Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The people that I'm privileged to represent in suburbs like Elwood, St Kilda, South Melbourne, Southbank and so many others are dedicated to their families and their work and they are generous and passionate about our community. They are studying, working hard, raising families and living in our local community, adding so much. But, increasingly, through the many conversations that I'm having throughout my electorate, one thing that is clear is that people are finding it pretty tough at the moment. There's real pressure on household budgets from the cost of groceries to education, energy prices, child care and housing. Young professionals are finding it harder to get financial security as they leave university and start careers, and years of low wages under the previous government mean that there is little ability to absorb any increases in inflation. So governments need to be there to ensure people can get by in these difficult times.

While I acknowledge there is a lot more to do, there is significant reform that has already been done, things like lowering the cost of medicines; making sure that we're tripling the bulk-billing incentive for people to be able to access a GP; delivering up to $3 billion of electricity bill relief; strengthening the safety net by increasing JobSeeker, youth allowance and single parent payments; and, of course, increasing the rent assistance; reducing the cost of child care; and a few other things as well. We have a lot more work to do, but we are listening, we are acting and we are ensuring that hardworking Australians can get by in these difficult times.