Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. How does the Albanese Labor government's budget strengthen Australia's social security safety net?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Calwell for her question. Of course, like the member for Calwell, our government understands that many Australians are doing it tough right now. That's why we have set out through this budget a path to address some of the pressures that families are feeling right now. I would like to really congratulate the Treasurer for all the work he did in delivering what is a very responsible and targeted but important cost-of-living relief plan. Our $14.6 billion cost-of-living plan includes help with power bills, record investment in Medicare bulk billing and cheaper medicines, and, in addition, we are strengthening the safety net that so many Australians rely on.

The safety net is there for when Australians need it. Through this budget we are strengthening that by increasing the eligible working age and student payment rates. We're also strengthening the Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments and expanding the eligibility for parenting payment single. Our changes will see the rates of JobSeeker, youth allowance and other eligible working-age payments rise by $40 a fortnight. This provides additional support to 1.1 million people.

We are expanding the eligibility for existing higher rates of JobSeeker to single recipients aged 55 and over who have been on income support for nine months or more. The higher rate is an existing feature of our social security system that currently applies to those aged over 60. But we know older Australians face a number of additional barriers when looking for work, including age discrimination and poor health. Our changes will support 52,000 Australians aged 55 to 59, who will receive an additional $92.10 a fortnight.

Similarly, we know that single parents can find it tough to balance caring responsibilities with full-time work, and so we are expanding the eligibility for parenting payment, because we know the balancing act doesn't end when a child turns eight. And, as the Prime Minister outlined, we are increasing the support for Commonwealth Rent Assistance, the largest increase to the CRA in more than 30 years.

Combined, these changes will provide additional support to around two million people. The Albanese government believes in a strong social safety net. We believe in supporting those doing it tough. Through our budget and our changes, we will be supporting more Australians with the cost of living.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Page is warned.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Zokoko, a local chocolate manufacturer in my Western Sydney electorate of Lindsay, has seen their energy bill rise by $4,000 per quarter. The owner, Dean, says that this budget won't make much of a difference because he's still going to see his energy costs continue to rise. Why does this budget leave so many Australians behind?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did you vote against relief?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. The minister for the environment will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lindsay for her question, which goes to a small business in her fine electorate in Western Sydney. And she might like to know, and I will assist her, what the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, a fellow called Bruce Billson, had to say about last night's budget. This is what he had to say:

There is support for small and family businesses to tackle immediate pressures, particularly with high energy input costs, an asset write-off boost to help re-equip and invest in productivity, tax administration changes that will help with vital cash flow challenges and much needed advice to deal with cyber security fears …

Energising enterprise can deliver a stronger economy and these measures are a step towards delivering that.

That's what Bruce Billson, appointed by those opposite as the small-business ombudsman, said that our budget would do for small businesses, including those in the Lindsay electorate. Similarly, Andrew Mackellar, the Chief Executive of ACCI, said:

This budget has provided welcome breathing space for households and small businesses in the form of energy relief.

Those opposite would have us believe, to quote the shadow Treasurer, that we've been supportive of energy bill relief all the way along. As you know, we've always supported that.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where's the $275?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sure the member for Lindsay feels the same thing, but I'm sure she needs to explain to the small businesses in her electorate that she voted against it, along with all of them over there. Here are some of the things those over there called the Energy Price Relief Plan: reckless, destructive, socialism, a Soviet-style policy, catastrophic, one step short of nationalisation, gas market Armageddon and a declaration of war that will be the death knell of Australia's prosperity. That's what they had to say. How's that for support!

Opposition members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my left will cease interjecting.

Government members interjecting—

Members on my right will cease interjecting. There is far too much noise in the chamber. I'm issuing a general warning. The next person that wants to try their luck will be removed.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

IA () (): My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How does the budget deliver on the key priorities of the Defence Strategic Review?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his commitment to the defence industry of South Australia. Last night's budget had a central pillar, which was our nation's security, investing in the key military capabilities to keep Australians safe. There was a $9 billion commitment over the next four years to establish the pathway by which Australia will acquire nuclear powered submarine capability, making us just the seventh country to be able to operate these platforms, and giving rise to the single biggest leap in our military capability since the end of the Second World War. What that will do is give pause for thought for any adversary seeking to project power against Australia or our interests. There's a $4.1 billion commitment to increasing our strike capability, which will see, for example, an increase in Army's strike range from 40 kilometres to more than 300 kilometres in the next couple of years, while at the same time establishing an industrial base in this country which will manufacture missiles. There's an investment of $400 million in the retention and the growth of our Defence Force personnel because we understand that at the heart of our defence is our people, and we simply have to make the ADF a better place to work.

What all of this will do is implement the AUKUS agreement and the Defence Strategic Review. It will see, over the next four years, defence spending growth in accordance with the trajectory that we inherited from those opposite. But over the next 10 years, it will see defence spending grow by an additional 0.2 per cent of GDP above the trajectory that we inherited from those opposite. That means that we plan to spend, over the next 10 years, 0.2 per cent more of GDP on defence than those opposite provided. This is not spending for spending's sake, because right now we are seeing in the world the biggest conventional military build-up since the end of the Second World War right here in our region, and that, combined with a much greater economic connection to the world, has greatly complicated our strategic circumstances. In a rational world defence spending is a function of strategic threat and strategic complexity, and we have both in full measure. We are rational people running a rational government which is making a historic commitment to the defence of our country.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. UBS has labelled the federal budget as stimulatory and has pushed back the timing for when it expects the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates to 2024. Why has the government brought down a budget which makes inflation worse?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is extraordinary when it comes to the issue of inflation is that the shadow Treasurer had this to say in February 2023 with the catastrophising that they go on with over there: 'There are ominous signs Australia is hurtling towards another era of stagflation.' That follows the comments of the Leader of the Opposition in June 2022. Think about the timing of that; it's after the election but before any of our first budgets. He said this: 'Australia is set to lose its AAA credit rating because of spiralling debt and deficits.' That's what he had to say. But that's a deficit in your forward estimates. It was in June 2022.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hume on a point of order?

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister said he was going to take responsibility.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. I want to hear from the Leader of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, referring to your earlier rulings on points of order, if they're nothing to do with the standing orders, they shouldn't be made, or they can just stand up and say, 'I nominate myself as trivia.' It's ridiculous.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House is correct. That wasn't a correct point of order. The member for Hume knows that.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're doing well, Angus!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will cease interjecting. If that happens again you won't be warned; you will be asked to leave. The Prime Minister will continue and will be heard in silence.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Those opposite—

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Answer the question!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin will excuse himself from the House under standing order 94(a) without commentary.

The member for Deakin then left the chamber.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition correctly identified the spiralling debt and deficit that were in the budget that they left. That's why he said that in June 2022, because they expected a deficit this year of some $78 billion—$78 billion. But instead what you have is a massive turnaround and a forecast surplus of $4.2 billion. And yet they stand up here and ask a question and interject with those absurd comments after the biggest fiscal turnaround in history that has ever occurred.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Page is on a warning.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having stood at this dispatch box, the Liberal Treasurer announced the biggest deficit in history and the second biggest deficit in history, having sat here for nine years. Having promised a surplus in the first year and a surplus every year after that, they didn't deliver any. They produced the mugs, but they were treating Australians like mugs. All they had to show for it was some empty mugs in surplus. The only surplus they had was in Josh Frydenberg's office, the mugs that they had to stop selling. The fact is that we have been responsible, and that's on top of the fact that we had to find, in addition to that, $7.5 billion in essential programs that they stopped funding in June this year or in December this year. (Time expired)

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. What has the Albanese Labor government done to get wages moving? What impact has this had on the budget? And what needed to change to achieve better wage outcomes?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Newcastle—someone who's always been fighting to get wages moving in her part of Australia. In the first six months of this government, we have had stronger wage growth than in any other period for the last 10 years. Now, why would it be over the last 10 years? What possibly needed to change, in order to get wages moving? It was the government that needed to change to get wages moving.

Getting wages moving is good for the cost of living and it's good for working families. And it's been good for the budget. Forty per cent of the turnaround in finances, as has been explained by the Treasurer, is caused by employment and wages outcomes—40 per cent of the improvements in revenue.

Now, those opposite wanted to use terms like 'drover's dog' in terms of turnaround in revenue. As to what's happened with wages, in their approach to wages they were more like my rescue greyhound: they'd run around for five minutes in the morning and then sleep the rest of the day! And they'd do nothing on wages, because keeping wages low was a deliberate design feature.

To get wages moving requires action from a government, which is exactly what the Albanese Labor government has done. Wages are moving because we took the position we did at the annual wage review.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, member for Fisher.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Wages are moving for people in aged care—for a quarter of a million workers in aged care—because of the action this government took and the 15 per cent pay rise funded in the budget last night. Wages are moving with a government that was willing to strike down zombie agreements, when those opposite were quite happy for people to still be on the terms and conditions of 20 years ago under old Work Choices agreements. Wages are moving because we've now banned job ads which used to be legal, even though—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fisher, if he continues to interject, will leave the chamber.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

they were advertising rates which were illegal. Wages are moving because we changed the law for pay equity. Wages are moving because we changed the law for gender equality. Wages are moving because rogue employers know that it's going to be a criminal offence to steal from your workers. Wages are moving because the platforms know that there'll be minimum standards for gig workers. Wages are moving because getting wages moving is a deliberate design feature of this government.

And for 10 years, in their words and their actions, they made sure they did everything they could to keep wages low. When you look at the budget papers last night, what people are experiencing now, in what's going into their bank accounts, is because there was a change of government.

Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. The government's budget commitment of $2 billion for renewable hydrogen production is very welcome. However, can the minister confirm that this funding will only be used for hydrogen produced using renewable energy and not for hydrogen produced using fossil fuels?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and her interest in the Hydrogen Headstart program, which is vital to Australia's future as a renewable energy powerhouse, which this government fundamentally believes in. We also know our green hydrogen future is fundamental to that clean energy future as a powerhouse. I'm happy to confirm for the honourable member that the funding under the Hydrogen Headstart program is limited to hydrogen generated by renewable energy—green hydrogen.

This is vital for Australia's future, and I welcome the response from the hydrogen industry. The chief executive—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Keep going! And I welcome the interjections from those opposite as well, because every time they do it they say they've learnt nothing—nothing, after the last 10 years; nothing since the last election. They just still don't get it. The chief executive of the Australian Hydrogen Council has said this is a very welcome injection. And, as it happens, the World Hydrogen Summit is occurring at the moment in Holland, just as we make this announcement. I'm advised it has been very warmly welcomed at the World Hydrogen Summit.

This is so important that a few weeks ago I released the State of hydrogen report. It showed that Australia had the biggest potential pipeline of hydrogen investments—$300 billion—but this was at risk, to be frank, because of policies internationally like the US Inflation Reduction Act. We had to respond. We know that the IEA has said Australia could potentially host up to a quarter of the world's hydrogen projects. Australia could host that, but, again, that was at risk, so the government needed to act.

This is before we even get to the potential for green iron and green steel, which could unleash $65 billion by 2050, a matter that the industry minister has focused on very, very clearly. But we need the green hydrogen industry going to get the green metals industries going as well. I'm happy to confirm to the honourable member that we are focused on and limited to green hydrogen for that.

I also should report to the House about the Guarantee of Origin scheme that we funded last night in the budget with $38 million, so that consumers around the world can see the carbon content of Australian hydrogen. Regardless of the colour, they can see the origin, the carbon content and the antecedents—the energy—which went into that hydrogen, because that is also vital for our ambitions as a hydrogen superpower.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The House will come to order so I can hear from the member for Jagajaga.

Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Women. How does this year's budget deliver for Australian women and put equality at the heart of the Australian government?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Jagajaga very much for the question. I know the member has been fighting for all her political life and working life for equality for women. She knows, as this side of the House knows, that equality for women has to be at the heart of everything we do. Since coming to office we have made significant headway, and last night's budget takes another step forward in delivering significant investment in Australia's women and investing in programs and policies that will echo long beyond this term of parliament and permanently shift the dial on women's equality. Not since the introduction of the Women's Budget Statement back in 1984 has there been such a deliberate focus on how budget decisions affect women, which we are backing up with funding and with structural reforms.

Our substantial investments include addressing violence against women; a pay rise for aged-care workers, nine out of 10 of whom are women; modernising paid parental leave and making child care cheaper; improving gender pay gap transparency; preventing sexual harassment at work; transforming our workplace relations frameworks to centre gender equality; and reintroducing gender-responsive budgeting. We're investing $1.9 billion to extend the eligibility of the parenting payment to single parents—the majority of whom are women—with a youngest dependent child aged under 14 years. I want to acknowledge particularly the Prime Minister and the Minister for Social Services for championing that particular measure.

We are investing $2.7 billion to increase the maximum payment rate of Commonwealth rent assistance by 15 per cent for all recipients, with single women making up the majority of the recipients of rental assistance. We're abolishing the punishing ParentsNext program from 1 July 2024 and replacing it with a new voluntary program that better meets and understands the needs of parents and actually sets them up for success, to commence at the earliest opportunity.

We're providing over half a billion dollars in funding to support the National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children, building on the record investment in the October budget and bringing the total investment to almost $2.3 billion to end this scourge. As I said, we're funding a 15 per cent increase to the minimum wages for aged-care workers. That is a huge change for thousands and thousands of workers across this country. We're investing $26.4 million to support health and medical research focusing on women's health.

This doesn't happen by accident. It happens with purposeful decision-making, making sure that we're putting women at the heart of our budget decision-making processes. These are efforts that are led by all of us, particularly the Prime Minister, the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Finance. This is a good budget for Australia's women.