Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Family is everything. It is the foundation of our lives, our communities and our future. Labor understands this. That's why family must be at the heart of everything we do as a government, because when families are together, they thrive, and when families thrive, the entire nation is stronger. For too long, thousands of families in Australia were torn apart, left in limbo by a system that refused to see them as people, as parents, as children and as loved ones. These were people who came to our shores seeking safety, arriving before Operation Sovereign Borders came into effect in 2013. They fled war. They fled persecution. Many fled the brutality of the Taliban. They sought refuge in Australia, the country that prides itself on giving people a fair go. But for over a decade, the Liberal Party denied them that fair go. For 10 long years, they were left in uncertainty, unable to return to the homes they had fled, unable to build secure futures and unable to reunite with their families. Labor could not let that injustice continue. Since being elected, we have given 19,150 people the dignity and security they deserve, transitioning them on to permanent visas and finally giving them a pathway out of limbo. Just as importantly, we have reunited families. We have granted 8,000 visas to the partners and children of these families because no government should ever be in the business of keeping families apart.

Yet the Liberal Party want to undo this progress. They are already threatening to revoke resolution-of-status visas, ripping stability away from thousands of people who have already endured so much. They want to reintroduce ministerial direction 80 banning refugees from sponsoring family members. And it doesn't stop there. They want to slash Australia's humanitarian intake, cutting offshore humanitarian visas from 20,000 places to just 13,000 places per year. That means fewer people finding safety, fewer families finding hope and fewer children finding a future free from fear. This is the Liberal Party's legacy: cruelty, division and heartlessness. Labor rejects this. We believe in fairness. We believe in compassion. We believe that no child should be separated from their parents and that no person should be denied the chance to rebuild their life in safety. This is why we fight for families who call Australia home. We stand for families, we stand for a stronger, fairer and more compassionate Australia and we will never, ever back down from that fight.

Families are at the heart of everything this government does because families are the foundations of our lives, our communities and our future. Labor understands this. In Holt, which covers Hampton Park, Narre Warren South, Lynbrook, Lyndhurst, all of Cranbourne, Clyde, Pearcedale and Tooradin, I see this every day. Holt is where young families move to start their lives together. It is where they get married, buy their first homes and welcome their first children into the world. Nearly three-quarters of households in our community are families with children. Their hopes and dreams drive me every single day. That's why I have been laser focused on delivering for them. We are making sure parents have the support they need from the very start of life. Labor created paid parental leave because parents deserve time to bond with their newborns. Now we are expanding it to 26 weeks, giving mums and dads more time with their little ones. For the first time, we are paying superannuation on paid parental leave because no mother should retire with less simply because she took time out to care for her family.

Supporting families doesn't stop there. We know that child care is not just about convenience; it's about giving every child the best start in life. This is why we've made early childhood education more affordable for 96 per cent of families, saving them an average of $2,700 since we introduced our reforms. For too long, early childhood educators, who nurture and shape our children in their most important years, have been underpaid and undervalued. That's why Labor delivered a 15 per cent pay rise for them. This investment is already making a difference. One provider, Goodstart, saw a 35 per cent increase in job applications since signing on to the agreement. That means more passionate educators staying in the sector and more children getting the quality care they deserve.

We are also investing $1 billion to expand childcare places right where they're needed the most—in growing suburbs like Clyde, Cranbourne West and Botanic Ridge. Thousands of families are moving in every year. They need accessible, high-quality child care. This will be life changing for parents, especially mothers, who are too often forced to choose between work and care. Labor believe no family should have to make that choice. That's why we are taking the first step towards universal early childhood education. We will start ensuring every child can access at least three days of subsidised care a fortnight by abolishing the unfair activity test. This test has hurt low-income families the most, forcing parents to ask themselves, 'Is it worth it?' Labor are saying: 'Yes, it is worth it. Your child deserves a quality education; you deserve support.' As Wendy Black, director of policy at the Business Council of Australia, has said:

A contemporary, universal childcare system can ensure … Australians have the foundational skills they … need over their lifetime and maximise the human talent pipeline of our nation.

This is what investing in families looks like. It is what building a stronger future looks like, because when we invest in our children we invest in a brighter, fairer and more prosperous Australia. Under Labor, that's exactly what we'll keep doing.

But we know families need more than just childcare support. They need relief from the rising cost of living. As someone who has spent most of my life working for minimum wage, I know how important it is to save every single dollar. Last year, backed by passionate members of this House, the Prime Minister made the brave decision to redesign the coalition's unfair stage 3 tax cuts. Under the coalition, billions would have flowed into the wealthiest households. Instead, Labor redesigned the tax cuts so that it benefits low- to middle-income families. As a result, 96 per cent of families in Holt are better off, with the average taxpayer saving $1,700 a year. And that's not all. We introduced a $300 energy bill rebate to help families manage rising electricity costs. Families have already received $150 with another $75 on the way next month. This has helped push down power bills by 17.9 per cent across the nation.

These reforms are all about helping families focus on what matters the most—each other. Every single dollar you save is another dollar that goes towards supporting your family. I understand this and the government understands this. While the Liberal Party is focused on giving billions of dollars of taxpayer money to pay for CEO lunches, I know that families are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living. That's why I will keep working for you in federal parliament to deliver more relief, more opportunities and a stronger future for every family in the electorate of Holt.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 192(b). The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19 : 28