Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sometimes it can be really hard to work past all the big headlines around a budget—the billions of dollars—to understand what it means at a household level, so it's wonderful to be able to say to the people in Hasluck that if they are paying tax, from July, they are going to get a tax cut. The 17,000 students in Hasluck will be the beneficiary of a reduced HECS, and there are paid placements on the way for all the wonderful student nurses and midwives and social workers.

But there is also great investment at a community level. The Albanese Labor government is committing close to a billion dollars for a leaving domestic violence program. Over a five-year period it will have a huge wonderful positive impact across all Australia. I know it will be well received at home. But it's not just that; it is also infrastructure. There is a commitment to back in major projects, with $490 million extra to accelerate the rollout of the Ellenbrook Metronet line—because Labor loves rail, and my constituents in Hasluck will love catching that train—and $300 million towards a signalling program to ensure those trains can go faster.

Labor always has an eye on the future and an eye on the present to make sure that cost-of-living issues are addressed. We are investing into more jobs and new industries, particularly the renewable future that will ensure that we are well placed in the world.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If there is one line that sums up Labor's budget it is this: Labor robs regions to buy votes in the cities. Here is one example: the Treasury committed $70 million over four years 'to remove the barriers to accessing Medicare rebates for MRI machines in metropolitan areas to reduce waiting times and costs for patients'. Why not provide MRI Medicare rebates to all regions, especially regional Australia, that need them the most? Labor is playing political games with people's health, and pork-barrelling city electorates. Rural, regional and remote people have to travel longer distances for scans and treatment and consequently have poorer health outcomes, yet Labor is preferencing city seats with greater MRI access. It is a rinse and repeat of Labor's 2022 reversal of the distribution priority areas for international medical graduates—again, robbing regions of desperately needed services. There is talk of an early election. Well, I say, bring it on. Regional Australians need a change of government to a coalition government that will fix the regional health catastrophe.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a great budget for every Australian, every Territorian, and that includes those in regional Australia, obviously. There will be better, fairer tax cuts for every taxpayer from 1 July, including 69,000 taxpayers in Solomon getting an average of $1,700 and a $300 energy rebate for every household in the Territory. We are wiping around $3 billion in HECS debts, including for almost 11,000 people in Darwin and Palmerston.

There have been recent major Defence announcements: over the next 10 years, $14 billion to $18 billion for our northern bases and collective security in the Indo-Pacific. This is great for local jobs across northern Australia, local businesses and local industries, and so is the $128 million investment in local roads infrastructure in Darwin and Palmerston that was announced last night.

We have delivered on long-term calls for the Northern Territory's university, CDU, to operate a standalone medical school. For too long, Territory kids have had to go down south because we didn't have enough Commonwealth funded places, but now, with our investment last night, there will be 40 medical places each year—more doctors from the Territory for the Territory. (Time expired)

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

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.