Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The federal Albanese Labor government is delivering for Australia, for northern Australia and for the Northern Territory. We are a united NT team, with Senator Malarndirri McCarthy as the Minister for Indigenous Australians; my colleague Marion Scrymgour, the member for Lingiari, as the chair of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia; and myself as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Northern Australia. We are delivering significant investment in my electorate in Darwin and Palmerston, in the Northern Territory and in northern Australia.

Let's start by looking at defence, the first responsibility of government. We have committed $14 billion over the next decade in the Integrated Investment Program to bolster Australia's northern bases, contributing enhanced security not only to Australia but also to the Indo-Pacific, with our partners and allies. This is creating jobs and great economic benefit not only for Territorians and Territory businesses but also for others across northern Australia.

We are delivering education for Territorians. On the weekend the minister for infrastructure and I opened Danala, the new Charles Darwin University education and community precinct campus in Darwin. This $239.8 million project was supported with a $97.3 million grant from the federal government and a further $126.5 million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. It was a great event.

Our government is also delivering on the long-term call from Territorians for Charles Darwin University to establish a medical school in the Territory. This will revolutionise medical and health training in the Territory. It will grow homegrown doctors and will attract and retain more doctors to provide much needed health care in the Top End. With the NT government, the Albanese government has committed $1 billion to fully fund the Northern Territory's public schools, with the most disadvantaged schools being prioritised first—and fee-free TAFE as well.

In terms of housing, we are delivering housing for the Northern Territory. With the Northern Territory government, we are jointly investing a landmark $4 billion in housing in remote communities across the Northern Territory to help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The Albanese Labor government is investing in more housing that will benefit Territorians. Today we re-introduced our Help to Buy Bill in the House, and that shared equity scheme, if we can get the support of the opposition or the Greens, will help everyday Territorians own their own home. It is disappointing it doesn't have bipartisan support yet, but I'm hoping that'll change. We are determined to put homeownership back into the reach of Territorians.

Health is a very important focus for our government. We are delivering improved health care for the Territory. We delivered the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre at the Royal Darwin Hospital. We campaigned hard and got the PET scanners for the Northern Territory and the cyclotron that was required to get these PET scanners working as effectively as possible. Now Territorians have everything they need for cancer treatment in the Territory either because of our advocacy in opposition or because of our direct leadership in this area in government. It is the health care that Territorians deserve.

Through my advocacy, the Palmerston Regional Hospital received additional funding so that we could have the hospital that people in Palmerston and the region deserve. We have made sure that that is a priority—as well as endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across all states and territories, including the one that I advocated for in Darwin and that I visited recently. Territorians deserve access to better health care, and the urgent care clinic that opened in Palmerston a year ago and increased bulk-billing services have helped—as well as cheaper medicines.

Every day we're doing everything we can to strengthen health outcomes for our fellow Territorians, and that will continue. (Time expired)

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