Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge the significance of the return of Mr Assange and how important people's care for this issue has been in achieving this. I also want to accept the praise of Senator Whish-Wilson of the careful work that a government is required to do. The careful, quiet work is necessary to deliver things that actually have outcomes.

That's why I want to talk about what's going to happen next week. It's the careful work of this government that's going to improve and change the lives of Australian people. On 1 July, every Australian taxpayer is getting a tax cut under the Albanese Labor government's stage 3 tax cuts. For my duty seat of Farrer in south-west New South Wales, that will be 76,000 people. Of those people working in Farrer, 66,000 are going to get a bigger tax cut than they would have under the coalition's original plan. Australians are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. Seventy-six thousand is a lot of people and families across that beautiful part of New South Wales, and each of those families and individuals will be earning more and keeping more of what they earn. That's more food on the table, more fuel in the car and less stress on the bank account. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition may have been too busy last week forcing nuclear reactors on unwilling communities to notice the cost-of-living relief the Albanese government is delivering to people in her electorate, but everyone I spoke to last week was very excited to receive their energy rebates and tax cuts.

On 17 June, I was out in the seat of Farrer visiting Albury's new urgent care centre. It's one of 58 centres delivered in the 2½ years that the Albanese government has been in power. While there, I spoke with a number of doctors and community members who've utilised the urgent care centre. They couldn't be happier. There were just a few of the 3,500 members of the Albury region who've already used their urgent care centre to access rapid and free care with just that little green Medicare card in their pocket, the one that Labor believed in, the one that Labor delivered and the one that Labor continues to protect, uphold and improve after years and years of attack by the Liberal and National parties. We're taking pressure off GPs, we're taking pressure off the emergency departments and we're making sure that people can get the care they need without having to fork out money for private treatment.

On the 18th of this month, I was fortunate enough to spend time meeting with students and teachers at Albury TAFE, where the Albanese government's 355,000 fee-free TAFE places are already changing lives for the better. I met two young men in particular, one aged 26 and one aged 28, who are currently training there. One is training to be a mechanic and the other is training to be a hospitality worker. They are gaining skills and qualifications at the Albury TAFE with great teachers. Both of these young men have been in and out of casual employment for several years, unable to attain stable enough work to pay for further training. But now, thanks to the Albanese government's fee-free TAFE, they're back at school with new passion, drive and resolve to improve their lives and the communities in which these two brand-new minted trainees will be able to take on their jobs. I met a class full of aspiring chefs, completing their assessment dishes, on track to support our world-class hospitality industry. How good did that room smell! Of course I met a class of carpentry students, who are essential to delivering our home building targets so that Australians can buy their first home. The people I met at Albury TAFE campus are the backbone of this country, and the Albanese Labor government is investing in them.

In Walla Walla, I visited the Kotzur grain silo facility, which employs 140 highly skilled workers in a town of just 700. I was fortunate enough to meet one of those workers, Mr Rizaldy Sinag, and his wonderful family. Originally from the Philippines, the Sinag family is now a vital new addition to the Kotzur welding team, the local primary school, the Walla Walla community and Australia as a whole. Mr Andrew Kotzur, his son and his team are creating world-class manufactured products in the heart of regional New South Wales, and I wish the very best to the Kotzur family and the Sinag family. The Kotzurs train great young Aussies, but they need to grow—and quickly. There are export opportunities that are going begging because they need a skilled workforce. It's great to be in regional New South Wales under a Labor government. (Time expired)