Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Paterson for moving this motion on the first sitting Monday we've had since the Treasurer handed down the Albanese Labor government's third budget—one that delivers for millions of Australians and delivers for my electorate of Spence. It was a budget that was calibrated to ease cost-of-living pressures faced by Australians in a measured and responsible way while not unduly adding to inflationary pressures at the same time.

Whilst we're in the process of transferring from those opposite the intellectual property rights to the use of 'responsible economic managers' and the rights to the resale of the 'back in black' coffee mugs, we are ready to deliver the first back-to-back consecutive budget surpluses in just shy of 20 years, which is no mean feat—unless you happen to occupy the benches on the other side of the chamber, where you can get away with simultaneously making the claims that we are not doing enough in cost-of-living relief and that the cost-of-living relief measures are going to cause inflation to skyrocket. These are the very same people who praised the previous government's spending during the pandemic yet feel as if they are absolved of the sins of both the rising inflation and the rising interest rates that followed them.

This is a budget that delivers a tax cut for every single Australian taxpayer—all 13.6 million taxpayers. This contrasts with the plan of those opposite, who preferred to keep the bulk of their tax relief to just a select few near the top, excluding taxpayers near the bottom from any benefit from their tax plan entirely. Many of those forgotten by those opposite live in my electorate of Spence. In fact, 74,000 taxpayers in Spence will be receiving a tax cut. On average, this equates to a tax cut of over $1,217. Because they elected an Albanese Labor government, 91 per cent of taxpayers in Spence will be better off than if the coalition's tax plan had been allowed to remain in effect. If that were the case, each taxpayer in Spence would have been, on average, almost $500 worse off.

This is coupled with the $3.5 billion our government has put toward much-needed energy bill relief. Over 10 million households and one million small businesses across Australia will receive a rebate of $300 and $325 respectively.

This budget also looks to strengthen Medicare, making a trip to the doctor and a trip to the chemist cheaper. At the same time, this budget is making sure that pathology services for many common tests remain bulk-billed. Pathology services that were accessed in Spence just shy of 175,000 times last year will remain bulk-billed under this budget and under an Albanese Labor government. This is also the case for four MRI machines in Spence that will now have Medicare coverage, meaning that your ability to afford an MRI test shouldn't impact your ability to have one—the way it should be, where your Medicare card matters more than your credit card.

Our government is expanding Medicare urgent care clinics to an additional 29 locations across the country. Not only does this mean that Australians are more likely to see a doctor when they need to, but this will help draw pressure from emergency rooms across the country. Australians will walk into the Medicare urgent care clinic and walk out after being bulk-billed. In my electorate of Spence, since the opening of the Elizabeth Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, they've seen 4,685 visits through their doors, and that number continues to climb with each passing week. One visit was in fact mine. When I needed to see a doctor after falling ill, I was able to walk in and see a doctor after a relatively short wait and get the care I needed.

The Albanese Labor government's third budget doesn't just ease cost-of-living pressures for millions of Australians but also sets them up for well-paying jobs in the future. Nine out of 10 new jobs over the next decade will require post-school qualifications, with 50 per cent of those requiring at least a bachelor's degree and 44 per cent requiring VET qualifications. Apprentices will be eligible for $5,000 to assist with supporting them to finish their training, a policy that will help nearly 2,000 apprentices in the northern suburbs of Spence. There are many policies our government has introduced in this budget in response to the Australian Universities Accord final report—policies like fee-free uni-ready courses to enable a pathway for tens of thousands of Australians to help them take that next step toward higher education all the way to our changes to the way HELP debt indexation is calculated. We have wiped $3 billion in student debt instantly, assisting 19,000 people in Spence with a HELP debt.

As you can see, this is a budget that we can all be proud of—a Labor budget that delivers for all Australians.

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