Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

I'm proud to be part of the Morrison government that is delivering for all Australians. When it comes to this place and what we should be doing as MPs, delivery is what counts, and the Morrison government is delivering in spades. As Australians look at this tough year, 2020, we've seen this global COVID-19 pandemic not just go through Australia but go right around the world. Australians know the Morrison government has kept them safe.

What did the Minister for Health say not too long ago? He said he would introduce universal telehealth. What's been delivered, in relation to universal telehealth? We have 12 million people who have accessed 40 million services and over $2 billion in benefits delivered by the Morrison government. Look at GP respiratory clinics. As part of our COVID response we announced $206 million on 11 March this year to raise up to 100 clinics across the country, to provide access to testing. And would you believe that by 19 August there weren't 100 clinics providing this service but 146 clinics operating here.

In relation to vaccines, we saw the Minister for Health and the Prime Minister say, on 19 August, 'We announce that we have signed a letter of intent with AstraZeneca to access the Oxford vaccine.' By 4 September we had signed a binding agreement for them to supply 33.8 million doses, and that included, on top of that agreement, a partnership with our very own Australian CSL to manufacture them. That's what delivery is about and that's how the Morrison government is delivering.

I think of my good friend the member for Hinkler, and cabinet minister in the Morrison government, up in Bundaberg. Before the last election, the Morrison government committed $7 million to ensure that the Fraser Coast—not far from you, Mr Deputy Speaker—had its own palliative care centre in Bundaberg. That now has been delivered, the sod has been turned and construction is starting. Look at the Butterfly Foundation. In April 2019 we announced $4.5 million for the this foundation, a specialist eating disorder centre on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Building is underway. You can check with the member for Fisher on how that's going.

In my own department, the Department of Social Services, the Morrison government are supercharging our safety net, delivering additional support to Australians doing it tough through this extraordinarily difficult period. We're doing this by delivering on our committed announcements. For example, in relation to social housing and community housing in the Hobart City Deal, we promised 100 social houses worth $25 million. To date, 48 dwellings are complete, another 24 homes are currently occupied by tenants and a further 26 dwellings are close to completion, with more to be done.

There are 8.7 million volunteers in Australia, and, in the wake of the bushfires and a global pandemic, the contributions our volunteers make are vital. Volunteers are local champions. Yesterday, I announced a further $2.7 million for community volunteers across 779 local organisations, including all of yours. This is on top of the government's funding boost of $9 million earlier this year, in May, for 2,698 local places.

Tomorrow, of course, for the House, is International Day of People with Disability, and it's important we work every day to ensure inclusion of Australians living with disability. The NDIS is now supporting about 412,000 Australians with disability, an increase of approximately 100,000 participants in the last 12 months alone. Around 193,000 are receiving supports for the very first time under the Morrison government. I'm pleased that we have bipartisan support on that. We've continued to deliver significant and immediate improvements to the NDIS, and the latest NDIS quarterly report verifies that.

Yesterday we heard from the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Minister Taylor. He was saying, 'When the Morrison government makes commitments'—in relation to our international commitments—'we meet them and we beat them.' This is evidenced by the release of the Quarterly update of Australia's national greenhouse gas inventory: June 2020. The update confirms that the Morrison government has beaten our 2020 target by 459 million tonnes. Emissions are now 16.6 per cent lower than 2005 levels.

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