Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I really appreciate the opportunity to speak to this urgency motion from the Greens. You can tell just from the tone of the motion how badly they want young people to be struggling so they can capitalise on it. We have seen this same cynical tactic again and again from them, turning up to rent inspections to hand out political flyers and using the housing crisis to fundraise. Here in this place they bring motions like this so they can talk a lot, clip it for social media and try to garner more support. But it's just lip-service, isn't it, because when it comes to real action, the Greens are absent. The Housing Australia Future Fund is just one example of this. This behaviour from the Greens is really disappointing. They haven't had every demand met and so they're spitting the dummy. While the Greens are standing in the way, this Labor government is taking action, and I'm so proud of what we're delivering for young people.

Earlier on, Senator Henderson called our government tone-deaf. With all due respect, we're not going to take lessons from the other side, because the former coalition—or noalition—have the track record of a decade of delay and denial, and neglecting the most vulnerable in our society.

So, 'What is the Albanese Labor government doing?' I hear you ask. We're delivering fee-free TAFE courses, with almost 150,000 Australians having enrolled. Young people are taking advantage of this great opportunity to upskill themselves, helping to address areas of skill shortages. For young people it's important to have options for their future, and we know that TAFE provides real skills for amazing careers. This is important not just for young people but for our whole nation, because we rely on these skills for our most essential things: to keep the lights on, to keep the water running, to care for our elderly and young, and the list goes on. The previous government cut recklessly from TAFE over their time in power, but we understand its importance and are committed to investing in TAFE.

We're taking real action on issues that are affecting young people, such as climate change. We are strongly committed to climate action because, as Minister Bowen has said, the stakes are high and the cost of inaction is huge. Importantly, we are serious about hearing from young people and enabling their contributions to policy. The Office for Youth has been established and it's dedicated to enabling direct engagement with government. The office listens to young people and their advocates, improves and harmonises policies across government that impact young people and is developing a strategy to meaningfully engage with young people.

When it comes to cost of living, which we heard about in other senators' contributions, it's important and it's definitely something that we take seriously, but we want to address this challenge in a responsible way. We know Australians are being hit hard and this is something that young people are also very vulnerable to. As we've seen in the budget, we're investing a record $3.5 billion to triple the bulk billing incentive for GP consultations for children under 16 and Commonwealth concession cardholders. We're reducing the cost of medicines, this time by changing the maximum dispensing quantities, with some patients being able to save 50 per cent of their medicine costs. And our Energy Price Relief Plan will take pressure off households and small businesses. People in my home state of WA, in particular, will receive $400 from the state government. In addition, vulnerable people will receive up to $350 from the federal government straight off their energy bills.

The budget increased payments for young people through increasing rent assistance by 15 per cent, which is the largest increase in 30 years. Youth allowance, Austudy and Abstudy will rise by $40 a fortnight, benefiting around 318,000 people under 25. And while I know people are calling for more, the right balance has been struck with the budget by not adding to inflation, which would only hurt young Australians more. The budget measures were designed to allow us to do what we can to help while also being responsible, and we're working every day to relieve the pressure on Australians. As a young person, I understand the challenges young people face and I understand that it's real—juggling study, work and the challenges that life throws at us. I am committed to hearing from young people every step of the way and I'll always stand up for them.