Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Tonight, the Albanese Labor government is going to deliver the first budget surplus of an Australian government in 15 years. I hope I haven't given anything away, but I think everyone knows! That is remarkable. This is the first surplus since the global financial crisis. It is such an achievement—a significant achievement for the Albanese government in its first year. But, more than that, we are doing this while still delivering targeted relief to assist Australians with the pressures of the cost of living, because we know that the cost of living is front of mind for so many Australians right now.

Unlike that mob over there, we are focused on relieving the pressure on Australians doing it tough, because responsible economic management is about investing in our economy and our people. It's about providing sensible, targeted relief whilst making investments that set Australia up for the future. So that's a bit of a contrast to those on the opposition benches. I've seen the shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, doing the rounds this morning with a number of pithy, albeit pathetic, one-liners. He said, 'A drover's dog could deliver a surplus.' That was his line! Well, what does that say for the opposition? Nine years of the previous Liberal government and they were unable to deliver a single one, but he says a drover's dog could deliver it. The poor drover's dog. He gives it a bad name. We should probably replace the Dog on the Tuckerbox on the road to Gundagai with a statue of Angus Taylor. In all his regal, imperious attire, he could be up there on the tuckerbox. It is remarkable that they are making that argument. It's a pathetic argument. In nine years they couldn't deliver one surplus, and we've done it in the first year.

They are led now by a leader of the opposition who, as health minister—let's not forget—tried to tax Australians $7 every time they visited a GP, tried to raise the price of every script by $5 and froze the Medicare rebate. That's the reverse of relief on the cost of living; it's the exact reverse of what you should be doing. Is it any surprise he was voted the worst health minister in living memory by Australian doctors?

Let's not just criticise. The government is helping so many Australians doing it tough. It's doing a lot, so let's talk about the positives. We've already delivered cheaper medicines, cutting the maximum co-payment for general patients from $42.50 to $30. This is going to save someone taking a single medicine up to $150 a year. We've reduced the cost for pensioners and concession cardholders so they will pay no more than $5 a week for all their medicine needs, no matter how many medicines they take. In September we cut the price of more than 2,000 brands of medicine, delivering $130 million back into the pockets of hardworking Australians. And tonight in the budget we will deliver—and you'll hear all about it—further savings to households when it comes to hundreds of medicines. For six million Australians we'll halve their medicine costs, reducing their need to visit the GP and the pharmacist, with $1.6 billion going back into their pockets over the next four years. These are sensible, targeted, measured relief measures that will make a real difference to Australians.

Also, when it comes to wages, the government is supporting wage rises for underpaid Australians. We know the best support for Australians struggling with the cost of living is a wage increase. These are wage increases they certainly missed out on under the previous government, who said, in their own words, that wage suppression was a deliberate feature of their economic policy. The Albanese government and the budget will deliver a 15 per cent increase in the minimum wage for many aged-care workers across Australia. The Minister for Aged Care is here, and I note all the work she has done on behalf of the government to make this happen. This is the biggest pay rise for the sector ever. It's never been this big. That is so significant for so many people. A registered nurse could earn up to $196 a week extra or up to $10,000 a year more. It will help address the injustice of underpayment for our nurses and for our aged-care workers, and it will help them with the cost of living. It's practical and it's real.

We've also addressed housing. Unfortunately, those on the opposite side and some on the crossbenches are opposing the Housing Australia Future Fund. It is crazy that they are doing that. This is about providing what is most important to Australians: a roof over their heads. And we'll hear about support for rental housing in the budget tonight.

In conclusion, I've just got to say we are committed to delivering real relief which will ease the cost of living for so many Australians—millions around this country.

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