this to say: 'The government measures have helped us when our business had to close to sit-down diners because of the restrictions. In fact, one of the biggest help provided has been the boost in cash flow measure. At the point at which these payments came through, I was just about to have to remortgage or close my doors. It, along with the JobKeeper payments, kept my staff in jobs, allowed the business to keep going and helped me to pay my small independent suppliers.'

The instant asset write-off was equally welcomed by many businesses. For example, the owners of the Floreat Market the Herdsman Market in my electorate, who employ 140 people, used the instant asset write-off to build up additional facilities. Anthony Pullella, one of the owners, told me: 'Through the insignificant asset write-off we were able to improve our kitchen facilities up at our store. Because of this larger kitchen, demand for our meals has increased and we are actively looking for a new chef and kitchen hands. We also upgraded our IT system to streamline our proceeds to be more efficient, installing new checkouts for faster service, better reporting systems and faster to use. We are proud people, proud of our quality and service, and, through the asset write-off, we've been able to afford these changes, which will kick our business into a great space for the next decade.'

The supplement for age pensioners saw about 9,000 age pensioners in Curtin received payments of $750 in April and in July. Over 300 carers in Curtin also received this benefit. George Bowden, a constituent in my electorate, said this: 'The first $750 payments were such a help. It doesn't sound like much but it went so far in helping with the weekly shop, especially when it was hard to find the cheaper essentials, and it assisted with other household costs like care insurance.' And 4,864 individuals in Curtin have received the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement, which was added to provide additional support throughout this crisis.

The people in my electorate have been overwhelmingly positive about the measures taken to date by this government. This bill, outlining the 2020-21 budget, continues to build on those measures. It's one which provides a way forward, a path of hope and encouragement. Of course the 66,000 taxpayers in Curtin and the 1.2 million taxpayers across WA who are going to benefit from the tax relief are pleased with this measure. They earned their money. They know what they want to spend it on, and we're going to allow them to do it. Importantly, we're also going to continue to provide much needed transitional support to those in need. For example, our aged pensioners and our carers will receive a further $250 payment in December, and then again in March next year.

Above all of these, it's the measures that go to supporting jobs and job growth and the underpinnings of our economy which are going to benefit the people in Curtin, both throughout the coming very difficult times we are about to face and into the future. There are a number of them I want to highlight—and I, like all the other speakers, will probably run out of time, so I'll do my best. The first category of measures that I want to address are those targeted at small business. In Curtin there are close to 25,000 small and medium-sized businesses across a vast range of industries and professions. There are a number of initiatives supporting them directly. The two which I know will be of great interest to the Curtin businesses are the extension of the instant asset write-off and the loss carry-back initiative.

Given how successful the earlier version of the instant asset write-off has been, I've no doubt that the extended version will be fully embraced. This will allow businesses with a turnover of less than $5 billion to immediately write off the full value of eligible assets that they purchase for their business. As I said, the first tranche of the instant asset write-off was embraced by businesses in my electorate. This one will be again. Secondly, complementing this measure, if a business paid income tax in 2019 and then incurs a tax loss in 2020, the tax from 2019 will be refunded. I know many businesses who, because they struggled with the shutdowns this year but otherwise ran a very successful business, will utilise it and will really appreciate the cash flow support this measure will provide.

There are people looking for work throughout Australia. In February 1,981 people in Curtin received JobSeeker. By May that number had, sadly, climbed to 5,297. While the number of people on JobSeeker in my electorate is slowly coming down and is now at about 4,800, this figure shows that there are still many people in Curtin actively looking for work. I want to highlight two key initiatives which will help those in my electorate trying to seek work. The first of those is the JobMaker hiring credit. This is designed to support small businesses and create jobs for young people. Substantial funds are being made available to support small businesses hiring new staff aged between 16 and 35 currently on JobSeeker. The credit will be payable for up to 12 months and will provide for new jobs at a rate of $200 per week for those aged between 16 and 29, and $100 per week for those aged between 30 and 35. The second significant support is the extension of support for apprenticeships, with a new 50 per cent wage subsidy for businesses who employ apprentices or trainees, supporting them and creating 10,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships across Australia. Businesses in my community have already reached out to me to find out details on both of these measures. They want to go out and find new staff members. They love this measure and I know they will embrace it.

Another area of significant interest to the people of Curtin is health. In my electorate we have 11 hospitals, a mix of private and public, which service not only the people in my community but also people all over Perth and Western Australia. Curtin is also the home of many healthcare workers. It's the largest employment sector for people living in my area. To all of you who have been working tirelessly over the last six months, I say: thank you.

This budget delivers record funding of $93.8 billion in 2020-21 for health—an increase of almost 43 per cent since 2014. WA's health funding is increasing by $184 million over last year. The extension of Medicare subsidised telehealth services has enabled over 30 million consultations since the crisis began. I know that access to telehealth was warmly welcomed by patients and doctors in my electorate. I also commend and highlight the $5.7 billion being put into supporting mental health across our nation. Mental health is a vital issue—it's an issue of national importance—and this budget delivers.

Manufacturing is something that, surprisingly, excites me. The Modern Manufacturing Strategy is a stroke of genius. What we are doing here will be significant. It creates jobs and more career and life opportunities for people. Very importantly, it helps support our national sovereignty and security. I have a number of people who work in the areas that are targeted under our manufacturing strategy and I want to highlight one company—Chironix.

Chironix, a company founded by Daniel Milford, is at the forefront of rapid deployment and the management of autonomous robots and digital wearables. This company is playing an important role in the defence and resources sectors by optimising and integrating new software into existing technologies and allowing them to work more effectively. An example of this is the work they're doing on Project Simpson with the US Office of Naval Research. They're going to develop a technology that will significantly improve outcomes for casualties in the field. Project Simpson is named in honour of the Anzac stretcher-bearer Jack Simpson. It will integrate three cutting-edge technologies that will allow a single medic to provide a casualty with lifesaving treatment, monitor key vital signs hands-free and evacuate the casualty to a field hospital.

These sorts of projects are really exciting. They're really the future of advanced manufacturing in Australia. It's these sorts of projects that we'll be targeting under the Modern Manufacturing Strategy.

The people in my electorate care deeply about the environment and the impacts of climate change. They all want energy that is clean and cheap. To this end, the budget's inclusion of $1.9 billion in new funding to support low-emission and renewable technologies has been welcomed. Likewise, the $250 million to modernise our recycling infrastructure and build an improved recycling industry so that we reduce waste and do more of it here is also being embraced in Curtin.

Most of the schools in my electorate have their own dedicated recycling and management programs. There is also a local organisation, Greenbatch, that works with many of the schools to collect plastic waste and turn it into 3D-printing filament. It's an example of the circular economy at work.

I also have to give a shout-out to my local councils, many of whom have stepped up on their local recycling and waste initiatives. The five councils of Mosman Park, Cottesloe, Claremont, Subiaco and Peppermint Grove have joined with Cambridge through the West Metropolitan Regional Council to manage waste. They have done significant work with respect to recycling. Not only do they collect it and invest in it but also they have a vast recycling educational program.

It would be completely remiss of me when talking about environment initiatives to not note the incredible work done by the numerous volunteer organisations in my area that ensure that our natural environment and wildlife are preserved, enhanced and, where necessary, restored. The friends-of groups and the Coastcare groups are simply phenomenal. They do incredible work. Most of it is just taken for granted. I thank them sincerely for that. I also thank them for the time they take in educating and enlightening me about all the things I don't know. I also thank them for frequently challenging me and giving me cause to rethink and reconsider things.

I have other things, but I note that I have only eight seconds left. All I say is that this has been a pretty bad year—I was going to use a word you're not allowed to use—but I know that this budget sets the path ahead. In our future we have to live with hope.

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