House debates

Monday, 25 March 2024

Constituency Statements

Cost of Living

10:44 am

Photo of Fiona PhillipsFiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's up to the Leader of the Opposition to explain why the Liberals voted against easing power prices for Australians and businesses. Instead, with the Liberals you get an expensive nuclear fairytale, which would mean looking at 15 years at least with no nuclear in the grid and power stations shutting down because they're too old to operate. That is a recipe for disaster. Where will the Liberals build one of the new nuclear power stations? Jervis Bay? As I said my maiden speech, I will never accept a nuclear power station at Jervis Bay.

We've made medicines cheaper through 60-day dispensing of scripts, which the Liberals opposed. We've made it easier and cheaper to see a doctor by tripling the bulk-billing incentives for pensioners, concession cardholders and students. We've opened a Medicare urgent care clinic at Batemans Bay. We've made child care cheaper for around 4,800 families in Gilmore. We've expanded paid parental leave. We're getting on with building more social and affordable homes. Our fee-free TAFE has removed cost barriers, helped apprentices, trainees and students and assisted local businesses with skill shortages. Wages are rising at the fastest rate for a decade, including for minimum-wage and aged-care workers. We've done all this as we've delivered the first budget surplus in 15 years.

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