Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

We heard, before, the member for Cook sharing the story that the Sutherland hospital in his electorate doesn't have an MRI. Well, it's not only the Sutherland Shire's hospital that doesn't have an MRI machine; Fairfield Hospital in my electorate of Fowler doesn't have an MRI machine either. Not only that, but the hospital has a hand clinic which services people from across the region and yet is operating out of a demountable. So, in terms of the health needs of our area, there's so much that needs real investment from the federal and state governments.

It's been almost two months since the 2024-25 budget was released. The Future Made in Australia plan was the centrepiece—except I saw less of a future for my constituents in Fowler and Western Sydney. We ticked over to the new financial year on 1 July 2024, and I know that the government has paraded their budget achievements—such as the tax cuts and the one-off energy relief rebate of $300 for every household and $325 for small businesses. This may sound like a good deal for Australians and small businesses, but is it really—especially for my constituents in Fowler?

This week, I asked the Prime Minister in the chamber whether he could guarantee that struggling families in Western Sydney wouldn't go backwards with their cost of living from 1 July, following these grand announcements from the budget. In a roundabout way, there was no guarantee from the Prime Minister and the government. I get that the tax cuts would provide some relief to my constituents; however, a one-off $300 payment provides minimal support in the face of the four per cent rise in CPI and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Household expenditures and prices remain volatile amidst inflation. Costs for food, energy and other household needs have jumped.

And, honestly, the people of Fowler would feel the pressure the most. Our median personal weekly income is $521 and median family weekly income is $1,529. The median weekly rent is about $370. An individual within Fowler on the median wage would be left with about $151. They would need to pay for their groceries, food, the cost of community work and the needs of their children. I don't need to do the maths to know that they're spreading their money thin to survive in this economy. And that's not to mention the high petrol prices. I have continually called on the government to do something about this issue, to provide some kind of short-term relief for families who use cars to drive long distances to work.

I held a 'bring your bill' day earlier this year. Over 100 constituents came to our event. They were struggling to pay their bills. Most shared that they were unable to keep up with the cost-of-living crisis. I had constituents bring their children to the event, asking if we were offering free meal services or relief. This is heartbreaking. As a parent, your duty is to be able to give your children the most basic need for their upbringing: food. Yet this is becoming a challenge, especially in Western Sydney. Even after the 'bring your bill' day event, we had an influx of constituents contacting our office for further assistance and facilitation of cost-of-living relief. Due to the demand, I have decided to hold a second 'bring your bill' day, in August 2024, to assist my struggling constituents.

I am doing what I can to assist my constituents on the ground. I ask that the government do more to assist with the cost-of-living crisis and offer relief that targets Australians who are doing it tough.

My qualms with this budget do not stop there. Small businesses get almost no slice of the pie within the budget. Eligible small businesses can expect a one-off $325 rebate on their energy bill. Now, I know that there are small businesses in my electorate whose energy bill has almost tripled, from $4,000 to almost $12,000. So, while this $325 is a great thing, I don't know how big a dent it will make on such large bills for small businesses.

I acknowledge that the $20,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses has been extended for another 12 months. However, the cost of equipment and inventory exceeds this and the instant asset write-off may not give the relief required. Instead, we should invest more in small businesses.

The Future Made in Australia plan revealed a one-billion-dollar initiative to create a manufacturing base for solar products. My electorate is replete with manufacturers and manufacturing is the largest employer in my electorate. Why are we not investing in smaller manufacturing companies that have the potential to grow and develop in a globally competitive market? This will also create more jobs for Australians and those within my electorate. This is such a missed opportunity.

As I mentioned before, our health system, I think, is really broken, and something has to be done about it. Our hospitals have been overwhelmed in trying to keep up with patients. As to measures, I understand there's an additional $227 million over three years from 2023-24 to boost the capacity of Medicare urgent care clinics, including 29 new clinics across Australia, but at what cost? What impact will this have on local GPs, especially in south-west Sydney where there's a critical shortage of GPs? Why is Fowler left behind when it comes to health care?

Following the release of the budget, I've had aged-care providers and nurses reaching out to me to share their disappointment with the budget. We all know that the aged-care system is due for reform and no longer fit for purpose. We are expecting an aged-care bill to address the royal commission's findings.

I held an aged-care forum to get to the bottom of what was not working. Aged-care professionals have shared that the aged-care industry has become less attractive to work in and they're struggling to retain skilled professionals. Particularly within Fowler, there was a high demand for aged-care professionals who can support older culturally-and-linguistically-diverse people. This was a big gap in providing for our ageing population in the aged-care services sector. The budget has put forward $65.6 million over four years from 2024-25 to attract and retain aged-care workers, collect more reliable data and improve outcomes for people receiving aged-care services. This is a big figure. How exactly is the fund being utilised to attract and retain talent, though? This is elusive to me and those aged-care professionals.

Whilst I could go on about whether the government has fallen short in the budget for my constituents, my intention is to simply bring to the government's attention that we can do more to aid Australians. The disappointing budget measures are a testament to this.

See this speech in context