Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am so excited about the positive changes this government is introducing from 1 July this year. Among the most impactful of them for my electorate of Holt is the Albanese Labor government's signature cheaper childcare reforms. My electorate is one of the youngest federal electorates in Victoria, and I have met with countless parents and discussed the changes. Most parents in my electorate do not have the luxury of only having one income earner so the other can focus solely on their children. This is why childcare reform in this country is so overdue. The Australian Labor Party knows this, and that's why we made it one of our key election commitments. We will not let parents down. We will not let children down.

I am proud that this government has invested $4.7 billion over four years to deliver cheaper child care to Australians. In Victoria alone, this means over 302,000 families will be better off. This change helps to empower all parents, particularly women, to re-enter the workforce, knowing they can afford child care. Under Labor's changes, a family on a combined income of $120,000 with one child in care will save around $1,700 in the first year of this change. These aren't just abstract numbers on a graph; the government's cheaper child care plan will help everyday people, including my brother, Hamish, and his amazing wife, Christine. Some of you in the chamber may know that Christine gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Xander just last week. As a proud aunty, my heart is filled with joy and love for them as they start their journey of parenthood. While there's quite some time until Xander will be in child care, I am relieved to know that Hamish and Christine won't have to worry about ridiculous out-of-pocket costs. It means more money in their pockets to spend on Xander and their family, more money to save for a rainy day or more money for the family to take a holiday, because these are the things that matter in life. Our families, our communities—they bring us joy and happiness. There is always more to do in this space, but I am proud of this significant step to reform child care in our first 12 months of government.

Another crucial change for current and future parents is our reforms to paid parental leave. From 1 July, paid parental leave will combine into a joint 20 weeks of paid leave for couples and single parents. This empowers couples to decide how to best divide the leave between them. This is opposed to the previous primary and secondary payments, which often did not reflect the reality of parenting life. We haven't stopped there, however. The government will increase paid parental leave progressively to 26 weeks by 2026. We know when parents have more time with their babies, it increases their bond and creates priceless memories.

From 1 July this year, wages across the board are increasing too. We will see an increase of 15 per cent for aged-care workers, 8.6 per cent for those on minimum wage, and 5.75 per cent for those on the award wages. Make no mistake, it's no coincidence that wages are going up again since Labor won office. Unlike the Liberals, who proudly stated that it was a deliberate design feature to keep wages low, Labor knows that when workers are looked after so is this whole country.

These positive changes and so many more have been desperately needed after nine years of neglect by those opposite. Only Labor governments can get this done. We will never stop fighting to ensure no-one is left behind in this country. I thank the House.

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