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

The first of July was a very special day for the Australian people. To ensure that Australians have been heard by this government, we have delivered some real cost-of-living relief for them in the way of a tax cut. I think it's really important to put on the record that 13.6 million Australian taxpayers will get a tax cut in their next pay. But what is not really spoken about enough—and I think it is really important—is that 90 per cent of Australian female taxpayers will get a bigger tax cut than they would have got under the previous government. That is going to help with their cost of living.

We also have seen great investment to ensure that child care is more affordable. We have put $1.5 billion into fee-free TAFE to bring manufacturing, making things, back to Australia. Some $22 billion has been invested in that. We have invested in health care. We have actually incentivised GPs by tripling the payment for GPs to bulk-bill. We have seen the significant effect that increase has had in my home state of Tasmania, with an over eight per cent increase in people being able to access a bulk-billing GP.

The other great initiative that we have had to help Australian families is that we have now invested in 58 urgent care clinics around this country. I know firsthand how important and how well received those clinics have been because we have one in my home city of Launceston. It's just been amazing. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is the best urgent care clinic in this country, with the number of families and individuals that have been able to access urgent care when they need it while just having to present their Medicare card. It has taken real pressure off accident and emergency departments in our hospitals, and that is fantastic.

The other area that we need to also highlight is that we have supported an increase of superannuation from 11 per cent to 11.5 per cent, which will have an ongoing benefit for Australian workers. We know those on the other side, when they were in government, were opposed to any wage increases. We know that's in their DNA. But, after two years, lower paid Australians are now experiencing, as of 1 July, their third increase in their wages.

We have opposition senators come in here and bleat in their speeches that the Albanese government is not doing enough on the cost of living. Then why did they not support the increase that we made to the tax cuts for Australian workers? Why? Because they don't believe in supporting people to be aspirational unless they are from the top end of town. Why, then, didn't they support the $300 energy rebate to every household in the country? They voted against that as well. That rebate will also go to small businesses. It's some $325. Why was it that those opposite continued to oppose this energy rebate? Now they come in and talk about the crisis around housing, but they voted against the $10 billion housing future fund. They have not supported any of these measures. The Albanese government has invested more in social and affordable housing, bringing the total, after this year's budget of $6.2 billion, up to $32 billion. We are actually investing.

Those on the other side, who voted against these initiatives, have never come up with any policies themselves. Ten years they were in government, and they did nothing. In fact, during their 10 years in government, they had 22 failed energy policies. But wait just a minute: Mr Dutton has come up with a 'plan' to have nuclear energy! He has not done any costing. He did not consult any experts. He has no evidence to contradict the experts who say it will never deliver cheaper energy to Australian households. It is a pipe dream, a fantasy. It's desperation from Mr Dutton. That' s clearly not— (Time expired)