Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government came to office in 2022 with a remit to bring with us to government kindness and positivity, a remit that saw us face challenges and find solutions and bring people with us. I'm a proud member of the Albanese Labor government working hard to meet our challenges. Some of those challenges have been economic, some have been around climate change and some are around the international space in which we find ourselves, but I'm very proud to be part of a government that has taken those challenges seriously and attacked them creatively.

One of those challenges has, of course, been inflation and the cost of living. On 1 July, five of the Albanese Labor government's cost-of-living relief measures come into effect. The important one—the tax cuts for every taxpayer—as well as a pay rise for low wage earners of 3.75 per cent, a freeze on PBS medicine costs, power bill relief for every household, and a two-week extension of paid parental leave come in on 1 July. This of course builds on the work we have already done, like cheaper child care, which makes such a difference in the community like mine that I represent with so many young families.

It is less than a week until this 1 July date, until 13.6 million people get a tax cut. The Albanese government's tax cuts will provide much-needed relief for all Australia's taxpayers. In my community, that is 95,000 community members in Lalor who will save an average of $1,441. This is going to make a difference to people's weekly incomes in my community. It comes on top of a pay rise for 2.6 million Australians, the third pay rise for our low-wage earners, and on top of a 15 per cent pay rise for the aged-care workforce, which has made a considerable difference in communities like mine.

As well as that, we have cheaper medicine. It has been a big fortnight in Lalor. We had an exciting visit from the Prime Minister to discuss the government's commitment to delivering cheaper medicines, which meant that PBS medicines went from $42.50 down for the first time to $30 and now that has been frozen. When the Prime Minister came to Lalor, he attended a Terry White chemist where he met locals Susan and Stephen Foster, who, amongst many Lalor residents, will benefit from the freeze on the maximum cost of the PBS medicine. Already in Lalor, $2.1 million has been saved from the cheaper scripts. I want to thank particularly Brian Nguyen from Terry White Chemmart for his warm welcome for the Prime Minister and all those who were working in the pharmacy that night and to those customers who were there that evening too, who made the Prime Minister so welcome in our community.

We have done these things as well as the power bill rebates on 1 July, the $300 rebate for every household on their power bill and, of course, that includes small businesses. That is $3.5 billion in energy bill relief for every single Australian household and one million eligible small businesses.

In our communities on Monday, there are going to be changes that will make things easier for people in my community. With inflation running at 3.6 per cent, the decision to deliver a 3.75 per cent pay rise for low-income earners is going to actually make a difference, not just in that first pay cycle but going forward.

We know that easing the cost-of-living pressures for all Australians is our No. 1 priority at this stage. As a government we want to bring positivity to the work we do every day, as we battle, plan and implement for so many areas across the country. But our No. 1 priority, obviously, has been that cost-of-living pressure for households across the country. In my community, I know that this Monday is going to be a big day for many people and a change in the way they think and act.

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