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

I join the previous speakers in noting how shocked we all are by that case of sexual abuse, and the distress and the unimaginable horror and pain that the victims and their families must be feeling right now. I also think it's important to encourage anyone who is distressed by this to seek support at this time. I do also want to acknowledge the Australian Federal Police and thank them for their hard work—and all the police services and others who were involved in this case. It's going to be a very difficult period for those families, going forward.

In the MPI today, we're talking about Australian families. They are one of the highest priorities of the Albanese government because we know that the cost of living and the pressures of the cost of living are front of mind for so many Australians. We know the economic downturns around the globe have impacted Australians negatively. Those factors mean that the basics cost more and have cost more. Obviously, we know that the rising interest rates over a period of time have made it much harder to pay the mortgage, for those who have mortgages, and people are grappling as well with increased rents and pressure in the housing market.

But, unlike the coalition when they were in government, we are taking action in this space. We are very focused on relieving the pressure for Australians that are finding it so hard to get by. We know that inflation is the biggest challenge, and that's why the Treasurer and the government have been focused on a budget that takes the pressure off inflation and at the same time delivers cost-of-living relief, and that invests in lifting the capacity of the economy as well. Of course inflation is higher than we'd like to be, but the latest CPI data shows that we're heading in the right direction.

The 2023 budget—such a contrast to the previous government's lack of effort—provides substantive cost-of-living relief for Australians.

It is the biggest ever investment in bulk-billing and lowering of the cost of medicines. So many families, pensioners and people with debilitating chronic conditions no longer have to pay more for their medicines. That's significant. It's meant better pay and conditions and more job security for aged-care workers, with the critically important work that they do. And we're providing real energy bill relief for more than five million eligible households and one million eligible small businesses. That's real relief, and it's flowing through now from the budget and the decisions that were made.

We're increasing the base rate for eligible recipients of JobSeeker, Austudy, youth allowance and other working-age payments, as well as supporting 57,000 single parents by expanding eligibility for parenting payments. We're also increasing the maximum rate of Commonwealth rent assistance by 15 per cent. This is the biggest increase in three decades. Our budget also focused on supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs to commercialise their ideas and grow their businesses. And we're giving Australians the skills they need to secure jobs, providing 300,000 fee-free TAFE places and more university places. I think the Prime Minister noted today that some 140,000 Australians have already benefited from those TAFE places.

Much of the support is being rolled out as we speak. This is real. I know these MPIs can get into a bit of a partisan debate and a bit of movement and colour. But these are facts. These are things that are actually helping Australians right now, and they're benefiting Australian families. That will keep happening over the coming weeks and months. As a government we're also pursuing, as you all know, the ambitious $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which is all about giving Australians safe access to affordable housing and reducing the pressure on the Australian rental market. As someone who grew up in public housing—and the Prime Minister and the Minister for Housing also grew up as 'housos', like me—I'm very passionate about this fund, because it provides a roof over people's heads and a safe place to live. That public housing gave me and my migrant family a fair start in life, alongside access to education. It literally opened the door to opportunity.

It is remarkable—it's astonishing—that the coalition, possibly through their cruelty, are opposing this and have teamed up with the self-indulgent, populist Greens political party to block 30,000 affordable homes to be built over the next five years, 4,000 of which would be for women experiencing domestic violence, as well as funding for Indigenous housing and for veterans. It is remarkable. I encourage them to get over the political posturing and the partisanship and support the housing fund.

See this speech in context