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

STANLEY (—) (): The history of DNA is complex. It's a discovery that can be traced back to the Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher in 1869. Come forward almost a century: Francis Crick and James Watson started working together at the Cavendish Laboratory within the University of Cambridge. This work led to the famous scene at the Eagle pub on 28 February 1953 when Crick interrupted lunchtime activities and announced to all assembled that he and Watson had discovered the secret of life. One can only imagine the reaction from the assembled group.

Budgets are much like DNA. If DNA tells us the secrets of life then budgets tell us about the heart and soul of a government. Indeed, budgets reveal more than almost anything else about a government's priorities, hopes and aspirations. They are direction-setting documents, and they matter. The DNA of the previous Liberal government was clear to see. Who could forget the image, in 2014, of the then Treasurer and finance minister smoking a cigar in the lead-up to that year's horror budget; or, in 2020, the quick disappearance of the infamous $35 'back in black' mugs when it became obvious that a budget surplus was nothing more than a pipe dream; or the blatant pork-barrelling of hundreds of millions of dollars in sports rorts, regional jobs, investment rorts, road funding rorts and pool rorts? It would take days to detail them all.

I'm proud to state that this year's budget is very much built on the Labor Party's DNA. And what is the Labor Party's DNA? Qualities such as fairness, equity and justice. Colloquially, you might say that Labor's DNA stands for a fair go to all, a helping hand for those who need it, and no-one left behind. It is for those reasons and values that I joined the ALP all those years ago, and it's for the very same reasons that I'm proud to speak about this year's budget, for, in every way, this year's statement by the Treasurer is a truly Labor budget—unmistakably so and proudly so—grounded in helping the lives of Australians who need help the most and dealing with the global economic headwinds—and they are significant headwinds. The after-effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine are being felt with high inflation and weak global economic growth. But Labor governments don't make excuses. Labor governments have guided Australia through uncertain times, from world wars to global financial crises. It's in our DNA.

The Albanese government recognises the challenges ahead of us, and this budget continues the recalibration of our national priorities that began with the October budget last year. The budget recognises the pressure Australians are under, and that's why it delivers fair and targeted relief. What can be fairer than helping millions of Australians pay their electricity bills? That's exactly what this budget does: six million households and one million small businesses getting a direct reduction in their power bills. Those opposite would like to pretend that they are all for reducing the pressure on family budgets, claiming to support this measure, yet they voted against the measure last year. Those opposite can't help themselves. They are continuing to say no—so much so that they're beginning to oppose themselves. They can't have it both ways. The Australian people can see the contradiction between their rhetoric and their actions. In one breath, those opposite claim to support cost-of-living measures in the budget, yet they have not guaranteed support for the increase in social security payments, and the Australian people will judge them for it.

What can be fairer than helping millions of Australians pay for their medicines? Earlier this year, the Albanese government reduced the maximum co-pay Australians pay for PBS medications, and this budget will continue to reduce the cost of medicines. Six million Australians will be eligible to receive two months supply of eligible medications at once, saving them up to $180 a year per script.

What can be fairer than strengthening Medicare, especially bulk-billing? For years Australians have been telling this parliament our healthcare system is in need of significant investment. The previous government not only did nothing; they froze the Medicare rebate, ripping billions of dollars out of the healthcare system. I'm proud that this budget invests a historic $5.7 billion into Medicare—and this will include a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, helping GPs provide bulk-billed consultations to up to a million Australians. That means more than 100,000 people in Werriwa will benefit. The importance of this investment to our communities cannot be understated, and it comes as a huge relief to doctors and patients.

The Albanese government is also supporting our small businesses because we understand how important they are to our economy and our local communities. The measure will be in the energy bill relief that may apply to approximately 322,000 small businesses in New South Wales who will automatically get up to $650 off their power bill from 1 July. Additionally, there will be a temporary increase in the instant asset write-off to $20,000 for up to 1.18 million small businesses in New South Wales. The government is also supporting small and medium businesses to electrify, improve their energy efficiency and reduce emissions, with a 20 per cent tax deduction for eligible investments. That's how a good government can support small businesses—reducing power bills and then reducing our emissions. The budget delivers $1.6 billion for energy saving upgrades to homes, businesses and social housing, helping people with older homes and appliances.

The list of measures in this budget goes on. There's help for single parents, help for renters, help for aged-care workers by delivering a 15 per cent pay rise, help for veterans, and help for supporting quality training and addressing skill needs.

This budget ensures that government services will continue to be adequately funded. The previous government left the budget filled with underfunded and unfunded programs and services. It made the budget bottom line look better while hurting Australians that rely on critical government services. In this budget, $7.5 billion of spending was needed to ensure these services were working.

Whilst we provide funding for government services, we are continuing to invest in growing our economy for the benefit of all Australians. There will be 300,000 fee-free TAFE places made available to help Australians train in critical sectors of our economy, helping to fix the skills shortage and upskill our workforce for secure and well-paying jobs.

The global economy is experiencing a rapid energy transition, and Australia is at risk of losing out on these huge opportunities. Australia should not miss out on these opportunities, and the Albanese Labor government is determined to ensure this doesn't happen. Additional funding in this budget will bring the government's total investment in making Australia a renewable energy superpower to $40 billion. The world is moving, and we shouldn't be following; we should be the ones leading.

If this budget is grounded in the Labor DNA of fairness and equity, it's also grounded in the Labor DNA of sustainability. This budget delivers lower deficits and debts and forecasts a surplus in 2022-23. It produces better-quality spending and a fairer tax and super system, and it builds a sustainable aged-care system. More than anything else, this is a responsible budget. It delivers to see Australians through this difficult and challenging time as well as setting our country up for lasting success.

I'm only too aware of the cost-of-living pressures my constituents are facing. Times are tough. Inflation has been and is a challenge. Prices everywhere are rising. While there are no quick fixes and certainly no slogans on coffee mugs that will do the trick, I am equally aware that in these challenging times thousands in my electorate will directly benefit because of this year's budget. It will help them pay their bills, it will help them keep their heater on in winter, it will help keep them healthy and it will help them and their families manage and plan for the future—real solutions, real assistance for real Australians doing it tough. It is a budget that delivers, a budget that keeps faith with Labor's DNA and election commitments of 12 months ago.

It seems that every week new discoveries are being made in the world of DNA. These incremental discoveries are helping improve the quality of millions of lives. Discoveries are leading to wonderful innovations. Watson and Crick would be proud and amazed. Similarly, this budget improves the lives of millions of Australians, not in a way that the DNA discoveries do but in a way that allows Australians to live their lives to the maximum. For the elderly, those who are unwell and those who for whatever reason find themselves in need of a helping hand it is helping, assisting, affording dignity, lending a hand and building for the future. It is helping the elderly, the sick, single parents, small business people and so on.

No-one is left behind, and ever may it be the case. This is the Albanese Labor government's way. This is why I'm a proud member of this party. This is why the people of Australia voted overwhelmingly for a change last year. I'm proud of this budget, but I know that there is more to do. We will continue working with the Australian people to make sure that they are better for it. I commend the budget and appropriation bills to the House.

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