Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the first Albanese Labor federal budget, a proud moment after nine years of rorts and policy drift under the former Liberal government. Tuesday night's budget was a budget for Australian families and working people—a budget that addresses cost-of-living pressures that all Australians are feeling. It is a budget that is responsible. It's a budget that is the right budget for the times. And it's a budget that is right for our future.

This budget will deliver cost-of-living relief, including cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, expanded paid parental leave, more affordable housing and getting wages moving again. The most important thing that we are doing in this budget is ending the waste and rorts of the previous government. For nine very long years, the Liberals piled on waste and rorts and left Australia $1 trillion in debt.

The budget delivers our election commitments. The Australian people voted for us to deliver on our promises, so that's what we're doing, through our cost-of-living policies and also other big, important policies like fee-free TAFE and bulk-billed urgent-care clinics. We're delivering for Australians. This first budget will strengthen Medicare and restore dignity in aged care with an extra $11 billion to be spent on health over the next four years. It will ensure more affordable housing, and it will get wages moving again.

At the May federal election, in my home state of Tasmania, the Albanese opposition outlined a strong plan for jobs and health care across my state and, in particular, the area I'm responsible for representing, Northern Tasmania. In the budget on Tuesday night, the funding commitments were delivered. The Albanese government has a plan to deliver secure, well-paid jobs for Northern Tasmanians. Already we are so far ahead of those on the opposite side, who were very good at making announcements, getting in the media and getting all of the photo opportunities but never delivered. They failed to provide the essential leadership that was needed so urgently in Tasmania and particularly in the electorate of Bass around health and secure jobs. But our plan is to invest in local and secure jobs that will bring manufacturing back to our shores. An Albanese Labor government will strengthen the jobs market. In Northern Tasmania, our economy will prosper under our leadership.

On Tuesday night we invested $3.4 million in FermenTas, to allow the purchase of additional equipment for their Legana facility and ongoing jobs growth; $6.1 million in Waverley Mills, to preserve the historic wool mill, improve safety and support another 120 ongoing jobs; $2 million to support Costa's berry distribution and workforce; $5.5 million in LINE Hydrogen, to assist the green energy future and hydrogen powered trucks and buses; $70 million in the Green Hydrogen Hub, to assist with the infrastructure for this really important start-up phase; and $35 million in the TRANSlink intermodal facility at Launceston Airport, to assist in securing long-term tenants for the site and increase support for our very important tourism industry.

Along with this investment in the jobs market, the Albanese Labor government is delivering on infrastructure commitments in Northern Tasmania, investing $15,000 to support the upgrade of the Ravenswood skate park to keep park users safe, including through the construction of a boundary fence, and investing $150,000 in the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club slipway environmental upgrade.

All of these investments, only a few of which I have touched on tonight, are crucial for Northern Tasmania. We will deliver on our health commitments. There's funding to ensure that people have better support in aged care. We need to invest in the care economy. We need to support Tasmanians in secure, well-paid jobs. Part of that has been supported by this government for aged-care workers, but there's so much more to be done.

We will not leave Australians behind. The Albanese government is and will continue to be a very strong supporter and friend of Tasmania. I look forward to rolling out the rest of our commitments to ensure that all of Labor's commitments— (Time expired)