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

The simple definition of DNA is: 'a molecule that contains the genetic code that is unique to every individual'. The code is, if you like, an instruction manual for making all the proteins that form our bodies and help us thrive. These codes or instruction manuals are, of course, genetic—handed from parent to child. It's true that the fruit never falls far from the tree, and we all inherit bits and pieces and odds and sods from our parents and grandparents. Often these are physical, but many are not. Miraculously, no two codes of DNA are the same. I've always loved science, and now I'm not sure whether this was inherited, an aspect of my DNA, or something I developed at school—and perhaps it was just a bit of both. But surely the discovery and the study of DNA is one of the greatest scientific advances of all time.

Science, much like history, is debated, so the question of who discovered DNA is a vexed one. Was it a Swiss chemist? Was it others? There are many who claim that they discovered it. As for me, I'll settle for the Eagle pub theory—it suits Australian larrikinism, I think—for it was in this pub that Crick and Watson, on 28 February 1953, celebrated the discovery of the structure of DNA, the building block of life.

As DNA is to people, budgets are to governments. No two are the same; they're codes or building blocks; they're often inherited—in the case of budgets, through ideology or history—and they are all unique, cut and tailored to suit the demands, challenges and pressures of the time.

The budget handed down recently is very much in the tradition of Labor, and it is unmistakably Labor. So today, in this place, I would like to outline the evidence for this and to ask: How is this a Labor budget? And how is it tailored for our times? But I also want to touch on my particular electorate's DNA and on how the budget will assist my constituents specifically. I also want to touch on some non-economic pressures and the pain that my community is feeling.

This budget leaves no Australian behind—not one. That is, every Australian taxpayer receives a tax cut. In Werriwa, this means that 80,000 taxpayers will, on average, get a tax cut of over $1,400. That's real money, in real pockets, from 1 July 2024, and it represents a significant increase on the tax cuts proposed by the previous government. In addition, we have increases to the Medicare levy low-income threshold, ensuring that more than one million low-income taxpayers continue to be exempt from the Medicare levy or pay a reduced rate.

Difficult economic times require a government to respond responsibly and appropriately. The new power-bill rebates do both. Again, no-one—I repeat: no-one—is left behind by the Albanese government, including small business, in these power rebates. Every household in Werriwa will receive a $300 rebate, applied quarterly, and small businesses will receive $325—real money, real assistance and real help with the cost of living.

Honestly, there's not enough time for me to detail all the cost-of-living measures in this budget. The billions for infrastructure in my part of south-western Sydney would take a speech in themselves. So, in this address on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2024-2025 and related bills, I'll restrict myself to just four measures that are particularly relevant to my constituents.

Firstly, there's more assistance to help nearly one million Australian households with the cost of rent, by increasing the maximum rates of Commonwealth rent assistance by 10 per cent. This benefits over 9,000 households in Werriwa and builds on the government's 15 per cent increase, which commenced in September 2023.

Secondly, this budget strengthens our healthcare system yet again. Members will remember the government's previous initiative in this area last year—namely, the establishment of urgent care clinics; cheaper medicines, through the 60-day scripts; and a historic $3.5 billion investment to triple the bulk billing incentive. This budget goes further by freezing the PBS co-payment and adding more medicines to the PBS. Residents in Werriwa have already saved over $1½ million thanks to our early reforms. Now everyone in Werriwa who has access to PBS medicines is set to save more. Further, we are expanding Medicare coverage to an MRI machine in Werriwa, which will expand affordable access to imaging services.

The third aspect of the budget I'd like to highlight relates to HECS relief for students. Many in my electorate are the first in their family to attend university, while others pursue alternative post-school educational opportunities. They know that solid education is a foundation for their future career and economic wellbeing. Labor has always been a friend of universities, beginning with Gough Whitlam's reforms all those years ago through to the Dawkins reforms a few years later. This budget makes the HECS-HELP system fairer. It does this by cutting $3 billion in student debt for more than three million Australians. Our government is doing this by capping the HELP indexation rate to the lower of either the CPI or the wage price index. This means HELP debts will never grow faster than wages. In Werriwa this change will support over 26,000 people.

Fourthly and finally, there was one item in the recent budget that wasn't picked up by many. It's the additional $67.5 million as part of the government's second tranche of reforms to crack down on scammers. Surely all Australians have either been a victim of a scam or know someone who has been scammed. In all their iterations—SMS, emails, phone calls, doorknockers and the like—scams are everywhere. We all know this, but it only really gets driven home when we experience it personally. Recently I was scammed. The exact mechanism by which I was scammed is still a bit of a mystery, which in itself is a worry. Thankfully I was alerted in good time and, to the best of my ability, have taken every appropriate subsequent action. I'm not out of pocket, which, unfortunately, cannot be said for some of the constituents of Werriwa. A few months ago, I was very grateful for a visit to my office by the Assistant Treasurer. He led a well-attended and very informative scams forum. In 2023 Australians made more than 600,000 scam reports, and they lost up to $2.7 billion to scams. These are terrible statistics. The Albanese government takes scams seriously, and the announcement of additional funds in the budget will help my constituents keep ahead of the scammers.

The economic and cost-of-living pressures that Australians are facing are real. Equally real are the relief measures in this budget. The measures in the budget are founded in our ideology and our DNA: to help those who need it, to offer a helping hand and to reward effort. As much as the economy and budgets are important, so are communities. I started today by talking about DNA. I refer to the physical traits we inherit from our forebears, but I also refer to other characteristics that are non-physical. For as much as we are all unique and individual, we have far more in common. The bond of humanity far exceeds our differences. We all feel pain, and we all feel joy. We all experience disappointment, and we hope for a better future. I rise today to talk about how my community has been hurting. It's only right that I speak not only about the economic pain but also about the shared heartbreak that many in my community are experiencing and continue to experience.

Over 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza. I don't say that lightly. Aid workers, journalists and innocent civilians have been killed, and the world is much poorer for their loss. There has been a massive swathe of destruction which has crippled existing infrastructure. The horror that we have seen is unfathomable and condemnable. The blocking of humanitarian assistance is unacceptable. To forget the suffering we have borne witness to would be deplorable. We must never forget how this most recent conflict began, nor the countless tragedies that have led to this moment. I mourn each of them. I mourn the good. I mourn the decent who have struggled for a peaceful future that they, sadly, have not now lived to see. I fear this cycle will not end until we resolve the perpetually unresolved issue: the recognition of the Palestinian state.

The Albanese government supports a two-state solution as the best possible path to ensuring peace and prosperity. Australia has voted to increase the participation of Palestine at the United Nations. We have voted for the cessation of hostilities. We've called for a ceasefire. We've called for humanitarian assistance. I've spoken and corresponded with many in my community. I share their sadness, their anguish and their frustration. I recognise their pain and will always endeavour to act on their behalf, with their best interest in mind. For as much as budgets and the economy and cost of living count—and they do—so do communities and people.

I will do everything in my remit and power to listen, to encourage and to foster tolerance, both on a one-on-one level with individuals but also on the broader policy front. I will continue to engage with all those with faith and those with none. I will continue to recognise those in my community who give selflessly of themselves for the benefit of others. I will continue to walk towards harmony, mutual respect and tolerance, and more than anything I will continue to listen. Genuine listing is hard, but if we all try then it will make a difference. Everyone has a story and everyone needs to be heard.

I genuinely feel that this budget is a response to listening to the concerns of everyday Australians and that it is a step in the right direction in addressing the economic hurt so many are feeling. It has much more to offer all Australians and in its DNA it is authentically Labor. It is a budget I'm proud to defend. In the same way I am proud of my community, my home electorate and its constituents. They've been through tough times, and I hope this budget will be a solid step for them in addressing their economic concerns. But more than that I also hope that, as a community in its full diversity, we can begin to address those other deeper, longing pains that are shared by so many—these pains that desire a better tomorrow, a more peaceful future and an end to war and division. The responsibility for addressing those pains lies with all of us. I commend the budget to the House.

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