Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese government is closing in on three years in government, and, for me, it's been almost three years as the member for Boothby. My entire career has been about serving my community through my work in the health sector, my work in local government, delivering services and infrastructure, and my work in the not-for-profit sector as CEO of Catherine House and St Vincent de Paul in SA.

I decided to run because of the appalling record of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Liberal government. It was their complete lack of action on climate change and energy transition—despite 24 coal-fired power stations announcing closures, they did nothing to replace that energy in the grid—their appalling record on the treatment of women in parliament, their deliberate ignoring of the issues facing women in the community and their lack of focus on integrity. The Liberal government was riddled with constant scandals and allegations of rorting—so many, week after week, that it was hard to keep track of them all. They promised an integrity commission but didn't introduce any legislation to make it happen.

This government inherited inflation at 6.2 per cent and rising, thanks to the big-spending Morrison government, which overheated the economy and left Australia with massive debt. RBA rates had begun to go up. This government has that turned around. Inflation now sits at 2.4 per cent and falling, and we have had our first RBA rate cut. Unemployment is at record lows. This is an almost unbelievable achievement, to bring down inflation and keep unemployment low at the same time. Over one million Australian jobs have been created, another record for a term of government. Wages are rising after flatlining under those opposite and their deliberate strategy to disadvantage Australian workers. Every taxpayer has received a tax cut, not just the wealthy, and now they are set to receive a top-up. Every household is receiving energy supplements. Two historic surplus budgets in a row mean $170 billion paid off that Liberal debt. So much is being achieved across the country and in Boothby.

Labor is the party of Medicare. We believe health care should be affordable and accessible to all. We've opened a bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinic in Marion, which has already seen over 17,000 patients—that's 17,000 patients who didn't end up in the emergency department. We're expanding the bulk-billing incentive, the biggest investment in Medicare's history. We've already seen a 4.2 percent increase in bulk-billing in Boothby, and our next step is to expand this to nine out of 10 appointments being bulk-billed. We've saved locals more than $7.5 million through cheaper medicines, and we've opened an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic in Glenelg. We're now investing $573 million in women's health to provide more choices and reduce costs. Having run women's health services, I can tell you this has been so welcomed in the community and in the sector. Of course, there's the rebuild and expansion of Flinders Medical Centre, which will mean an additional 150 beds, with 52 of those beds already open between Flinders and the Repat.

Education changes lives, and this government has been working hard to bring our neglected education system up to scratch. We're investing an extra $1 billion to fully fund South Australian public schools. We've made early childhood education cheaper, and we're committed to a guaranteed three days for every child, because a child that arrives at school ready to learn has much better educational outcomes. We're cutting student debt and delivering the massively popular and oversubscribed fee-free TAFE, to encourage students to skill up in the areas this country needs and to give them a good-quality, secure well-paid job.

Unlike those opposite, we haven't ignored Australia's need for the energy transition. We've ticked off over 80 large-scale renewable projects, enough to power 10 million homes. There are another 130 projects in the approval process, because industry and investors know they're onto a good thing with renewable energy.

In Boothby, we have the much promised, never delivered tram overpasses at Marion Road, Morphett Road and Cross Road. The Majors Road on-off ramp is finally happening. In the budget earlier this week, there was funding for the Adelaide Freight Bypass, which will finally take heavy vehicles off Cross Road.

There is one big risk to all of this progress—the economic management, the health, the education benefits, the progress on energy transition and the environment. If we get a Dutton Liberal government it all goes away—all the progress. The man was voted the worst health minister. The man needs to make massive cuts to fund his nuclear fantasy, which, even half of his own party don't believe in and no energy company or bank will back, which is why we, the taxpayer, have to pay it. He won't tell you where the cuts will come from until after the election. Don't get conned by a short-term sweetener from a big-spending Dutton opposition. They don't have the interests of Australians at heart. They only care about their billionaire donors. We have a lot to lose.