Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The decisions of government can make a difference: cheaper child care, extended paid parental leave, supporting a minimum wage and aged-care wage increases. The budget will provide funding to support women's safety at home and work and in the community; $169.4 million over four years will be used to provide an additional 500 frontline and community workers to support women and children experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence. As part of the Albanese government's commitment to Respect@Work, $42.5 million will go towards implementing the response to its recommendations. This government is determined to end gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. The government's Housing Australia Future Fund will commit $100 million for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence, as well as supporting older women at risk of homelessness. Our government has also committed to gender responsive budgeting. Key measures will be assessed on their impact on women so that there will be a complete picture of the consequences of policy decisions.

This budget is a refresh on the last nine years of wasted opportunities. It is a responsible and reform driven budget. That's why the finance minister, Senator Katy Gallagher, and the Treasurer, the Hon. Jim Chalmers, went through the budget line by line to undo the damages caused in the last nine years. Their audit identified $22 billion in savings that could be reprioritised and better spent on the services Australians care about.

We're investing an additional $437.4 million over three years to support the NDIS to hire more staff and to provide greater support to participants. We're providing $229.7 million to strengthen Medicare and GP grants so that general practices can provide better services to patients. These are the types of investments Australians want. The previous budget was riddled with unnecessary and unfunded proposals that wasted time and money. These savings will be better spent investing in the Australian people.

The Albanese government is committing to getting Australians through these increasingly uncertain times. From one crisis to another, there has been no respite for many, and the government understands that. Our government is under no illusions that there are tough economic times ahead, but we are determined and ready. The Albanese government will get on with the promises made to the Australian people: fixing aged care, building our manufacturing capabilities, getting wages moving again, and implementing our economic and social reforms. We also want to confront the challenges we are facing today, whether it be short- to medium-term cost of living, the inflation crisis or the longer-term climate crisis. We won't shy away.

The Australian people want a government that provides solutions, that works for them and that takes responsibility and acts, and this is what our first budget does. It keeps the promises made to the Australian people and begins the process of repairing their trust in government. I commend the bill to the House.

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