Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This week marks six months since the Australian people voted in a new government, and they voted the Albanese Labor government into office because they wanted a better future. They wanted a government that would do the work, They wanted a government that took a grown-up approach to the challenges our country is facing, and that's what our government is doing. We have not wasted a moment of the past six months in getting on with some of the big and difficult things that my community and communities across this country need. I'm going to mark a few of those really big things we've done.

The cheaper child care legislation, which was passed by this parliament yesterday, will make a huge difference to the lives of 6,600 families in my community. I know that there are many families across my community who have been struggling with the cost of child care. In fact, I got an email from one member of my community just yesterday, saying how much she loves living in our area and how important it is to her that she is bringing her children up here but that, between the cost of child care and interest rates, she's finding it really hard to get ahead. I know that that's not an isolated instance. I know that many in our community, particularly women, look at the cost of child care and they think: 'Is it worth it? Am I going to earn more than I'm spending?' Our government is changing that equation for local families. From mid next year, these changes will make child care more affordable by lifting subsidies for families. This is a win for children in our community, a win for parents in our community and a win for our economy.

This week, our government is focusing on the National Anti-Corruption Commission. We committed to the Australian people that we would get this done, and we are doing it. It is so important that Australia finally has a powerful, transparent and independent integrity body that operates in the federal sphere. This was ignored for far too long by the previous government. It is a very important reform so that people have trust in us in this place and have trust in our system of government. It's something which so many people in Jagajaga have spoken to me about and which they see as essential, and I know they will be so pleased to know our government is getting it up and running for next year.

Another big change, just this week, is our government making electric vehicles cheaper, delivering on the commitment we took to the election to remove the fringe benefits tax on EVs. Again, I've had so many people in my community come up to me and say they want to own an electric vehicle but that the price is just too high for them to justify making that switch. So we're making it easier and cheaper to buy an electric vehicle—part of the many investments we're putting into renewable energy into this country, to make us a renewable energy superpower, to make sure we're on the right track and to make sure we're looking at a better future for all of us.

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