Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's great that we finally get a chance to speak on this particular bill, the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024. This is a responsible budget for a secure future, and for a better future for my electors in Blair. The Albanese Labor government's responsible economic and fiscal management is delivering a stronger and more sustainable fiscal position for our budget, with a budget surplus forecast for 2022-2023 and lower deficits and debt across the forward estimates, returning 87 per cent of the tax upgrades over the past two budgets and 82 per cent in this budget. This budget identifies a further $17.8 billion in spending reprioritisations and restricts average annual real spending growth to just 0.6 per cent over the five years to 2026-2027.

These decisions mean the underlying cash balance will be improved by $125.9 billion over the five years to 2026-2027, the biggest fiscal improvement on record. The budget forecasts a small surplus in 2022-2023 of $4.2 billion, or 0.2 per cent of GDP, the first surplus in 15 years and a significant turnaround from the $77.9 billion deficit we inherited from the previous government. In 2023-2024 the underlying cash deficit is now expected to be as low as $13.9 billion. The gross debt will be lower as a share of economy this year and in each of the next four years. By returning the majority of revenue upgrades to the budget, the government is lowering debt and reducing debt interest costs. This improves gross debt by almost $300 billion to 2033-2034, saving $83 billion in interest costs over the 12 years.

This compares to the trillion dollars of Liberal and National Party debt we were left with by the former government. Why is this important? It is because the former member for North Sydney, Joe Hockey, in opposition, as the Treasury spokesperson for the coalition, said that the coalition would deliver a budget surplus in their first year and every year thereafter and didn't do so, not even once in a nine years of the coalition. I really should have brought those 'back in black' mugs, but I didn't feel I wanted to contribute to the coalition treasuries. I almost regret that now, because this is the first surplus in 15 years.

It also delivers targeted cost-of-living relief and it will reduce price pressures in the next year. It makes investments in a stronger economy and, I think, makes room for critical programs and services. The approach is delivering a better financial position for our economy and delivering critical services upon which our people rely. At a local level, I'm pleased the Albanese Labor government has a budget that's delivering for families and businesses in my electorate. Fundamentally, this is a responsible budget that provides that assistance.

We announced an energy price relief plan that will provide relief for more than a million households across my home state of Queensland. We're working with the Queensland government to deliver residents and businesses a quarterly rebate of up to $500 from 1 July to help take the sting out of power bills, and around 205,000 small businesses across the state of Queensland will automatically receive bill relief of $650. That's $3 billion of direct energy savings and relief to Australians. It was opposed by those opposite. Who can forget the infamous votes against that last year? They seem to have political amnesia about that when you listen to these spokespersons now in relation to that particular issue. I know this will make a real difference to household budgets and small and medium-sized businesses in my electorate.

We will also strengthen Medicare, with the largest one-off increase to bulk-billing incentives ever. Labor built Medicare, designed Medicare and will always protect Medicare. The bulk-billing incentive will triple for the most common consultations with children under the age of 16 years, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders. The higher bulk-billing incentive will provide immediate relief for around 105,422 eligible patients at 53 medical practices already bulk-billing in my electorate of Blair in South-East Queensland.

We're providing cheaper medicines, allowing people to buy two months worth of medications at the pharmacist for the price of a single prescription, which will deliver for 47,719 patients in my electorate savings of up to $180 per year. This change applies to more than 300 PBS medicines for chronic conditions where a GP assesses a patient's condition as stable.

From 1 July this year there will be cheaper child care for 8,900 families in Blair who use childcare services, saving many households up to $1,700 a year in childcare fees. Coupled with this, we are expanding the Paid Parental Leave scheme for around 2,500 families in Blair, making it more accessible, more flexible and fairer.

Critically, this budget provides support for those in our community who need it most. The government is increasing the base rate of income payments like JobSeeker, Austudy and youth allowance for eligible people. Around 10,505 people in my electorate will benefit by $40 a fortnight. Around 450 people in Blair age 55 to 59 on JobSeeker payments for nine months or more continuous months will benefit from the high rate of JobSeeker already applied to those over 60, meaning an extra $92.10 per fortnight. From September, about 745 eligible single parents in Blair will receive the parenting payments single until their youngest child turns 14, up from eight years old. It's a good decision to reverse a decision made previously. Under this change, eligible single parents will be $176.90 better off each fortnight, receiving a base rate of $922.10 per fortnight compared to the current JobSeeker rate of $745.20. Around 12,595 households in my electorate will also receive the maximum Commonwealth rent assistance rate and will benefit by an extra $31.36 in payments per fortnight from September this year.

We are getting wages moving—there's no doubt about that. We're the first government for a long time to support a minimum wage rise. We're also securing another $40 per week for 466,900 workers in Queensland who are employed under a modern award. The budget also funds the Fair Work Commission's interim decision of a 15 per cent increase in minimum wages for many aged-care workers, supporting around 58,700 award aged-care workers in Queensland, including in Blair. That's an $11.3 billion commitment that only a Labor government will deliver. The coalition has never done so and didn't do it in nine years. There was plenty of gratitude but not enough financial support from those opposite.

We know many people are struggling with the cost of housing and breaking into the market. That's why we are trying to assist people into homeownership. If only those opposite and the Greens would support the Housing Australia Future Fund, that would help tens of thousands of people. But we are already expanding eligibility for the Home Guarantee Scheme, which has already helped 2,142 people in Blair, among many other housing initiatives.

When it comes to helping those who are most vulnerable, the Albanese Labor government's National Disability Insurance Scheme budget initiatives include $73.4 million to better support participants managing their plans and will help about 6,000 NDIS participants in Blair. I think this reform is absolutely crucial to the NDIS.

The Albanese Labor government is also looking after veterans and families, investing $328.1 million in the budget to support more than 340,000 veterans, including 9,161 veterans in Blair accessing services through the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the 500 extra full-time public servants processing claims on the front line are absolutely crucial. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide revealed that the coalition had ripped hundreds of millions of dollars in the last year or so out of the veterans' affairs budget, evidence admitted by the secretary of the department and previous veterans' affairs ministers in the royal commission. So there is a lot more that we are doing in this space to help veterans.

One of the big issues that we have is a skills shortage across Ipswich and the Somerset region in my electorate. That is why we are working with the Palaszczuk Labor government to provide 70,000 fee-free TAFE places across Queensland. That is very important for TAFE south-west, particularly at the Bundamba campus in my electorate. We are boosting vocational education and training, and tackling these skills shortages. It is great to see people enrolling in TAFE courses in huge numbers in response to this, particularly in priority areas like early childhood education, nursing, aged care, disability support work, cyber security, construction. The extra 200,000 places we're providing on top of the 180,000 fee-free TAFE places are crucial. These come on top of the 20,000 university places, which are absolutely crucial, particularly in regional Australia. We are also supporting local apprentices and tradies with an additional $54.3 million in critical apprenticeship supports to improve completion rates and that assists 2,365 apprentices currently training in Blair.

There is help for small business in the budget as well. The government will support 750,000 small businesses in Queensland with a turnover of up to $10 million by temporarily increasing the instant asset write-off threshold up to $20,000. The eligible assets will need to be first-user installed and ready between 1 July this year and 30 June next year. Around 750,000 SMEs in Queensland are eligible to benefit by the smart business energy initiative, helping them to save on their power bills through smarter energy use and by making energy-saving upgrades.

The Albanese government's $2.4 billion investment in the NBN in the last budget will see 7,875 premises in Blair have access to faster and more reliable internet. That is absolutely crucial if you are living in regional Queensland, particularly on farms or in country towns in my electorate, and in urban areas around Deebing Heights, Ripley, Flinders View and Central Ipswich. The legacy of those opposite in effectively destroying the NBN as it was first conceived is absolutely appalling. They promised they would have it done by 2020 and look what they did. They just absolutely gutted it. The people in my electorate know it and they know it well because I get that feedback all the time from businesses in places like Wulkuraka, Esk, Toogoolawah and places like that.

In my electorate I am very pleased to see the Ipswich City Council getting flood warning infrastructure and a support for the creeks and rivers in our area under our urban rivers program. We are providing $3 million to Ipswich City Council, because in my electorate we have had three major floods since I have been a federal MP—in 2011, 2013 and 2022. Those flood gauges, the geoscience, the riparian repair, the getting rid of noxious weeds are absolutely crucial. As we saw, those early warning systems need to be in place, so I am very pleased to see our commitment of $236 million over 10 years for high-priority flood warning infrastructure, which will complement state and local government upgrades of flood gauges and cameras following the recent floods.

I know the Ipswich City Council and the Somerset Regional Council will welcome the government's ongoing commitment for critical local infrastructure through programs including Roads of Strategic Importance, the Black Spot Program, the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, the Roads to Recovery Program and the Bridges Renewal Program over the next four years. I have seen the benefit of those programs in opposition and in government. I commend the Somerset Regional Council for the great work they have done. I also thank Ipswich City Council, including councillors like Councillor Jacob Madsen and Councillor Sheila Ireland who have taken the initiative in rural Ipswich. It's absolutely crucial. The budget contains two new programs which will help my local area. Thriving Suburbs and the Urban Precincts and Partnership Program will support infrastructure needs from sport, community and cultural upgrades to new precincts which will transform suburbs. I'm looking forward to working with councils and other stakeholders to apply for funding under these local project programs, and I'm very, very pleased to see that they've been provided and that we're eligible.

I'm happy to see the review of infrastructure investment programs. I think those opposite, all too often, did not invest in places like Blair, under the building better regions programs and other types of programs. We did not get the kind of support we needed when we were in opposition. I saw the colour coded spreadsheet arrangements for those opposite, and we saw the egregious way they politicised funding in those areas. It's really a disgrace the way they carried on .It's surprising that now they whinge and whine and wail, but, in fact, when they were in government, they were quite happy to politicise all forms of road funding. They were like the National Party under Bjelke-Petersen of old. They were lacking in transparency and accountability with no idea whatsoever about the fact that they had to actually support all of Queensland. They wouldn't help local councils to support local communities in an efficient and effective way. They were just colour-coding spreadsheets all over the place. After 10 years of mismanagement of the infrastructure pipeline, we need this review, and I'm very pleased to support it. I look forward to supporting the budget and all the initiatives that will help my local electorate.

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