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

Providing support to the constituents of Newcastle is really the bread and butter of my role as the federal member for Newcastle. Governments play an important part in shaping our society and making sure that Australians have access to the services and safeguards that we need. The Australian Public Service plays a really vital part in that work. They assist government in developing and delivering on policy agendas and priorities, and the APS, the Australian Public Service, is, of course, a really trusted institution in Australia. The daily workload is phenomenal at times, and the work of public servants continues to both astonish and frustrate communities at different times, sometimes in equal measure.

My office is now working with a lot of people who are trying to work through issues of dealing with different kinds of programs and services and needing assistance to navigate their way through what are sometimes really complex avenues. Whether it's figuring out how to get access to a home-care package, working your way through Services Australia to access any number of the programs through there, presenting at the Department of Veterans' Affairs or finding a bulk-billing doctor, these are all things that we and our staff do in our electorates all the time.

Each day, we hope that the support and advice we provide goes some way to helping ease some of the stress and sometimes distress that people feel when they are faced with unexpected and difficult circumstances. Lately, my office has seen an uptick in constituents contacting us about the wait times and processing times of Services Australia and the NDIA. I know my staff are working with many of you to help ease the stress that this causes, and I want you to know that we hear you, we see you and we are making changes to ensure that this improves.

Wait times at Services Australia have been getting progressively worse for a number of years now, and the root cause of the issue is a conflation of a shocking reduction in staff numbers, as well as a reliance on IT systems that, under the former government—I think we would have to be frank—just simply did not work. Since Labor was last in government, more than a decade ago, the staffing levels at Services Australia have declined, and this enabled shocking schemes like robodebt to really get away from the former government.

Currently, Services Australia gets over one million calls a week. There are 10 million visits into Centrelink offices each year and there are 1.1 billion transactions taking place online. This is a very, very big service delivery. We know that the increasing call wait times and processing delays at Services Australia have caused distress and absolute inconvenience. I see that in my constituents and in those receiving various government payments and income support.

We also know there is no substitute in human services for real humans. We have provided an extra $228 million to increase the agency's frontline staffing and operations. We've rapidly recruited 3,000 frontline staff, bringing 500 new staff into Medicare and 2,500 staff into Centrelink to provide support with these issues around processing and telephony. We started recruiting those extra people in November and December of last year, and they are now in place. These new staff are currently being trained to allow them to effectively help people when they are calling in. Many have completed their initial training and have started on the phones, and we are starting to see some positive results on the number of calls answered and the average wait times. As more people complete initial training and move onto the phones, we'll see those numbers improve and improve.

We've also bolstered the number of interpreters to help the agency engage with culturally and linguistically diverse communities. On top of that, we have put an extra 850 people on just to deal with the natural disasters payment, an issue that affects so many of us in different parts of Australia. The priority is to really blitz that payment backlog. In the current climate, where the cost of living is a factor for many Australians, the agency is working hard to expedite customer outcomes, as it should, and that is the focus for the government.

I know that Novocastrians are also feeling frustrated and stressed by the long processing times within the NDIA. When disability service providers are facing delays when they're trying to register as NDIS providers or waiting for claims to get paid, we know that it's the participants who really feel that, and it means that they're not accessing the services they need when they need them and instead are stuck in limbo, waiting for support. That is not a situation we want to see ever continue.

The NDIS has delivered what is absolutely a better deal for hundreds of thousands of Australians. I see this in my community every day. We were one of the trial sites. Ten thousand people went onto the NDIS as soon as the rollout began. It made phenomenal changes in people's daily lives and quality of life. But we want to do more to achieve that vision of NDIS, so the government, alongside the National Cabinet, has committed to reforming the NDIS to make sure that the disability supports are fairer for all Australians. We know an effective NDIS will improve outcomes for people with disability, help them achieve their life goals and ensure the sustainability of the scheme for future generations.

The independent NDIS review received almost 4,000 submissions and engaged with thousands of people. An overarching goal of the review was to put people with disability back at the centre of the NDIS and to help restore trust, confidence and pride in the NDIS. I want to thank those who took part in this process and who shared their story in order to help shape a better system.

The review was released on 7 December, last year, and included 26 recommendations and 139 supporting actions. The review panel engaged deeply with Australians with disability, carers and the disability sector, as well as the states and territories and other relevant experts, and it will inform how state, federal and territory governments should work together to reform the NDIS. This is a significant moment in Australian history, particularly for people with disability and their families and the disability sector. With Labor in government, we can bring down NDIS costs and improve the experience and outcomes of participants at the same time. It's not an either-or choice for us. I know this is something that the minister is incredibly passionate about, and we'll fight tooth and nail to ensure that we have a system that meets the needs of those it is intended for.

Finally, I just want to update the House on the Albanese Labor government's commitment to ensuring the veteran community is provided with the best possible services and support. With increasing costs of living and rising costs for business, the veteran community have told us that they're finding it harder and harder to find GPs who will treat them without accumulating out-of-pocket expenses. From 1 November, the Labor government tripled the veterans' access payment in an effort to encourage more GPs to service veterans. The veterans' access payment is an incentive that GPs receive, in addition to the Medicare rebate, when treating veterans who hold a DVA gold card or a white card. The tripling of this payment will ensure that GPs continue to service our veterans, with no out-of-pocket costs. Payments apply to general face-to-face and telehealth GP consultations, including home visits for people who are homebound and consultations in residential aged-care facilities. We've also streamlined and reduced the paperwork for GPs; the first package of the 19 most-frequently used forms has now been consolidated down to just seven, while a process is underway to significantly reduce the remaining 54 forms by the middle of this year.

We're working through the big backlog that we inherited, and there is some very good news on that front. As of 31 January this year, the total number of claims yet to be allocated to a delegate at DVA had fallen to 3,697. That's still way too many, but down from that shocking number we inherited.

I want to encourage Novocastrians to keep reaching out to my office. Governments are providing good services; we want to make sure they're the very best they can be, and we're always here for continuous improvement.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Imagine looking into the eyes of the Australian people who elected you as their nation's leader and repeatedly being untruthful—deliberately telling untruths? That is exactly what Anthony Albanese and this Labor government continue to do to Australians. They have built a government based on lies and broken promises, with a weak leadership team at the helm. Remember the $275 lower electricity price promise? What about cheaper mortgages? That also was a promise before the election. Do we remember the phrase, 'Life will be cheaper under me,' on the front page of the newspaper? The now Prime Minister continued to spout that during the last election campaign. And it turns out that we were all right all along, because it won't be easy under Albanese—and it hasn't been easy.

Adding to the list of broken promises is of course his monumental tax-cut backflip, which unfolded earlier this month. And now Australians are set to foot the bill for Labor's broken stage 3 tax cuts promise. After spending $450 million dollars—that's almost half a billion dollars—on a failed referendum and adding $209 billion in extra spending across the economy, the government will now spend $40 million on an advertising campaign to sell their tax cuts. At the same time, they're giving just $14 million to struggling food banks. That tells you what they're doing and what their priorities are under the Albanese Labor government. That's a whopping $55,000 of taxpayer money per day on an advertising campaign to sell their tax cuts. It's an eye-watering amount of money to spend on a public information campaign for a single measure—in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis—and I think that Australians will make up their own minds on that.

They'll decide—in fact, they'll decide this weekend in the electorate of Dunkley—whether they want to send the Prime Minister a message on what his priorities are at the moment and what they've been since Labor came to power. They know they can't buy integrity for $15 a week. The government know that, so they're looking to spend $40 million trying to convince people of their lie instead. But no amount of money is going to justify that calculated lie, and Australians are feeling poorer under this Labor government. Why are they feeling poorer? Because they are poorer! Australians are poorer after 18 months under this government. Personal income tax has risen by a record 27 per cent and living standards have collapsed by 8.6 per cent. That's a big difference. Labor's broken promises are piling up and taking more money out of the pockets of hardworking Australians. We know that: we speak to family and friends who are struggling. Parts of my community are struggling. The stats are clear: Australians are set to pay an extra $28 billion more in taxes over the next 10 years because of this decision to change the rollout of the stage 3 tax cuts, mainly through bracket creep.

Does a promise mean anything to this government? Anthony Albanese said, 'My word is my bond,' but it's blatantly clear that his word means nothing—

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

I'll just interrupt and remind the member for Moncrieff to refer to members by their correct titles.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that very gentle reminder, Deputy Speaker! The Prime Minister said, 'My word is my bond,' but it's blatantly clear in the wake of these broken promises that his word means nothing. The string of broken promises from this Prime Minister is eclipsed only by the outright assault on the values that Australians hold so dear.

My electorate is in the heart of the Gold Coast. We certainly consider it to be the home, the natural home, of the entrepreneurial spirit, with more than 70,000 registered businesses across the Gold Coast and 32,000 in my electorate alone. But our aspiration and hard work is under attack through the wealth redistribution strategy coming from the most socialist government since Whitlam. So beware Australians, beware Gold Coasters, for what is next. Negative gearing and capital gains tax on the family home could be up for grabs, who knows? Remember 'my word is my bond'? That is what we heard but we have seen those words being changed, haven't we? We have seen 'my word is my bond' up in lights. We have seen 'life will be easier', 'life will be cheaper' up in lights. But that is not the reality today.

Treasury secretary, Dr Kennedy, refused to rule out work being done within Treasury on further tax changes that would amount to more broken promises. Dr Kennedy suggested he was unable to pick the specifics of what they're working on in the tax system, stating 'particularly if they should be near a cabinet process or they are part of a deliberative process'. So there you have it: in Labor's first 18 months, the mountain of broken promises piling up is pushing the struggling families across our nation further into crisis with the cost of living. I have even heard about people going to the supermarket and buying their groceries on their credit card. That is a terrible position to be if you are running a family. It is clear that when Labor run out of money, they come after yours and they certainly come after ours. They have continued to lie and mislead the Australian public and, given their track record, will continue to do so. The Albanese government continue to spiral out of control when it comes to their broken promises and their weak leadership. The weak leadership runs deep within this government.

In what can only be described as an embarrassing display, the immigration minister continues to duck and weave from scrutiny over the mishandling of his responsibilities. But in true Labor fashion, those opposite continue to point fingers and play the blame game by attacking and undermining the previous government for Labor's lies and broken promises. Labor are claiming they're the ones cleaning up the coalition's mess, but these criminal detainees, 37 of whom are sex offenders, were released under Labor's watch. Some 149 hardened criminals have been released into our communities across the country under Labor's watch. Clearly, they weren't interested in watching too closely, because while Minister Giles's department was briefing his office on legal options in advance of the NZYQ case he was busy advocating at Voice rallies in Canberra, where these briefings took place. This is a shocking failure on community safety and national security from this government.

The fact the Prime Minister was apparently not even aware of the first illegal boat arrival when he was asked at a press conference shows this government has completely lost control and interest in Australia's border security. The Prime Minister's weak leadership on national security is clearly incentivising the people smugglers to reopen their operations. The results of the coalition's tough border policy, Operation Sovereign Borders, speak for themselves. I note the former home affairs minister is here in the Federation Chamber and I congratulate her on the work that she did in that portfolio to keep our borders safe. I reflect on the fact that broke the back of the people people-smuggling trade that brought chaos to our borders under Labor's watch, under the Gillard and Rudd governments.

It is clear this government is spiralling out of control. They cannot even keep our community safe. We do not know where those hardened criminals are. We don't know where the sex offenders are or where those murderers are that this government has let out into our communities across our nation. Australians should be very concerned about this. Australia should also be concerned about the boat arrivals that are now coming to our shores. Think back before Tony Abbott became the Prime Minister and stopped the boats. Operation Sovereign Borders, under the former Prime Minister Scott Morrison as immigration minister, was where we had good results. But now people smugglers on the other side of the world are getting the message that they can come here to our country. They're getting that message because there have been some illegal boat arrivals. That's a terrible message to send across the world to those awful people smugglers, who are always watching.

It should come as no surprise that those illegal arrivals came after Labor ripped $600 million from border security in their most recent budget, a decision which, according to the Australian Border Force Commissioner, would leave his frontline forces 'stretched'. As a result, the Department of Home Affairs admits maritime surveillance has decreased due to workforce and asset shortages, and that directly resulted in a return to the human tragedy we saw during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years, a dark time when there were 50,000 illegal boat arrivals on 820 boats and, tragically, there were at least 1,200 deaths at sea. The Prime Minister was central to that period in government. As Prime Minister, he can't even look the Australian people in the eye and say that Operation Sovereign Borders is operating as it did under the coalition government. Labor will do anything to try and pull the wool over the eyes of Australians, but their complaining does not mask their policy failures. Can we trust this Prime Minister when all he and his ministers have done is lie, deceive the public and underdeliver on national security?

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

I thank the member. Before I call the member for Holt, I will bring standing order No. 90, reflections on members, to the attention of everybody in the chamber:

All imputations of improper motives to a Member and all personal reflections on other Members shall be considered highly disorderly.

That includes calling other members liars.