Chris Ketter (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to update the Senate on Labor's activities in my duty electorate of Petrie, with special emphasis on the issue of aged care. Aged care will be a key battleground in the next federal election. We know that the coalition is scrambling to put money back into the aged-care sector after having cut $1.2 billion from it when Mr Morrison was Treasurer. We know that there are 127,000 Australians on the waiting list for home care. We know that there are dozens of reviews that have been ignored by the government and that Mr Morrison is now hiding behind the royal commission. In contrast, Labor continues to listen to the aged-care community. We're committed to improving our aged-care system, and we can stand proud on our record, having delivered the $3.7 billion Living Longer Living Better reforms when we were last in government.

So Labor is out talking to the community. I give particular respect to Corinne Mulholland, who is Labor's candidate in the seat of Petrie. She has taken it upon herself to listen to members of the aged-care community. Together we've been going to a number of aged-care facilities over the last number of months. We went to the OPEL North Lakes facility—thanks to operations manager, Andrew, there for hosting us. We went to Seasons Aged Care Mango Hill—thanks to Kelly, Rosemary and the team there for organising the activity, which included a lovely morning tea. We were pleased to give a donation to the Foodbank fundraising drive on the day. We went also to Lodges on George. There was a very informative tour of the facility, and I look forward to visiting that facility again in the future to tour their newest wing.

It's always very good to meet with residents, family and friends during these visits and to answer their questions about the parliamentary process and the Senate. We have some very lively discussions during the course of our episodes there. I look forward to visiting many other aged-care facilities and retirement facilities across my duty electorates in coming months. I'm really looking forward to hosting the shadow assistant minister for ageing and my friend, Senator Helen Polley, to meet with our candidate, Corinne Mulholland, and local seniors in the Petrie electorate next month.

There are other campaign activities which we're involved with in the Petrie electorate. It's important to note that the campaign office for Petrie was launched on 27 January. So many supporters from the community and branch members came along to witness that event. Many House of Representatives and Senate colleagues also attended the launch of the campaign office. We had doorknocking in Fitzgibbon with a community barbecue on Sunday and Stirling Hinchliffe, one of the local state members, was in attendance. Coming up, we have the Griffin twilight community barbecue this Sunday afternoon at Peppercorn Street Park in Griffin. It is important to note that shadow finance minister, Jim Chalmers, will be joining Corinne Mulholland and me for a banking forum on 23 February at the Bracken Ridge Tavern. I look forward to members of the community coming along there to hear from the shadow minister about the royal commission and the ramifications of it.

Our fantastic candidate Corinne Mulholland is out doorknocking every day in the Petrie electorate, talking to locals about school funding. She is talking about the fact that Labor will deliver $23.3 million more for Petrie schools than the Liberals over the next three years. In the area of health, Corinne has announced that we will restore the Liberals' cuts to health funding and deliver new MRI licences for Redcliff Hospital and the Prince Charles Hospital at Chermside.

On infrastructure, we're talking about the fact that it was Labor that delivered the Moreton Bay rail line. We'll build on that by delivering the Cross River Rail and delivering the Linkfield Road overpass at Bald Hills and by expanding the Mango Hill train station park and rides. It is clear that while Liberals play catch-up, copying Labor's commitments in Petrie, I'm proud to be supporting Corinne Mulholland, one of the hardest workers I know.