Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government hit the ground running. We will not waste a moment. So what exactly has the Albanese Labor government done for my electorate of Swan? Jobs, accessible homes, cheaper medicine, cheaper child care, paid parental leave and now tax cuts. We're building a better future every day. In the south-east region of statistical area 4, employment grew by 7,400 jobs, to 315,000, in the 12 months to the end of December last year. When it comes to homes, the Albanese Labor government is bringing homeownership back into reach with the Home Guarantee Scheme, helping more than 2,800 people in the south-east of Perth, and that's since May 2022.

We're making medicines cheaper. Making a choice between medicine and food is not something that Australians should have to consider. Making medicines cheaper was a key election commitment of the Albanese government, and we have delivered. We also dropped the copayment for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $30. Australians across the nation have saved $160 million. That's more than 14 million cheaper prescriptions. In my electorate they've saved $1.3 million on prescriptions. This means that people in my electorate are benefiting from commitments that the Albanese government made. We've delivered real benefits and real relief, making a real difference for Australians. It's helped alleviate the cost of living, and not delaying access to medicine is better for everyone. It's good for the hip-pocket, good for individual health and great for the health system.

We've also made childcare cheaper, making it easy for families to decide on whether or not to return to work. Paid parental leave is something that has been welcomed in my community as well. In my community, 1,800 parents have received paid parental leave.

Finally, on the tax cuts, my community spoke, and we listened. We analysed the data and we acted. This is about fairness. More people will benefit, and we will do this without additional inflation pressures. Ninety-four thousand people in Swan will receive a tax cut from 1 July. The average cut will be $1,600, and 77,000 taxpayers in Swan will get a bigger tax cut than under the coalition plan. Eighty-three per cent of Swan taxpayers will receive a bigger tax cut. This is fantastic news, but we're continuing to work hard. Next week on Friday, we also have a cost-of-living forum, and that's because we want to bring the community together and help household budgets. We're here to build a better community.