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

As they say, don't just count your years; make them count. That has definitely been a truism of the Albanese Labor government, a government now a year and a day old. It may speak a little to what this government replaced, but it was always a proud moment to begin a large number of my contributions in this chamber by simply stating the fact that the passage of the legislation being debated at the time was part of the government fulfilling another election commitment, whether it be the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission; whether it be making child care cheaper for thousands of parents throughout Australia—7,200 in Spence—or whether it be the establishment of Jobs and Skills Australia, a body created after the Albanese Labor government held its Jobs and Skills Summit alongside many local roundtables in summits across the country, such as the one I held in my electorate of Spence.

JSA has been designed and tasked with combating Australia's skills shortages, both the ones that exist now and the ones that will exist in the future. The establishment of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation will help to revitalise and reinvigorate Australian manufacturing. For too long, we as a nation were in the doldrums, stuck in neutral at best or moving steadily backward at worst. The Albanese Labor government has taken off the handbrake on progress for Australia. I look forward to being part of its second year in office and many more to come.