Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the appropriation bills. I thank the member for Cowan for that contribution. I do indeed agree with her three key points. Life is of course a series of negotiations, and life is about opportunities and grabbing those opportunities when they are put in front of you. I myself, coming from three generations of factory workers in South Australia—in Elizabeth West, one of the most disadvantaged areas of South Australia—understand, as the member for Cowan does, about taking those opportunities with both hands to propel yourself forward through education. I know you've educated yourself, Member for Cowan, as I have as well throughout my life—to make sure that I took those opportunities, as you did as a young person. We find ourselves here on opposite sides of the chamber but agreeing on many of the points that you raised—including that one on choice, which is a very good one.

Our government is delivering opportunities for Australians through the 2020-21 budget. I will go through some of them now, remembering that the government delivered 1.5 million jobs before the coronavirus hit, that we had 30 years of consecutive growth in this country and that the government brought the budget back to balance for the first time in 11 years. I think we're in a pretty good position, and that's why we have been able to deliver so much for Australians.

The budget delivers many measures worthy of mention. They provide support to the Central Gold Coast and, indeed, to all Australians. The health and wellbeing of the good people of Moncrieff has of course been front of mind during this pandemic. The Morrison government is delivering a world-class health system. This year's record $93.8 billion in health funding has continued our government's strong record on health investment. Over five years the government is investing $134 billion in public hospitals through the 2020-25 National Health Reform Agreement with all states and territories—a 30 per cent increase on the previous five years. Affordable access to medicines is being approved for all Australians through a $376 million measure in this budget for new and amended listings on the PBS. Those in Moncrieff suffering from conditions such as leukaemia, melanoma and Parkinson's disease will benefit. Since October 2013 there have been over 2,400 new and amended listings on the PBS.

Frontline mental health services, including suicide prevention, will be some of the many services delivered through the government's $5.7 billion investment in mental health and wellbeing. In Moncrieff the 10 additional psychology sessions available through Medicare are already making a big difference to Gold Coasters. I note that, because of the extra 10 psychology consultations, students and staff at Southport State School have been able to have a psychologist visit the school two days a week to help young people with their mental health challenges and to counsel their families. This has all been made possible through the extra 10 free consultations that this government has delivered to the Australian people.

Investing in medical research, with the certainty of a 10-year plan, supports research for lifesaving innovations and jobs, which are so important now. The Medical Research Future Fund has reached its target balance of $20 billion. That's quite significant.

The government is simplifying private health insurance and addressing affordability and access. The age limit for dependants is being increased from 24 to 31. There will be no age limit for those with a disability.

Aged-care improvements include $1.6 billion for 23,000 additional home-care packages. The $29.8 million funding increase for the Serious Incident Response Scheme will help to address problems in aged care for older Australians. The $11.3 million provided will connect young people living in residential aged care—the youth the member for Cowan was talking about—to age-appropriate accommodation, which is good news. The government is making a $91.6 million workforce investment as it develops its alternative aged-care funding tool, the Australian National Aged Care Classification.

Those in Moncrieff with a disability and their families will be supported through the Morrison government's guaranteed support for the NDIS. Over 400,000 people across our nation are benefiting from the NDIS. It is being guided by my Gold Coast colleague Minister Robert and supported by the government with a further $3.9 billion. That's half what Gold Coast tourism is worth per year.

Our veterans will be provided with better support through the budget. This includes $94.3 million to improve mental health outcomes for older veterans. There is $7.4 million for the Coordinated Veterans Care Program and Open Arms counselling services. In Moncrieff I have about 3,000 veterans who will benefit from that.

There is $17.7 million of funding over four years for the establishment of the Joint Transition Authority in Defence to support ADF members and their families with transition to civilian life. I've mentioned that I have three RSLs in Moncrieff—Nerang, Southport and Surfers Paradise. There is continued promotion of the skills of ADF personnel to employers, with $6 million for the Prime Minister's Veterans Employment Program. That includes rewards for businesses with initiatives that support veteran employment. We're doing lots for veterans.

Moncrieff students, parents and schools know that our government shares their values on the importance of education, as I talked about before. There is record funding for schools. The budget education measures include $310 billion in total recurrent funding from 2020 to 2030 from the government. There is $146 million for better educational outcomes that will benefit disadvantaged students. These are big numbers.

There is support for the Smith Family's Let's Count program, which helps 120,000 children between the ages of three and five to improve their numeracy skills—very important life skills. There is a $453 million investment in preschool education to extend the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education till the end of next year, 2021. This year the government will pay approximately $9 billion in means-tested childcare subsidy payments.

The JobTrainer Fund will provide the skills for jobs and recovery. By investing $299 million the government will create 12,000 undergraduate Commonwealth supported places by 2021. Fifty thousand higher education short courses will be funded with a $252 million measure. Around 340,000 additional free or low-fee training places will be provided through the $1 billion JobTrainer Fund. Also $18 billion of funding for all higher education institutions, including Griffith University, has been guaranteed by the government in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Superannuation reforms for Australia's compulsory system are important for the retirement incomes of 16 million Australians. Around $3 trillion in retirement savings is managed by industry, and some Australians have been let down the superannuation industry, including through $30 billion worth of fees, which are high by international standards. The government's Your Future, Your Super package will continue the reform of the superannuation system. This will be important for the good people of Moncrieff, to maximise their retirement savings as we go forward.

The Morrison government is continuing to keep the people of Moncrieff, and all Australians, safe through measures such as the $202 million for the 2020 Cyber Security Strategy, $1.7 billion for cybersecurity uplift, $300 million additional funding for the AFP, and bringing forward $1 billion worth of projects to support the Australian defence industry and the wider economy. The Morrison government's $270 billion investment over 10 years delivers on a commitment to invest two per cent of our GDP in defence budget. This is a floor, not a ceiling. The government's commitment contrasts radically with Labor's neglect of the ADF.

While the Morrison government has been cushioning the blow and rebuilding our economy, the Queensland state government's harshly lingering border restrictions have meant that the Gold Coast is one of Australia's hardest-hit local economies, and Surfers Paradise has been whacked for a six. Our much-loved $5 billion tourism industry, population growth, small business, education and construction have historically been what holds us up on the Gold Coast and what drives our growth. In Moncrieff, the pandemic's economic blow has been cushioned by federal government support. One-third, or 10,400, of the small businesses in Moncrieff have been on JobKeeper. Close to 7,700 small and medium businesses in Moncrieff have received the cash flow boost payments. I met last night, on a Zoom call, with those travel agents who are having difficulty at the moment, who tell me that they've been able to access that cash flow boost and JobKeeper has been the only thing keeping them going. I continue to work with them with their plight. In Moncrieff the coronavirus supplement, added to JobSeeker, has assisted 14,374 people, giving them extra support at the height of the crisis. Over 21,500 age pensioners and carers received $750 in April and again in July. They will receive $250 in December and another $250 in March next year.

Additional measures include almost $95 million across the country for exhibiting zoos and aquariums. Sea World in my electorate received some of that funding. It costs $1,000 a week to feed a dolphin, and the federal government has been doing that.

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