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

It's a privilege to rise in this chamber to speak in support of Dr Julie Cunningham PhD, who has been endorsed as the Australian Labor candidate for the mighty seat of Calare in the upcoming federal election. Julie is an Orange local, and she's called the town her home for more than 10 years. As a researcher and a social worker for the Western NSW Local Health District, she has seen firsthand the challenges being faced in her community, and she knows that families across Calare are doing it tough right now.

Julie is running for parliament because she knows that Labor is the only party that will deliver for the regions, and she wants to build on the Albanese government's legacy to support her community. Labor tax cuts alone have put more money in the pocket of every single taxpayer, and 60,000 taxpayers in Calare have received a bigger cut than they would have under a coalition government. That's 85 per cent of the people of Calare who are keeping more of what they earn in their pockets because of Labor.

Dr Julie Cunningham got a great education, clearly, but she grew up in a single-parent household where her family relied on welfare just to make it through. Julie understands the importance of ensuring that every Aussie has a fair go, a helping hand when they need it, and access to a great health service and education to give them a fair chance. That's all Aussies want, and Labor is delivering. Labor's changes meant that taxpayers in Calare got an average tax cut of more than $1,500, but Mr Dutton didn't want them to have that, and he wants to take a whole lot more away. Vote for Dr Julie Cunningham.