Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the Albanese Labor government I'm proud to deliver our third regional ministerial budget statement, and I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where we are today and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

Over the last two years I've had the privilege of travelling this country and talking to people in diverse communities, from Rockhampton up north to Whyalla in South Australia to Tambo Valley in Gippsland and of course across my own electorate of Eden-Monaro. And wherever I go I meet passionate regional Australians that are working hard to build a prosperous life for their families.

I know that regional people are talented, they're innovators and they aren't afraid to have a crack. I know this because I've spent my entire life living in regional Australia. Growing up I watched my parents work hard every day to build their own small business. They gave back to our community, and they built a good life for our family. This instilled the values of an honest living and making something of your own. It's why my husband and I followed in their footsteps and set up our own small business.

The Albanese government values hard work, and, importantly, we invest in it. It's why we're putting regional Australia at the centre of our plan for a prosperous and resilient future made in Australia—a plan that uses local skills and supports making more things in our own backyard. It's why we're also delivering targeted cost-of-living relief to ease the immediate pressures faced by regional families and businesses.

As a regional Australian I want businesses outside of our big cities to grow and to thrive—because they're central to Australia's economy. I want my kids and kids from the country to pursue a career at home—because you shouldn't have to pack up your bags to build a good future. This budget will help deliver that future.

Regional Australians are loud and proud of what they have to offer—and the Albanese government backs this. We've delivered record investments in regional people—the places they live, the services they need, the industries that stimulate our local economies.

We're relieving pressures on family and businesses, including targeted energy bill relief. And we're improving access to affordable early childhood education and have expanded paid parental leave.

We've made historic investments in Medicare—a Labor invention and something that we're strengthening 40 years on. This includes our $3.5 billion investment to triple the bulk-billing incentive, significant investments in Medicare urgent care clinics and the establishment of MyMedicare. We've also been setting regional Australians up for the future, creating a record number of jobs and boosting training opportunities. This includes over 100,000 regional people securing fee-free TAFE to date and our investment in 20 additional regional university study hubs.

The Albanese government takes the needs of our regions seriously. It's why we've implemented our Regional Investment Framework, a first-of-its-kind, whole-of-government approach to ensuring regional investment is coordinated and targeted. Labor governments have a strong record of boosting local manufacturing, harnessing economic opportunities and making our regions more productive, and we're building on this through the 2024-25 budget by putting regional industries and local economies at the centre of our $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia plan. It is a plan that will leverage the competitive advantages outside of our big cities, that will stimulate our regional economies and that will forge significant investment opportunities.

We're investing $7 billion over the next decade to support critical minerals processing in Australia through the new Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, which will stimulate regional jobs. On top of this, $10.2 million in 2024-25 will establish the Critical Minerals National Productivity Initiative, growing our onshore processing of critical minerals. We will deliver $566.1 million over 10 years from 2024-25 to Geoscience Australia to map the whole of onshore Australia by 2060. This will help us understand the potential of Australia's critical minerals, alternative energy sources, groundwater and other resources.

Regional Australia will also benefit from new opportunities in hydrogen, including a commitment of $8 billion over the next decade to introduce a new hydrogen production tax incentive and to extend the Hydrogen Headstart program. The $835.6 million over 10 years from 2024-25 will grow Australian solar manufacturing and open new opportunities across the solar value chain. At Punch's Creek in the Toowoomba region, an 800-megawatt solar farm will support up to 340 direct jobs during construction and generate enough energy to power 300,000 homes. We're also investing $549.1 million to build Australia's battery manufacturing capabilities, which will create a diverse and competitive domestic battery manufacturing industry. An investment of up to $7.1 billion over four years in Snowy Hydro will help deliver Snowy 2.0, a key project in Australia's renewable energy transition. This project, in a beautiful part of my own electorate, is creating cheaper, cleaner power and is just one of the many renewables projects that is uplifting regional economies.

Another industry that delivers significant returns to our regions is agriculture, which is why we're investing in the future of the sector with $1.9 million in targeted grants over three years. This will support industry led projects and regional jobs and will encourage highly skilled graduates to enter the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector.

After a wasted decade from those opposite, we're making significant investments to improve access to doctors and healthcare professionals because regional communities deserve so much more than empty promises and colour coded spreadsheets. It's why we're making significant investments to improve access to doctors and healthcare professionals. This includes $3.5 billion to triple the bulk-billing incentive, which has already supported 555,000 additional free visits to GPs outside of our metro areas.

I'm a mum. I live in a regional community and, like so many people, have had to drive hours when my kids have been sick in the middle of the night or when there has been a weekend sports injury. The Albanese government is doing something about this. We're providing regional Australians with faster access to medical treatment and more flexibility by increasing the number of urgent care clinics in our regions. From Shepparton in Victoria to Rockingham in WA through to Batemans Bay in New South Wales, existing clinics are ensuring regional Australians can walk in and receive urgent care quickly and for free. We're building on this success by investing an additional $227 million to roll out a further 29 clinics across the country, including in our regions. We'll work with states and territories to ensure these additional urgent care clinic locations meet the needs of people living in our regions.

We know that our regional communities are screaming out for doctors, which is why we're incentivising doctors to train and work outside of our big cities. We're investing $116.2 million over five years to strengthen and support our health workforce, including in regional, rural and remote communities. We're expanding the number of rural GP training places in our rural areas in 2024 because we want more people to study in their own backyard and to continue working in their local community. And we're delivering on the long-term call from Charles Darwin University to establish the first medical school in the NT, which will boost training in this region and support growing the NT health workforce.

In so many of our rural communities, the Royal Flying Doctor Service provides essential primary health services. That's why we'll deliver $73.8 million over three years to support their vital work. Not only do the RFDS provide emergency medical care and air transport; they also run nearly 25,000 nurse, GP and dental clinics each year and deliver 20,000 face-to-face mental health consultations. Places like William Creek in outback South Australia, which I had the pleasure of visiting last year, now have a permanent RFDS health clinic thanks to our investment. One million dollars from the Albanese government got this site off the ground, and this remote community no longer need to travel up to two hours to their nearest health service.

We're delivering record investments in mental health services and training, because we want people in our regions to access care and support at the earliest opportunity. With mental health hubs in Bega and Queanbeyan in my own electorate of Eden-Monaro, I know how access to direct and on-the-ground support makes a huge difference. That's why we're investing $29.8 million over four years in our Head to Health network—which will expand access to free clinical mental health treatment. We're also delivering $27.1 million over three years towards the headspace early career program—prioritising the need to build mental health capabilities and workforces outside of our big cities. On top of this, we're investing $588.5 million over eight years to establish a national digital mental health service—to give people in our regions more options with accessing care.

We're a government that's focused on delivering support, regardless of your postcode. That's why we're rebuilding Services Australia, which was completely gutted by those opposite—resulting in slow processing times and phone delays. We're investing $2.8 billion in Services Australia to support the delivery of quality services, efficient customer payments and rapid responses, particularly during natural disasters, which all too often hit our regions.

After a decade of neglect, we're also delivering on our commitment to improve aged care, which was left in tatters by the those opposite. Right now, older Australians are receiving more care in their homes than ever before—historic levels of care—thanks to our record investment. We're building on this, with $88.4 million over four years to continue improving the quality of services, including the implementation of 24/7 registered nurses. We'll invest in an additional 24,100 home-care packages, to support people to live independently for longer and to reduce wait times—which will have huge benefits across our regions.

We're a government that recognises the importance of connecting regional people and investing in the services they need. That includes our veterans, because Labor has a proud history of tailoring veteran support through the stages of their defence career and into their civilian life. As part of this, we'll deliver $48.4 million over two years to the Veterans' Home Care and Community Nursing programs, to assist veterans to remain independent for longer.

We know our regions are great places to live, to work and to invest in. We've strengthened partnerships with all levels of government, to deliver high-priority projects that have lasting benefits. We're delivering billions of dollars towards infrastructure, transport, road safety, housing, and energy efficiency projects. We're progressively increasing Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion per year. We're increasing road black spot funding to $150 million per year.

These programs are already supporting hundreds of projects across the country right now, many of which I've had the pleasure of visiting over the last two years—including the Avenue of the Allies at Tanilba Bay in New South Wales and Dixon Drive at Gladstone, which I visited just last week as part of my trip to Beef2024.

We'll deliver the $200 million Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program. And because every local community should have confidence in the roads they're driving on, we're progressing a number of road safety projects under our $120 billion Infrastructure Investment Program pipeline. Projects under the pipeline will also connect our regions to key freight routes.

In the two years I've spent in the regional portfolio, regional businesses have told me it's hard to keep workers in their communities, because there's nowhere to house them—a direct consequence of nearly 10 years of eyes wide shut from those opposite—but we're doing something about it.

We're making significant investments to build more homes across the country. On top of the $500 million we've already committed to the Housing Support Program, we're investing an additional $1 billion to support states and territories continue to build roads, sewers, energy, water and community infrastructure needed to deliver more housing. We're providing $1.9 billion in concessional loan financing for community housing providers and charities to deliver new social and affordable dwellings, including in our regions. And because we know how hard it is to get a tradie, particularly in our regions, we're committing $90.6 million to boost housing supply, by growing Australia's construction workforce.

This investment is part of our broader plan to support people in our regions build the skills they need now and into the future. We'll invest $350.3 million over four years to expand the availability of FEE-FREE Uni Ready courses. This will support people in our regions to take the next step in their careers and will help narrow the enrolment divide with our city neighbours.

Over five years, $91 million will increase vocational education and apprenticeships in clean energy occupations. That's on top of significant investments we're making to support workers impacted by energy system changes, including in our regions, to secure new training and employment opportunities.

We're investing $777.4 million over five years to fund the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program, which will work with First Nations people and communities to help close the gap in employment outcomes.

Unlike those opposite, we take disaster preparedness and risk reduction seriously.

Natural disasters are something my own electorate of Eden-Monaro has felt deeply, which is why I'm proud that Labor are on the front foot.

We're investing $73.3 million over four years to support the National Emergency Management Agency continue to play a leading role in disaster preparedness and recovery.

The climate is changing and we are supporting regional communities when it comes to climate risks and adaptation, including $519.1 million in Future Drought Fund programs—which will support regional businesses and Aussie farmers to invest in new technologies that will improve their drought resilience.

We're investing $20.7 million over seven years to engage with communities on their energy transition, because locally led ideas will be central to unlocking future opportunities. And in my own territories portfolio, I'm proud that we're funding $22.5 million over four years for critical asset replacement and repair in our non-self-governing territories.

Since we came to government, we've invested in a better future for regional Australians.

We're responding to cost-of-living pressures, including a tax cut for all 13.6 million Australian taxpayers.

We're investing $3.5 billion in additional energy bill relief for all Australians, with households to receive a $300 rebate, and eligible small businesses receiving a $325 rebate.

We're increasing the maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance by a further 10 per cent, to help relieve rental pressures.

We're making student loans fairer, by changing the way they're indexed.

We're wiping around $3 billion in student debt from the Higher Education Loan Program—meaning people in our regions will receive a credit, backdated to 1 June 2023.

We'll deliver $319.50 per week to students in teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work during their mandatory prac, which will also encourage more kids from our regions to pursue study in these priority areas.

For women in our regions, we know that financial insecurity is a major contributing factor to whether they stay, leave or return to a violent relationship. That's why we're investing $925.2 million over five years to establish a permanent leaving violence program, providing life-changing financial support for women after leaving a violent relationship and for those who are seeking support and a safety plan to leave a violent relationship. We're a government that backs women, which is why we'll also invest $1.1 billion over four years to pay super on government funded paid parental leave. As a mum from the regions, I know this will have a huge impact, because women retiring with 25 per cent less in their super than men just isn't good enough.

This budget is about delivering on our commitments to regional Australia, building on the solid foundations we've established across our first two years in government. It's also about securing a better outcome for people and their families. It's about supporting better access to opportunities and to services, and it's about creating the environments for regional businesses and industries to innovate and grow through a future made in Australia. It's a budget that responds to pressures felt today while ensuring we are on the right track to achieve the potential of tomorrow. When we invest with purpose, when we invest for people, when we invest with principles and when we invest for the future, we're building a stronger regional Australia for generations to come.

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