Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (12:01): I move:

That an Address of Congratulation be presented to His Majesty The King, as follows:

YOUR MAJESTY

We, the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives, express to Your Majesty our warm congratulations at this time of your Coronation.

We express our respect and regard for the dedication you have displayed in your commitment to public service and to the people of Australia.

On behalf of the parliament and the people of Australia, I send our sincere congratulations to His Majesty King Charles III and to Her Majesty Queen Camilla on their coronations. Along with other Commonwealth realms, Australia welcomes the new King and Queen and the beginning of a new era. The coronation of a new monarch has occurred only four times since Australia became a nation. At Federation on 1 January 1901, Queen Victoria was coming to the end of her long and remarkable reign. Her sons and grandsons followed her through the first tumultuous half of the 20th century; then her great-great-granddaughter, crowned 70 years ago, went on to eclipse her record to become Britain's longest-serving monarch. Until her passing last year, Queen Elizabeth II was the only reigning monarch most Australians had ever known, and the only one to visit our shores. Australians' personal respect and affection and admiration for her remarkable service will never fade.

As King Charles takes up the duties his mother so faithfully fulfilled, he makes the same promise of lifelong service and the same commitment to the institutions of democracy that she vowed to uphold. The new King and Queen clearly intend to serve with energy, integrity and empathy. In his first speech as King, His Majesty paid tribute to the fine example his mother had set and promised to serve with loyalty, respect and love for people, irrespective of their backgrounds or beliefs. He spoke of the way that society had changed over his lifetime, transforming into one of many cultures and many faiths, even as the bedrock values of freedom and responsibility remain constant.

The coronation itself is, in a profound sense, a part of this conversation between tradition and change, continuity and renewal. Even as he performs a role that has endured for almost a thousand years, the King makes his pledge in a modern world with a promise to the future. For more than 50 years, His Majesty King Charles has been a passionate champion of the environment, espousing the belief that we must think seven generations ahead to have any chance of leaving a better world behind us. He has a long record of interest in climate change, the urban environment and sustainability. As his reign begins, Australians know that we have a friend who celebrates our successes and stands with us in our times of disaster and distress, and a friend with a deep and abiding interest in issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

His Majesty is no stranger to our shores. As a 17-year-old in 1966, he spent six months at Geelong Grammar School's Timbertop campus in the Victorian High Country. Recounting the story years later, he told an Australia Day crowd in London, 'If you want to develop character, go to Australia.' He has also professed his enduring love for the experience and described how it left him with a huge affection for our country—and I can assure the parliament that, when I have had the privilege of having an audience with King Charles, that affection has shone through. We look forward to welcoming him once again to Australia. This time, as one of 15 countries, it will be as our head of state.

When the King's mother, Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952, Australia's parliament expressed its faith in her as she took on the great responsibilities of the Crown and wished her a rich and kind reign. The world has changed radically since then, and Australia has grown into a mature and diverse nation, confident about who we are and our place in the world. As a mature nation, we will continue to examine our own constitutional arrangements and determine what they should be. King Charles has made it clear that these are matters that are rightly determined by nations of the Commonwealth and that those decisions are to be respected.

It was an honour to attend the coronation and have private audiences with King Charles and the Prince of Wales, Prince William, and meetings with other members of the royal family, including the Princess of Wales. Along with the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley, High Commissioner Stephen Smith and the governors of all of our states, Australia's representatives reflected our nation's diversity at the request of the palace.

Our flagbearer was Sam Kerr OAM, the Matildas captain, forward for Chelsea Football Club—who I note scored another goal overnight—Olympian, Australia's leading goalscorer and the world's best footballer.

There were three Victoria Cross recipients: Corporal Mark Donaldson VC, Corporal Daniel Keighran VC and the absolutely legendary and delightful Keith Payne VC. For those who've had the privilege of meeting Keith, they will know exactly what I'm saying here. He is a larger-than-life character who honours Australia every time he represents us.

Leanne Benjamin AM OBE performed as a principal ballet dancer for the Royal Ballet for 21 years. She is a patron of the Tait Memorial Trust, an annual award given in her name to support young Australian and New Zealand dancers to train in the UK.

Nick Cave AO is a singer, songwriter, actor, novelist and screenwriter, and a major contributor to Australian music, culture and heritage.

Jasmine Coe is a Wiradjuri British artist and the creator and curator of Coe Gallery, the first and only Aboriginal owned art gallery in the United Kingdom.

Adam Hills MBE is a comedian, presenter, writer and disability rights advocate.

Doctor Daniel Nour is the founder of Street Side Medics, a not-for-profit GP-led mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness. It has been my privilege to recently be with Dr Nour in Parramatta, seeing firsthand the work that his remarkable charity does. In 2002 Dr Nour was awarded Young Australian of the Year.

Yasmin Poole is a public speaker, board director and youth advocate. She is currently a Rhodes scholar at Oxford university and a non-executive board director of OzHarvest and YWCA Australia.

Emily Regan is a London based nurse who worked for the UK's National Health Service in the emergency department of a major hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minette Salmon is studying a PhD in genomic medicine and statistics at Oxford under the prestigious Wellcome Trust studentship. She was also the 2019 Charles Perkins scholar.

Claire Spencer AM is an arts leader and the inaugural CEO of the Barbican Centre. She is also an advocate for wellbeing and equity and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Professor Merryn Voysey is Associate Professor of Statistics in Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group. She helped to develop the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

Richard Joyes CV was awarded the Cross of Valour in 2003 for his courageous efforts following the Bali bombing. He helped to rescue the wounded and carried them to safety.

Yvonne Kenny AM is one of the most distinguished sopranos of her generation. She debuted at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1975, where she performed as a member of the company until 1994. She is currently the chair of the Australian Music Foundation UK and, as a professor of voice, she's now dedicated to mentoring young singers.

They are a remarkable group of Australians. I thank the high commissioner for hosting us at Stoke Lodge in the lead-up to the coronation. These Australians were all proud to represent their nation. They did us proud in their representation. Together we had the privilege of witnessing history. We wish their majesties a prosperous reign, and may this new Carolean age see the triumph of progress and peace.

Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (12:12): Australians were glued to their televisions on Saturday night to watch our new King and Queen crowned. It was a wonderful occasion. It was historical, heartening and happy. As we watched on, we were all proud to see the Prime Minister and the Governor-General there on behalf of our nation. I want to acknowledge you, Prime Minister; His Excellency General the Hon. David Hurley; and the entire Australian delegation. Each of you represented Australia with grace and dignity. It was a great credit to each of you.

Most of us have only ever lived under one monarch, such was the extraordinary 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Thus the crowning of King Charles III, our new sovereign, and Queen Camilla, who was at his side, was a truly momentous occasion. It was a momentous occasion for the British people, for Australians and for all citizens of the Commonwealth. It was a moment when an age-old tradition brought with it both a sense of reconnection to history and regeneration in our times. It was a moment of celebration that resonated around the world.

Charles was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He was the boy who waited, the prince of patience and a king seven decades in the making. No other royal has journeyed longer to sit on the British throne and no other royal has been so prepared to wear the crown. Succeeding her father on the throne at age 25, Elizabeth was the Queen that we came to know and, succeeding his mother on the throne at age 73, Charles is the King that we already know. We know that he will be a decent, dedicated and well-disposed King.

In his biography of Charles, Christopher Andersen recounted Elizabeth's coronation day. The newly crowned Queen emerged onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace cheered by a crowd of one million Britons. Next to her of course was her four-year-old son, Charles. In that moment the boy first understood how much his mother was loved by her people. In that moment young Charles first grasped the importance of the bond between the people and their monarch, a bond which held that country together and a bond that kept the Commonwealth united and strong.

In his first speech as King on 9 September last year, which the Prime Minister referenced earlier, Charles said that his beloved mother was an inspiration and example to him. In that address Charles's renewed promise of lifelong service echoed the promise his mother made on her 21st birthday. The King went on to say:

Wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.

In his Commonwealth Day address on 13 March, the King described the Commonwealth as a constant in his life, as an association of shared values, common purpose, joint action and extraordinary potential. He said:

The myriad connections between our nations have sustained and enriched us for more than seven decades. Our commitment to peace, progress and opportunity will sustain us for many more.

Our sovereign has a great affinity, as we know, for Australia. In many ways it was Charles's first trip to Australia which transformed the boy into the man. The Queen and Prince Philip arranged for young Charles to attend Geelong Grammar School on an exchange program in 1966, particularly to attend the remote Timbertop campus in the foothills of the Victorian alps. There, students received traditional classroom lessons combined with activities in the bush to develop resilience, self-reliance and strength. If Prince Philip had hoped the experience would test the young Charles' mettle and put some steel in him, he was right, for soon the 17-year-old prince was hiking, cross-country running, fishing, chopping wood and supervising younger students. He learned about natural history, and he encountered every Englishman's worst nightmare: huntsman spiders, tiger snakes, dragon lizards, leeches, fruit bats and bull ants. Meanwhile, under the guidance of history head Michael Collins Persse, with whom he would develop a lifelong friendship, Charles worked away at his A-levels, and in his public appearances, like meeting lifesavers at Bondi Beach, the prince would learn to conquer his paralysing fear of crowds. Collins Persse later reflected:

Everybody sooner or later discovered that … they had in their midst not only an inevitable celebrity, but a human being of extraordinary warmth and worth …

…   …   …

… the resulting affection and understanding between him and Australians at large is a bond much appreciated by many.

The Charles who left our country was transformed. He was a very different figure from the shy boy who only six months earlier had skipped down the air stairs of a Qantas Boeing 707 in Sydney to nervously meet Governor-General Casey, Prime Minister Holt and their wives. In 1988, when Charles was in Australia for the bicentenary celebrations, he would reflect on that first trip down under. He described it as by far the best part of his entire education and something he would always cherish. Charles has visited our nation on 16 occasions spanning 10 different prime ministers. Notably, he attended the funerals of prime ministers Holt and Menzies on behalf of the Queen. He celebrated the 200th anniversaries of both James Cook's and the First Fleet's arrivals in Australia. He inaugurated the Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring in New South Wales, and he visited towns and cities across the country. He opened the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Unexpected moments have stayed with us too—the prince being interviewed on Countdown by Molly Meldrum, his emerging from the surf at Cottesloe Beach to be kissed by an audacious Jane Priest, and his cool-headed return to the lectern on Australia Day after being shot at by a student with a starting pistol. Our sovereign appreciates all too well our harsh and unforgiving climate. Never has Charles been remiss in sending wishes to Australians besieged by bushfires, floods and other natural disasters. At an Australian bushfire appeal in London in 2020 he said:

Amidst the horror and the sorrow, I have … felt the greatest possible sense of admiration for the extraordinary determination and resilience of the Australian people.

Over many years King Charles III has got to know Australians, and Australians have got to know him. We have come to know the philanthropist who has established more than 20 charities and is a patron of hundreds more, the aviator who flew planes for the RAF and helicopters for the Royal Navy, the conservationist who has passionately campaigned for environmental protection and sustainability since his first public speech aged 21 and the enthusiastic spectator and sportsman who has dabbled in many sports and is a very keen and fierce advocate for the arts in all their forms. At the 1988 bicentennial celebrations, Charles said:

There is no point now in trying to gloss over the circumstances in which the country, of which you are rightly proud, began.

He spoke of our nation's harsh beginnings and the hardship for all—for Indigenous Australians, the original people of this land; for the convicts sent against this will to an unknown country, which would have felt like another prison. But Charles also spoke of the Australian achievement, of the intelligence and courage of brave men and women who, in an astonishingly brief time, in a heartbeat of history, created a whole new free country. He spoke proudly of Australia being its own creation, a democracy which has become a model for the world, and of how that creation became the British gift of the rule of law. Profoundly, he said:

The true celebration of this nation is in its constitution. In those dry-sounding but hard fought for rules and regulations, every family in this remarkable country has its rights protected and cherished.

With our sovereign and his queen crowned, we celebrate change, but we also celebrate our historical connections with Britain and the British inheritance: representative democracy, parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, the separation of powers, the English language, and freedom of speech, of association, the press and much more besides. May we never take this British inheritance for granted. May we continue to be custodians and defenders in the spirit of our own unique Australian creation, and may we always be proud of our British origins, along with our Indigenous heritage and our migration and multicultural success—three strands of our national story. King Charles is our head of state. In the crowning of a new king and all that the monarch symbolises, we remind ourselves of those British institutions and values which our forebears drew upon to forge a modern nation.

Just like his mother, King Charles does not yearn for a return to empire. He understands that this is a vestige of the past, that the empire has receded into history. Importantly, our sovereign respects the right of the peoples of the Commonwealth to define their own destinies. In a speech on Australia Day in '94, the Prince said:

… there are those who would wish to see such a rapidly changing world reflected by a change in Australia's institutions … it is also not surprising that there are differing views: some people will doubtless prefer the stability of a system that has been reasonably well-tried and tested over the years …

The point I want to make here … is that this is something which only you—the Australian people—can decide.

The Prince went on to say that he will always have 'an enormous affection' for our country, 'whatever course Australians ultimately decide upon', and in the meantime all his family 'will continue to take a close, personal interest in the welfare and fortunes of this country'. Those words, I think, show the humility, grace, generosity and understanding befitting a modern monarch. Our new King's virtues and values echo what we saw in our dearly departed Queen. Today, on behalf of the coalition and joining with this House, I congratulate Their Majesties.

Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places.

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (12:23): I move:

That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 28 March 2023, of the Honourable John Charles Kerin AO, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Macarthur from 1972 to 1975 and for the Division of Werriwa from 1978 to 1993, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

In 1972, when John Kerin was on the cusp of being elected to parliament for the first time, he headed home to Canberra from Labor's campaign launch, only for his Volkswagen to break down in the dark. The culprit was a broken accelerator cable. John not only diagnosed the problem; he fixed it with a paper clip and then drove home. That was John Kerin to a T—resourceful, practical, effective and with humour to spare.

Born in Bowral, in the New South Wales Southern Highlands, John grew up farming, gaining experience as an orchardist, forestry worker and brick setter—and, of course, as a poultry farmer, one who could not only design a chook shed but hypnotise the inhabitants as well. Then as an economist with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and eventually as the member for Macarthur and subsequently Werriwa, he knew how to make a difference. While he cut his teeth in the Whitlam government, it was in the Hawke government that he truly bloomed. He held a number of portfolios, including a brief stint as Treasurer. But he made his main mark as one of our longest-serving ministers for primary industries, arguably our greatest so far. He took to his work with experience, pragmatism, courage and an endless willingness to consult, a scientific dedication to facts and an insatiable curiosity. His record is fitting for a minister in the reforming powerhouse that was the Hawke government, his impact captured by the headline in the Australian Financial Review when he moved on: 'Farmers sorry to see their popular minister go.' In 2008 he was made a distinguished life member of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society—a fitting recognition.

Amid the sweep of his responsibilities, John didn't neglect his inner life. As he recorded in his memoir:

I once told John Button that listening to classical music kept me sane. He sagely advised me I should play a lot more music.

That was typical of the lens through which he viewed himself—a mixture of clear-eyed perception and self-deprecation, all underpinned by a sense of humour that Bob Hawke described as 'quirky' and described by John himself as 'the despair of my family and friends'.

John, of course, remained an active ACT branch member until the end. We will always be proud, so very proud, of all that he did. As he once wrote:

Politics is like farming; no-one is forced to do it, but someone has to.

John did both, and it is to Australia's lasting benefit that he did. We miss him greatly but no-one misses him so much as his family, some members of whom are with us today. I say to them: you are very much in our thoughts and you are in our hearts. May John Kerin rest in peace.

Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (12:27): I join with the Prime Minister in honouring the life of the Honourable John Charles Kerin AO, born in Bowral, New South Wales. He joined the Labor Party as a student, motivated primarily by the controversies of the Vietnam War. From his late teens to his early 30s, he was a forestry worker, brick setter and farmer. Indeed, he worked some 80 to 90 hours a week on the land. It was John's love of the land that saw him take up a job as an economist at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics in 1971.

Part of Gough Whitlam's It's Time campaign, John was first elected as a member of the House of Reps after winning the seat of Macarthur in 1972. His passion for his electorate and the country was clear for all to hear in his maiden speech. He described his electorate as one:

… of incredible beauty, where the grass is green, the soil is rich and the cows are contented.

The economist John also expressed his concerns about the excessive rate of inflation at the time. He said it was the 'major economic problem facing Australia' and 'the worst distributor of income'.

John served as a solid and sage backbencher for Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Alas, his longer-term ambitions were cut short when he lost his seat in Labor's 1975 landslide defeat. But he returned to ABARE. Evidently his time in government had not quenched his political thirst, for, in 1978, after his former prime minister retired as the member for Werriwa he successfully won that seat in a by-election. Joining the opposition led by Bob Hawke, John was catapulted into the position of shadow spokesperson for primary industries in 1980—a role very much befitting his background and experience. After Hawke's election victory in '83 he took on that ministry, and by '87 the energy portfolio was added to his responsibilities. He was an unwavering champion for Australian farmers. Under Prime Minister Hawke's leadership, John helped to eliminate many tariffs on agricultural imports. He introduced policies to increase farm productivity, and he championed research and development programs.

After Paul Keating unsuccessfully challenged Bob Hawke for the prime ministership in '91 and resigned as Treasurer, John was appointed to the role. John would later admit he was not so lucky to have been Treasurer. The laser-like gaze of the media was on John immediately. From the get-go, comparisons were being made between him and the long-serving Keating. It was an unenviable position to be in. That pressure culminated in an infamous press conference, where John forgot a particular economic term. It was an honest but fatal mistake which saw him ousted from the role of Treasurer—yet another cruel reminder of the unforgiving nature of being part of the game of politics. John would later lament the change in character of the media in Australia, a media which he said, increasingly concentrated 'on question time and issues of conflict and personality to the exclusion of dreary policy'. After losing the Treasury portfolio, John was appointed as the Minister for Transport and Communications by Bob Hawke. But after Keating challenged Hawke again, this time successfully, the new Prime Minister appointed John as the Minister for Trade and Overseas Development.

Following Labor's '93 election victory, John decided to be the master of his fate. He chose to exit politics on his own terms and not repeat the events of '75. In his valedictory address, John said he would write a book, 'The formation of agricultural policy in Australia', but joked it would have a readership of about three people. Yet write a memoir he commendably did, entitled The Way I Saw It; The Way It Was. John's political memoir was also an insightful commentary on agricultural and natural resource policy. His observations remain salient for all of us today, that policy-making requires patience and perseverance, that emotional involvement has to be well managed if long-term policy solutions are to be achieved and that the best decisions were and are the ones where the most thought-through analysis and preparation are involved.

John saw the bad side of politics, describing it as, 'a combination of theory, egomania, megalomania, mediamania and the rules of Gaelic football in a derived environment'. But he also treasured its good side. John said:

The real buzz for me in politics has been that no two days are quite the same, you can grow and you get enormous opportunities.

Post-political life saw John chair many notable national and state based boards and councils responsible for coal, soil, land, grains, forestry, fisheries and water management. His cumulative life's work saw him rightly appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia. On behalf of the coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to John's colleagues, to his community and friends and, most importantly today, to his family, represented in the gallery and more widely. May he rest in peace.

The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the Hon. John Charles Kerin, I ask all present to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

The SPEAKER: I thank the House.

Debate adjourned.

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (12:33): I move:

That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 29 March 2023, of the Honourable Stewart John West, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Cunningham from 1977 to 1993, place on record its appreciation of his meritorious public service, and tender its sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Try to imagine this scene: it's Wollongong in the early 1980s. Picture a kitchen table in a council house in the suburb of Berkeley just below the splendour of the Illawarra escarpment. Hard at work at that table is Stewart West, a former branch president of the Waterside Workers Union turned member for Cunningham and shadow environment minister. Maybe he's working in silence, as he often preferred. Maybe the radio's tuned in to a horse race. Spread before him is the environmental policy that Labor will take to its national conference. At its heart is saving Tasmania's Franklin River. Forty years later, as a direct result of that policy taken by Stewart West, the Franklin still flows wild and free. What a profound mark to make as a shadow minister.

When the 1983 election lifted him out of the shadow and into power, Stewart West went on to serve with distinction as a cabinet minister in the Hawke government, holding the immigration, housing and administrative affairs portfolios. It was by any measure an extraordinary time in an extraordinary government, and Stewart was an important part of it. His passion for the environment, spanning the continent from Tasmania to Kakadu, was as powerful as his commitment to serve the people of Cunningham. In his beloved Wollongong he was central in saving the steel industry and in expanding the university. He was instrumental in reforming Australia's immigration policy and remained vocal about the plight of refugees long after his political career came to a close.

He was willing to put his money where his mouth was. Stewart was a politician of unbending principle, one who cherished the privilege of being in cabinet but nonetheless prioritised principle over career. It was a choice that he had to make along the way, resigning from cabinet over a matter of principle. No-one joins the Labor Party for a smooth ride or a quiet life. It's not our nature. People are passionate about doing what's best for our country, but, while we generally agree on the destination, there are sometimes powerful differences of opinion on how to get there. So it was when Stewart quit cabinet over uranium policy. As our great mutual friend Tom Uren would later record, 'I've never seen anyone so broken-hearted for so long as Stewart over that decision.' But such was the calibre of the man that the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, soon brought him back into the fold and restored his position in the cabinet.

Over many years, I was proud to sit beside Stewart West at ALP national conferences. I was proud to stand alongside him to improve the lives of working Australians, and I am grateful for the advice that he gave me as a young man and for the lessons that he taught me. I'm honoured to speak now of his achievements. Stewart died just two days short of his 89th birthday, but his legacy and all that he was remain with us. Our hearts go out to his loving wife, Mary, and to all of his family, to all who loved his company and his laughter, and to all who held a special place in his heart, particularly the great people of the great city of Wollongong. May Stewart West rest in peace.

Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (12:37): I join the Prime Minister in honouring the life of the Hon. Stewart John West. Stewart was a Labor man through and through. He lived and breathed Labor ideals. Prior to entering parliament, he was a lifelong trade unionist. He was the president of the Port Kembla branch of the Waterside Workers Federation, he served as the secretary of the ALP's Cunningham federal electorate council and he was the successful campaign manager for the formidable Rex Connor for five elections.

As the recipient of Rex's mentorship, Stewart was, of course, his inevitable successor. After Rex's sudden passing in '77, Stewart was swept into office with 56 per cent of the vote at the Cunningham by-election. In his maiden speech, Stewart spoke proudly about the electorate he knew so well—an electorate which was now his to represent. He described it as the 'greatest industrial and steel-producing centre in this nation' and he spoke passionately about the concerning issue of unemployment, describing it as a 'cancer' bedevilling Cunningham. Indeed, unemployment there was more than three per cent above the national average. Under Bill Hayden's opposition, Stewart was appointed the shadow spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs, then for environment and conservation, and then for finance and trade. In the spirit of social movements, he lent his support to those who campaigned to prevent the building of Tasmania's Franklin River dam and to protect Kakadu.

Stewart's environmental concerns, coupled with the shadow of cold war, saw him become an energetic exponent of nuclear non-proliferation. At an ALP national conference in mid-1982, the party was split on the stance a future Labor government should adopt on uranium mining. The famous Hogg amendment sought to change the party position from an immediate ban on uranium mining to one supporting its phasing out over time. Stewart spoke fiercely against the motion, which narrowly passed. He emerged from the conference despondent and near to tears, as one reporter wrote. Indeed, it was Stewart's convictions on this issue which saw him later resign from a cabinet position in 1983 after Bob Hawke's Labor government decided to sell uranium to France. Whether one agrees with Stewart's position or not, no-one can deny that he was a man of great courage and that he put his convictions ahead of his own career.

No doubt there was something Bob Hawke admired in Stewart's character and integrity—not just that but his upbringing, the way that he'd been styled, the way that he contributed to debates. From 1984 the Prime Minister reappointed Stewie, as he called him, to the cabinet. Under Hawke's leadership, Stewart served as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and then the Minister for Housing and Construction, and finally the Minister for Administrative Services. As immigration minister he championed family reunion and the resettlement of refugees while being an advocate for antidiscrimination.

As the leader of the Left faction of the Labor Party, Stewart found it difficult to manoeuvre in Bob Hawke's cabinet, dominated by the Right faction. Stewart John West was certainly that calibre of politician who never saw popularity or promotion as worthy of selling out one's principles. In many ways, it's the politicians of principle which history tends to remember. On behalf of the coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Stewart's colleagues, to his community and his friends, and to his family. May he rest in peace.

The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the memory of the Hon. Stewart John West, I ask all present to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their p laces—

The SPEAKER: I thank the House.

Debate adjourned.

Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (12:42): I declare that Federation Chamber order of the day No. 2, government business relating to the address-in-reply, is returned to the House for further consideration.

The SPEAKER: The matter will be set down for consideration at a later hour this day.

The SPEAKER (12:42): I have ascertained that His Excellency the Governor-General will be pleased to receive the address-in-reply, at Government House, at 10 am on Thursday 11 May 2023. I should be glad if the mover of and the seconder to the motion, together with other honourable members, would accompany me to present the address.

Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (12:43): I move:

—That:

(1) standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) and standing order 33 (limit on business) be suspended for the sitting on Tuesday, 9 May 2023;

(2) so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent, on Thursday, 11 May 2023:

   (a) the meeting of the House commencing at 12 noon, to enable the Address-in-Reply to be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General; and

   (b) the Federation Chamber not meeting; and

(3) standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) be suspended for the sitting on Thursday, 11 May 2023 and at that sitting, after the Leader of the Opposition completes his reply to the Budget speech, the House automatically to stand adjourned until 10 am on Monday, 22 May 2023, unless the Speaker or, in the event of the Speaker being unavailable, the Deputy Speaker, fixes an alternative day or hour of meeting.

For the information of members, this is the normal resolution that we have on a budget week to allow for the budget speech to be given and for the necessary legislation and appropriations to be introduced immediately after the budget speech. We have added the principle of the no divisions or quorums after 6.30 pm, so it's different in that regard. There are the normal principles for the address-in-reply from the Leader of the Opposition on Thursday night.

The House, on each occasion, will be suspended between roughly 6 pm and 7.30 pm. This motion is also different from the normal one in the sense that on Thursday we will not start until midday to be consistent with the information from the Governor-General which the Speaker has just reported to the House.

I commend the resolution.

Question agreed to.

Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls—Deputy Nationals Whip) (13:30): I want to acknowledge a fabulous group of people and a small community that does mighty things. Every year the Devenish Dookie & Districts Good Friday Appeal team raises money for the Royal Children's Hospital. They don't just raise money on the day; they do it throughout the year. They hold raffles, car shows and a lamb drive, and farmers raise and sell steers for the cause. Wayne and Floss Groves at the Gladstone Dookie Hotel put on a fortnightly meat tray, and a big highlight is the yabby racing on Australia Day. I had a starter in that this year, but it's still crawling!

This year they raised $120,000, the second most of any regional community. To put that in context, the last census put the Dookie population at 333 and Devenish at 208. Ballarat was first—well done Ballarat, with its population of 100,000—but coming in second were two small farming communities with just over 500 people. That's a stunning effort. Over the past seven years, they've raised more than half a million dollars to help support sick children and their families. I say well done to Paul Durden and his team of volunteers and the many community groups, businesses and individuals who make such a great contribution year after year. I could not be more proud of everyone involved. You are what makes our community very special.

Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean—Government Whip) (13:31): Thirty-five years ago today this extraordinary building was officially opened. Thank you to the Presiding Officers for recognising this significant anniversary yesterday with our First Peoples, faith leaders and schoolchildren from across Canberra in the Great Hall.

I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the over 10,000 people who were involved in the construction of this building and the tens of thousands who have worked here over the last 35 years, with some serving in both this place and Old Parliament House. I hope, and I know, that you are proud of your contribution to this incredible, significant and historic building. There are many who are only commencing their service here this week, or in recent weeks. I wish you well in the time you have here.

I would particularly like to pay tribute to all who work in this building today, particularly those who take good care of it and of us: the clerks and chamber staff, committee staff, cleaners, the gardeners, the tour guides, the library staff, the security guards, the AFP, the attendants, Dom and his team at Aussies, the catering staff, the educators, the post office staff, the gym staff—who don't see me often!—and the list goes on. Thank you for your commitment to our parliament.

We've done good work over the last 12 months to make this a better workplace, and we must commit to continuing that work to make it not just one of the most beautiful workplaces in Australia but a workplace that is fair and safe for all.

Mr BOYCE (Flynn) (13:33): Regional Australians could be the hardest hit by the Labor government's planned changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Ahead of tonight's budget, the federal government plans to double the amount of medicines Australians can purchase, by allowing 60-day dispensing. However, experts have warned the move, which has been described as one of the biggest shake-ups the PBS has faced, could create significant medicine shortages and delays.

Regional, rural and remote Australians risk being impacted by the changes, which come into effect on 1 September. The government's policy cuts $3.5 billion out of community pharmacies, cutting vital services to patients. The impact of these cuts will affect small, rural and remote pharmacies, significantly resulting in the reduction of services and opening hours and, in some cases, in closures. The Albanese government must provide a strong guarantee that this change will not harm the viability of community pharmacies and, therefore, will not be another broken promise. Community pharmacies play an integral role in the provision of primary health care in Australia, particularly in rural and regional Australia, and we do not want to see any community pharmacies close as a result of these government actions. Australian patients deserve affordable, accessible and safe access to pharmacy services. This should be true whether you live in rural and remote Australia or in a metropolitan centre.

Dr MULINO (Fraser) (13:34): Much of the focus today is, understandably, on the budget, but I want to acknowledge the extraordinary stress and emotional turmoil that families of Sudanese heritage everywhere, including in my electorate, are experiencing.

A resilient people, they give back to this nation in so many ways. Take Mohamed Semra, who arrived here as a six-year-old with his mother and siblings after years in a refugee camp. Now 24, Mohamed is the co-founder of a social enterprise, Endeavour Youth Australia, which works in school to stamp out racism and develop the leaders of the future. His two brothers, both Australian citizens, remain trapped in Sudan. His sister-in-law is nine months pregnant and can't travel. The situation remains volatile and dangerous. Australia is deeply concerned by reports that more than 550 people have been killed and almost 5,000 injured since fighting began in Sudan on 15 April. Australia continues to work closely with international partners to evacuate Australians; some 237 Australians and their families have left Sudan. Huge efforts are also underway to provide humanitarian support. Of the $6 million in support recently announced, $1 million is for the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide medical supplies, food, water and emergency shelter. Australia continues to call on all parties to agree to a permanent cessation of hostilities. In the meantime, our thoughts remain with the Sudanese community.

Mr BATES (Brisbane) (13:36): Today I rise to table this petition, calling on the House to make changes to the Census and Statistics Act 1905 to legally mandate the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people within the census. This petition has been considered by the Petitions Committee and found to be an order. It calls attention to the fact that the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not currently collect data on LGBTQIA+ people. I thank the petitioner, Evalyn Venture, who is in the gallery today, for all her work on gathering 4,946 signatures and bringing light to this issue.

The data collection omission by the ABS means that governments and support services are unable to understand the health and wellbeing needs of queer people. Therefore, they cannot sufficiently plan for both the development of policy and allocation of resources for LGBTQIA+ communities. In the 2021 census, the ABS failed to adequately collect data on transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people, conflating gender identity and sex. While it counted same-sex marriages and some LGBTQIA+ people who live with their partner, it failed to identify queer people who were not living with or married to their partner at the time. These omissions amount to our community's erasure by the government and the ABS, and it must change. They have the opportunity to change this policy in the lead-up to the 2026 census. They must take it; it is time to count us in.

The petition read as follows—

In 2021, despite a campaign with the support of over 100 peak bodies, health experts, and community organisations; data collection about LGBTIQA+ Australians were dropped due to the conservative position of the Chief Statistician within the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This essentially means that neither the federal or state governments within Australia have any definitive data about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer and other sexuality and bodily diverse Australians within their communities; or the intersectionality of this data with other factors such as health, income, culture, location, etc. The lack of current population-level data limits understanding of health and wellbeing needs of LGBTIQA+ people, and both the development of policy and allocation of resources for LGBTIQA+ communities

We therefore ask the House to makes changes to the Census and Statistics Act 1905 to legally mandate the inclusion of LGBTIQA+ data within the census. The Chief Statistician's current authority to include this data per the Act "as he or she considers appropriate" subjects marginalised people such as LGBTIQA+ Australians to the personal bias of a singular individual. No one person has the right to say that a group of people are invalid and do not deserve to be counted, and this authority needs to be stripped away and replaced with statutory directives mandating the collection of this data.

from 4,946 citizens (Petition No. EN4848)

Petition received.

Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (13:37): There is nothing better in being a local MP than visiting schools and engaging with students from your electorate. I had that great pleasure again when I visited Pearcedale Primary School to speak to the grade 6 cohort and host a Q&A with them. I was joined by the fantastic state member for Bass, Jordan Crugnale, and we made an effective team in answering all questions related to federal and state governments. There were some fantastic questions, ranging from how our great democracy works all the way through to individual issues and which level of government looks after what. In fact, last Wednesday the grade 6 cohort were here in Canberra for an educational tour on how our parliament works, so they were quite prepared with their questions. There are some rising stars in this year level and I am so excited to see what they will achieve in their final year of primary school and beyond.

A big thank you to the school captains, Lucas, Ava, Hamish and Holly, for their warm welcome and for showing me their wonderful school. Once again, thank you to the principal, Simon Anderson, and the teachers, for having me. I cannot wait to visit your school again. I thank the House.

Dr HAINES (Indi) (13:39): Indi is home to many hidden secrets, businesses that are innovative and exciting right on our doorstep. One of those hidden secrets is Helico Australia where, inside an old hay shed on the outskirts of Alexandra, you will find a team of 18 staff repairing and rebuilding helicopters from all over the country. Helico specialises in the deep maintenance and rebuilds of Robinson helicopters, small choppers that are used predominantly for agricultural work such as mustering. Run by locals Hylke and Neri Kijlstra, over the last seven years Helico has gone from strength to strength, growing the number of locals employed and training 12 apprentices. Each apprenticeship takes four years of study and work, highlighting their commitment to upskilling young people and growing the next generation of the aviation industry.

Helico is also undertaking research and development, exploring ways to manufacture more parts for helicopters on site, rather than ordering them in from overseas. This is making the process of maintenance quicker and more cost efficient, with a better product at the end too. We need more employers like Hylke and Neri all over Australia, people who value their workers, their community and their industry and look at the bigger picture. I say to the jobs and skills minister, the industry minister and the transport minister: come to Indi and meet Hylke and Neri. (Time expired)

Dr REID (Robertson) (13:40): I rise to reaffirm the Albanese Labor government's commitment to establish a community battery in the Central Coast suburb of Narara. During the 2022 federal election, delivering a community battery was one of the commitments I made to the people of Robertson, and I'm pleased to say that this commitment is progressing well. I know through doorknocking and speaking with people in Narara and across the Central Coast that there is a high level of interest and excitement for our rollout of 400 community batteries. Stream 1 of this funding will go towards 58 community batteries overseen by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Narara will be one of these first 58 locations to receive a battery.

Community batteries are a part of the Albanese Labor government's Powering Australia plan and aim to reduce pressure on our energy infrastructure. As Australia transitions to a renewable energy future, community batteries will play an integral part in supporting the energy system. They will help share solar energy across our community and across the Central Coast. They will help regulate the network and improve quality, and I look forward to this program continuing to power ahead. I encourage the people living in Narara and across the Central Coast to provide feedback on the proposed location for our community battery. I want to thank Minister Bowen, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, for his leadership on this matter and this project.

Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (13:42): Deputy Speaker, I seek leave of the House to table two letters, one from Professor Ian Brighthope to the minister for health and the other from the department of health to Ms Elizabeth Hart.

Leave not granted.

Mr BROADBENT: Professor Brighthope, who practised and taught medicine for 45 years, is scathing in his assessment of Australia's management of the COVID pandemic, saying the vaccine is killing and maiming too many Australians and that he is completely disgusted that prevention and early treatments had been deliberately cast aside by medical bureaucrats in 2020. Even Channel 7 ran a story last night with the headline 'COVID nightmare: the crippling side-effects'. If I were a doctor, in light of current litigation overseas, I'd be checking right now whether the government's 2021 assurance that doctors would not be liable was a hollow gesture because, unlike the vaccine manufacturers who are indemnified by our government, the letter to Elizabeth Hart states that no such indemnity scheme was established for medical professionals administering the COVID vaccines.

I note the TGA is no longer interfering with doctors' rights to prescribe ivermectin off label, and that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which caused blood clots and was associated with unprecedented notifications to the TGA, has been quietly discontinued. I was especially pleased to hear two former colleagues, Peter Costello and John Anderson, speaking up last week that Australia had gone way too far during the pandemic. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to address the House.

Dr ANANDA-RAJAH (Higgins) (13:44): Australia is a nation with a degree of social cohesion that is the envy of the world, a place we like to think that people can live their lives authentically. And yet, in amongst the colourful, interlaced fibres of our communities, there are forces that try to marginalise and divide us along gender identity lines. As a doctor I looked after people from all walks of life. People were treated without judgement within those hospital wards, which is why I find it perplexing to encounter anti-gender-diverse sentiment in our community. It is alien to me, but sadly far too common outside those hospital wards. Transgender people, including gender-diverse and non-binary people, are a marginalised group who are far more susceptible to mental health impacts and health disparities. Gender dysphoria is a complex health issue, requiring expert multidisciplinary care.

With the introduction of our 10-year national action plan for the health and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ people, I want to assure the community that inclusion is core business for the Albanese government. We do this to ensure that everyone is able to live a healthy, productive life where they can be their true selves. Let us be champions of respect and dismantle the systemic and social barriers that encase our hearts and infect our community. Respect should be universal. Let it multiply.

Mr COULTON (Parkes—Chief Nationals Whip) (13:45): I'd like to bring to the attention of the House the shocking decision by Southern Cross Austereo to remove the Spencer Gulf nightly news program. Obviously Spencer Gulf is in South Australia and the Parkes electorate is in New South Wales, but it was the only TV news that was going into Broken Hill. Broken Hill is the second-largest town in the Parkes electorate. It runs on central time. It's right on the South Australian border. Without any warning, the staff were notified with one day's notice that the programs would be ceased, the journalist in Broken Hill was laid off, and now Broken Hill has no nightly news program that's relevant to that community.

Broken Hill is a community with a strong cultural past. It's the home of BHP. It has a strong background as the home, largely, of the union movement in New South Wales, and it is now having a resurgence with cobalt and magnetite. It's been discovered by tourists during the pandemic. We've got the Mundi Mundi Bash, where 16,000 people at a time come to the far west.

This decision is so short sighted and shows so little respect to the people of far western New South Wales that they're outraged. It follows on from some of the decisions made by the corporate newspaper owners that have withdrawn their services from regional Australia, and we've been left swinging.

Mr LAXALE (Bennelong) (13:47): If you live in Bennelong, I can almost guarantee that you've spent time stuck in traffic because of the Epping Bridge. It's one of Sydney's worst bottlenecks and more or less cuts our community in two. If you live to the west of the bridge, you only cross it if you have to. If you live to the east, you try and avoid it at all costs.

That's why, before the last election, I made a commitment to upgrade the Epping Bridge. It's an upgrade that'll help ease traffic congestion and reduce travel times. After 12 years of unfulfilled promises by former governments, I'm proud to be part of a government that will deliver this much-needed upgrade. Importantly, we will deliver it alongside our new state colleagues in the Minns Labor government. I'm pleased to report that the contract to start design work for the widening of the bridge has been awarded. It will lead to a period of community consultation on the final design next year and construction after that. The upgrades will see the bridge widened in both directions, including the addition of wider footpaths for pedestrian safety. It'll have a new central median and safety screens along the bridge.

I was elected to Bennelong to address the mess left by the former government, and I'm proud to be a part of a government that honours its promises and will deliver this much-needed upgrade to our community to get families home quicker and safer and provide active transport connections for the Epping town centre.

Mr CHESTER (Gippsland) (13:48): If you fix country roads, you will save country lives. There are too many people killed and injured on our regional road network, and Gippsland motorists right now are being robbed of life-saving road upgrades because state and federal government bureaucrats are failing to do their jobs. Now we have the minister threatening to take money away from our region.

We're expected in Victoria to drive roadworthy cars, but the Premier, Dan Andrews, has failed to provide car-worthy roads. He doesn't even spend the money when it's provided by the federal government for life-saving road projects. The arterial road network owned by the state government is falling apart, and it's costing lives right across our state.

To make it worse, we've had tens of millions of dollars in federal government funding from the previous federal government allocated to our region, but a failure to fast-track the design process has meant that roadworks often don't start until years after the commitment is actually made. Now we have Minister Catherine King threatening, in a review that she announced last week, to withdraw money from projects that haven't started, so in essence we have communities which are at risk of being punished by the federal Labor government because the state Labor government has failed to do its job and deliver the road safety projects that we've funded. Minister King needs to understand that saving lives through investment in better arterial roads and highways is a job for all levels of government. Our message to Minister King is that your review, underway right now, must quarantine road safety projects from any cuts, because if you fix country roads you will save country lives.

Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (13:50): Whilst forming up for the Anzac Day march in Palmerston in my electorate, I had a great chat with Joey Flynn. Joey was wearing her dad's medals. Jack Yates fought in the Second World War, and Joey gave me this poem that she'd written, 'An ode to the diggers of all wars':

You gave your lives in thankless wars,

your blood spilt upon foreign lands and shores.

Your lives slipped away as you thought of loved ones far away in Aussie land.

The bullets and bombs finding their target, exploding near and far,

the fear, sweat and the stench of blood and death.

Yet that Aussie spirit and determination kept you fighting through.

Your digger mates all around you succumbed to injury or death,

but you knew that you might never return home.

Your injuries and deaths, you had never planned.

As a daughter of a digger, I've grown up never knowing war.

I do not know you, but I will not forget your courage and sacrifices.

For all the fallen and wounded men, women and animals,

may your spirits and minds with flashbacks no longer be troubled.

We say we will remember them. Lest we forget.

We hold you closely to our hearts always.

Australians visiting and marching overseas and at home,

we often think of you so that you will never be alone.

Joey's mum was a member of the stolen generation, and she was proud to march on Anzac Day this year in Palmerston. Lest we forget.

Mr COLEMAN (Banks) (13:51): Round 6 of the Mobile Black Spot Program under this government is an absolute disgrace and an absolute rort. Let's recap what we know. We know that the minister admitted to Ben Fordham on Radio 2GB in April that she picked 54 out of 54 locations that got funding under this program. Not one was based on advice from the department—54 out of 54 were picked by the minister. We know that even though the Labor Party only holds a third of seats in regional Australia, guess what? Seventy-four per cent of the locations that the minister picked were in Labor electorates. Guess what else we know? In New South Wales and Victoria, of the 30 locations that she picked, 100 per cent were in Labor electorates. It's an absolute disgrace.

I was in country Victoria recently and there are communities crying out for additional mobile services that face issues with mobile black spots and bushfires. This program must be done on the basis of need, not on the basis of the Labor Party's political benefits. The Auditor-General wrote to me last week in response to my request for an investigation into this program and said that he sees merit in a potential audit, and I certainly hope and look forward to that occurring because the program is a disgrace.

Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (13:53): Our Treasurer has already said tonight's budget will deliver for the most vulnerable Australians. We've already seen some announcements before tonight that demonstrate that this budget will do that.

One of the measures that I am particularly proud to see in our first big May budget is increasing the age that people can stay on parenting payment to until their youngest child turns 14. This decision will be welcomed by single parents, by women's organisations, by charity groups and by organisations supporting families who find themselves in this situation. It will be welcomed by them.

Speaking to a dad in my electorate a few years ago, he had tragically lost his wife to cancer and he was making this tough decision whether to quit work to help raise his three boys. They were dealing with grief and then dealing with the prospect of how they would pay the bills now that they had lost their two income earners. What this measure does is actually give single parents the choice. In households where you have two parents, you do have choice. You decide whether two parents go to work, whether a parent stays home, and who's going to have the caring responsibilities. What this measure does is ensure that if a single parent decides to stay at home with their children and do all of the running around, they won't be doing it living in poverty.

Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (13:54): I'd like to acknowledge a member of my community who, at 91 years old, continues to prove that nothing beats good, old-fashioned grit, dedication and life experience. Campdrafting legend John Stanton has been taking out titles for over 70 years, having won his first campdraft competition in 1946. In 1954 he was selected to ride as a buckjumper on the previously completely unridden feature horse at the Royal Easter Show for Queen Elizabeth II, where he was offered 25 pounds by the show committee if he managed to stay on the horse. He conceded that he was 'probably selected because they didn't think they'd have to pay the money'. Well, they had to pay it in full. He was awarded the Warwick Gold Cup in 2017 for his lifelong contribution to the sport. At the time he was quoted as saying, 'While I can pull my boots on, I want to keep going. And, when the day comes that I can't get out of bed and pull my own boots on, I'll be prepared to hand my number plates in.' Recently at the local Macksville Show, just a couple of weeks ago, at 91, he took out the cut-out title, beating other competitors less than half his age. It looks like those old boots have got plenty of kick in them still, John. Many thanks to the organisers of the Macksville Show and all the competitors. Also, John, I'll see you next year. You're a legend.

Ms MILLER-FROST (Boothby) (13:56): South Australia's wine industry is kicking goals. Our wines are world renowned and a major export industry for the state. Fifty per cent of all wines bottled in Australia come from South Australia and 80 per cent of all premium Australian wines come from South Australia. Boothby is a suburban seat but it's also home to the family owned Patritti wines. Founded in 1926, it produces a range of very nice wines—I recommend the rose—and their cellar door in Dover Gardens, with live music, is very much worth a visit.

We have another wine industry secret in Boothby: the Australian Wine Research Institute at the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide. I recently toured this facility and saw students at work learning how to make wine and the research labs where scientists isolate the compounds that produce specific flavours and analyse the impact of smoke taint. But the most interesting part of their work is the development of the NOLO industry: no-alcohol and low-alcohol wines. They are working to make these products' taste and texture indistinguishable from good quality wine—not like water plus additives. I have no doubt they'll get there and will open up yet another great export industry for Australia. We know that the demand, both across Australia and overseas, for no-alcohol and low-alcohol wine is just growing. Many thanks to Managing Director Mark Krstic.

Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (13:57): There's nothing this Labor government likes doing more than congratulating itself. But all of tonight's hugs and backslapping can't disguise the reality that this Prime Minister and his government are failing to get on top of this worsening cost-of-living crisis. The price of everything continues to go up. Gas and household fuels are up 14.3 per cent. Tertiary education is up over 14 per cent. Domestic travel costs are up 4.7 per cent. The cost of essentials like fruit and vegetables is rising to the point that more Australians are turning to cheaper, canned alternatives. Lifeline says up to 80 per cent of its calls relate to cost-of-living pressures. Forty-five per cent of Australians say they're delaying essential repairs and servicing of their cars. More than three-quarters of Australians say they are extremely, or very, concerned about the cost of living. The National Youth Mental Health Survey notes the cost of living as 'the single biggest concern for young Australians'.

Before the last election, the Prime Minister promised that Australians would be better off, with cheaper mortgages and $275 off their power bills. Instead, millions of Australians are struggling to make ends meet. Inflation is a cruel force which hurts us all. A big-spending budget which fuels inflation is the last thing Australians need right now.

Ms ROBERTS (Pearce) (13:59): I rise in anticipation of what will be a considered budget that goes to the heart of the way we govern for all Australians. I know that families in my electorate of Pearce in Western Australia will wholeheartedly welcome the many measures that will provide cost-of-living relief. We have committed a $2.2 billion package to strengthening Medicare and measures to make health care more accessible and affordable. We are making medicines cheaper and easier to access, a welcome move for all Australians who rely on medications. We are making it easier for Australians to see a doctor when they need to by improving after-hours access to primary care. We have committed $11.3 billion over four years to fund the outcome of the Fair Work Commission's record 15 per cent pay rise for 250,000 aged-care workers across the country from 1 July 2023. We're extending the financial safety net for thousands of single parents. This is a sensible and considered budget that will provide many measures that will help cost-of-living relief. The Albanese Labor government has listened. The Albanese Labor government understands. The Albanese Labor government is clearly taking action, and we look forward to tonight's budget.

The SPEAKER: It being 2 pm, in accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.

The SPEAKER (14:01): I have received a return to the writ which I issued on 27 February 2023 for the election of a member to serve for the electoral division of Aston, in the state of Victoria, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. Alan Edward Tudge. By the endorsement on the writ, it is certified that Mary Judith Jacinta Doyle has been elected.

Mary Judith Jacinta Doyle made and subscribed the affirmation of allegiance.

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:04): on indulgence—Last month Mary Doyle made history, and today Mary Doyle made history as the member for Aston, being the first person to swear allegiance to King Charles. I do note that some in the media perhaps haven't noticed that that's what we do as members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate and as ministers, because that seemed to be controversial while I was in London—something that should not have been.

Today the member for Aston joins us in the work of building a better future. It is the first time a government candidate has won a seat from the opposition in over 100 years. She is already the best member for Aston in over 30 years! And she is the newest member of a government working today, and every day, to deliver the positive plan that Australians voted for in 2022.

When I rang Mary and asked her to be the candidate in the by-election, she had, of course, already contested an election back in 2022 and achieved an outstanding result, standing for an electorate that had received 54.7 per cent of the primary vote for the former member for Aston, Alan Tudge, and a two-party preferred vote of over 60 per cent for the coalition. Mary achieved an outstanding result in 2022, and we were hopeful that we could maintain that result. She went much better than expectations could possibly have planned for, and she did that because of who she is. Mary is someone who grew up in public housing, a mum and carer to three beautiful children, a mortgage holder who knows the pressure that's there on family budgets, a working parent who has seen the punishing cost of child care, a cancer survivor who knows the true meaning of Medicare, and a proud citizen of the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne who cares about her community and cares about the local environment. And Mary Doyle is a person driven by the oldest and deepest Australian aspiration—the aspiration for a better life and a greater opportunity for the next generation.

I say to the member for Aston: I am very confident that you will continue to be a strong voice for your local community. And I am delighted that you are joining us here on budget day, with the great privilege of serving the people of Australia that all of us have from our different perspectives. I've got to know you personally and seen you grow, particularly in that period under the pressure that comes with being a by-election candidate, where the focus of the media on Aston was far greater, it's fair to say, than it probably was in the 2022 election. I saw you grow as a person, and the Australian people, but particularly the people of Aston, saw the character that you showed. For those people who were watching on election night, when you were introduced by the Deputy Prime Minister as the successful candidate, I think your humility showed, your character showed and your passionate commitment for that local community showed. And I am certain that you will bring that diligence, that commitment and that perseverance to representing the good people of Aston in this parliament and beyond. You are someone who has created history; that can't be taken away from you. But I look forward to the future history that you're going to create over many years as the member for Aston. I congratulate you on behalf of the government, very sincerely, on being sworn in today as the member for Aston.

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:09): I inform the House that the member for Rankin is absent from question time today. I will answer questions on his behalf.

The SPEAKER (15:49): Before members leave the House, I have a statement to make about proceedings for the budget and budget reply. I ask all members to note the usual arrangements in place for budget week and, importantly, the courtesies that will apply to the Treasurer's budget speech this evening and equally to the Leader of the Opposition's speech in reply on Thursday evening. As with all proceedings in the House, the member with the call is entitled to speak without interruption. In accordance with precedent, should I determine that a member be required to leave the House under standing order 94(a), the member will be advised by written note.

I ask all members to ensure that their guests arrive at the galleries in good time to undertake the secondary security clearance and to be seated by 7.10 pm. I trust there will be cooperation from members and their invited guests in the galleries, for whom they are responsible. It should be the aim of all members that both nights proceed smoothly for the benefit of the House and for those watching and listening to proceedings.

To finish off, for the information of members, the speech clock will be on but only as a guide. Standing order 1 provides that there is no time limit for the Treasurer or the Leader of the Opposition for this debate. I thank the House.

The SPEAKER (15:52): I present the Auditor-General's Audit reports Nos 17 to 20 for 2022-23. Details of the reports will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.

Documents made parliamentary papers.

Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (15:52): Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.

The SPEAKER (15:52): I have received a letter from the honourable the Manager of Opposition Business proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The cost of living crisis and the Prime Minister's broken promise that Australians would be better off under his government.

I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (15:52): Around Australia, this Prime Minister's cost-of-living crisis is affecting millions of Australians. The Prime Minister was pretty clear in the promises he made before the last election. He promised to reduce energy bills by $275 not once, not twice but 97 times. Of course he promised there would be cheaper mortgages, and he promised that Australians would be better off under a Labor government. It was all very clear and very simple. It did not admit of any doubt. So Australians would naturally be very troubled to find that the reality today is extraordinarily different from what this Prime Minister promised. Inflation is at its highest level in over 30 years, core inflation is higher than in the US, Britain, Canada and indeed every G7 nation, and electricity prices have gone up and up and up.

It is in the experiences of Australian families and households where we see the true toll of this government's escalating cost-of-living crisis. Australian families are experiencing the largest fall in their spending power in this century as more and more families struggle with the crippling effects of inflation. Australian families are even resorting to changing their diets, with one report showing that two-thirds of Australians are finding it less affordable to eat healthily. Banks are reporting more Australian families are falling behind on their repayments, and higher-risk customers can't even get a loan or get refinancing. Business collapses are surging, with warnings of an insolvency Armageddon as Labor's first year in office has seen almost a doubling in the rate at which businesses are becoming insolvent.

More Australians with mental health concerns are being forced to cancel appointments with psychologists because they simply can't afford them. Growing numbers of Australians cannot afford to maintain their cars, and they are skipping vital maintenance and repairs. Mortgage risk reports are showing more and more Australian towns and suburbs are entering mortgage shock, with repayments eating up to 60 per cent of household income in some post codes. More than three-quarters of Australians report that they are either extremely or very concerned about the cost of living, with most saying electricity prices are a key concern. The gap between the cost of a typical home and the amount that an average Australian can borrow has more than doubled.

More and more Australians are resorting to having meals at home and buying generic brands of food and groceries under this Labor government's cost-of-living crisis. More and more Australians are buying canned food because they cannot afford to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Australians are turning to charities for support, with Lifeline and other crisis providers reporting huge increases in the number of families requesting their assistance, including, in many cases, families that have never before needed to turn to a crisis provider for help. Families are facing no option but to cut back on non-essential purchases.

According to the national youth mental health survey, the cost of living is the single biggest concern for young Australians. According to analysis by Deloitte Access Economics, at least 300,000 Australian households may be experiencing negative cashflow—more money going out than coming in—following the 10 interest rate rises on this government's watch. The St Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland has reported that more families, particularly young women, are being forced to sleep in their cars due to this government's cost-of-living crisis. The CEO of Foodbank in Queensland recently said:

As cost of living continues to rise, families are being forced to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the table.

This is a very grim picture, and there is very little reason to be confident that this government has a plan to deal with it.

It is absolutely critical that there be a focus on inflation—getting inflation down, attacking those cost-of-living increases. That will be the test of this budget—whether it puts downward pressure on inflation. When inflation is high it erodes purchasing power, it eats away at savings and it lowers the standard of living. This is the central economic issue facing Australians—the need to get inflation down.

Fighting inflation with handouts is not the solution to this problem. We need a government which is addressing the problem of inflation at its source, not the symptoms. If Labor were serious about tackling inflation, it would build on the strong economic management that it inherited from the previous coalition government. It would restore the fiscal guardrails to the budget, including the goal of budget balance and including the tax to GDP cap. Is it any surprise that under this Labor government there is now no formal rule as to the maximum percentage of tax it says it will collect as a percentage of GDP?

Labor is seeking to distract from its spending plans by dropping to the media that the budget will be in surplus for 2022-23, but the real story is what happens in 2023-24, the actual year the Treasurer is preparing a budget for, and in the out years beyond that. A short-term surplus thanks to a one-off jump in commodity export prices and strong employment numbers inherited from the Morrison government is one thing, but a structural deficit over the next few years as Labor fails to get spending under control is very bad news for the Australians who are concerned that inflation will become entrenched and that their cost of living will go up and up.

The simple fact is: if this government does not get spending under control, this budget will drive more inflation. Unless this government limits spending, it will be adding to the cost of your mortgage, your rent, your groceries and just about everything else Australians need to spend their hard-earned money on. We need to see from this government and this budget a long-term approach to controlling spending. It is critical that the economy is growing faster than spending. That's how the coalition operated between 2013 and 2019, prior to a once-in-a-century pandemic, and it was that budget rule, that fiscal discipline, which produced the outcome of a steadily reducing budget deficit until we achieved budget balance. But that is very different to the psychology and the instinctive nature of Labor governments. There is nothing a Labor government likes to do more than spend and tax. We've seen the pattern with every previous Labor government, and already we are seeing the same pattern materialise when it comes to the Albanese Labor government.

In the October budget, we saw the Albanese Labor government add $115 billion of spending over the four years of the forward estimates compared to the budget brought down by the Morrison government in March 2022. There's another $45 billion of spending that we have opposed because that is not what our budget needs. It's not what our fiscal policy needs. It's not what we need as a nation if we are going to attack the core problem which is challenging the lives and lifestyles of every Australian—that is, the problem of inflation and ever-rising cost of living. As this government adds more spending, it also adds additional interest costs over many years into the future.

We saw a very traditional Labor approach in its first budget in October last year. We saw Labor increase spending, making the structural deficit worse, and we saw Labor abandon any formal goal of achieving budget balance. That's not a responsible approach. It's not good budget management, and we see now that, around Australia, Australian households and Australian families are paying a price for this government's poor management of the budget.

The other very important reason to keep spending under control is: if you're controlling spending, you don't need to go around raising taxes. Higher taxes are a huge problem. They kill aspiration. They hurt families. They delay the investment that provides jobs and helps small businesses to grow.

Australian families, every day, every week, are making very tough decisions about their household budgets. It is imperative that we have, as a nation, a budget that also involves decisions that address the fundamental problem of cost of living and inflation.

Ms KEARNEY (Cooper—Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) (16:03): I am really beginning to worry about those on the opposite side of the House. Maybe they're deaf, maybe they're a bit dim—I don't know! They seem to be throwing this question at us time after time, and we tell them time after time that we understand that the cost of living is hitting a lot of Australians hard. We understand that inflation is the defining economic challenge of 2023. It was in 2022—and, as the Prime Minister mentioned today, those opposite, when they were in government, had an inflation measure the highest this century has seen.

Australians understand that we did not create these challenges, but they elected us to take responsibility for addressing them—and we are. The Albanese Labor government is delivering the positive change that Australians voted for—and, can I remind them, that is including the good people of Aston. They recently voted for a Labor government, overwhelmingly—we had a wonderful Labor candidate in Mary Doyle—but they turned their back on the opposition. I am beginning to wonder if those opposite are not reading the tea leaves. Yes, we know there is a lot of work to do, but we are staying focused on easing the pressure on families and helping Australians manage their budgets. That is why the centrepiece of tonight's budget will be a $14.6 billion cost-of-living relief package.

The first phase of this, for example, is our cheaper medicines policy. That came into effect on 1 January this year. The cheaper medicines policy is an incredibly important policy for so many Australians who are having to choose between taking their medicines or paying the rent or putting food on the table. As a former health professional, I have had, from time to time, people telling me that they just take medicines every other day because they think that is cheaper. We know that it is important they take them every single day. Or they might miss a month or a week. Now, they no longer have to do that.

Tonight's budget will go further, delivering cheaper medicines for over six million Australians. We will halve unnecessary visits to the GP and the pharmacist just to fill a repeat script. This will save Australians up to $180 a year for every eligible medicine they buy. Thanks to my wonderful colleague here the Minister for Aged Care, Ms Wells, we are delivering a massive increase for our aged-care workers by giving them a wage rise, an $11.3 billion investment. That's a wage rise to some of the lowest-paid but most-valued workers in our economy, a wage rise which will actually help with the cost of living. Self-funded retirees will access a seniors card under this government, which will give them access to the concession rate of PBS medicines and bulk-billed GP visits. That is a massive saving for many, many retirees. These are just some of the measures that have been announced in my own portfolio of health and aged care.

Outside health and aged care, we have already announced electricity bill relief, which those opposite voted against. We have increased support for single parents. The Treasurer will have much more to say about that tonight, but we know that this single measure alone will have a massive impact on single parents struggling to meet the rising cost of living. We have successfully argued for a Fair Work Commission wage rise in line with inflation. We have introduced legislation that will drive investment in cleaner and cheaper energy, putting downward pressure on power prices. We are delivering cheaper child care, with one of the biggest investments in history in the cost of child care, which means that women can go back to work if they want to and will pay less for their child care. That, of course, will ease the cost-of-living pressures. We are delivering fee-free TAFE. You can't cut a cost of living measure any more than by making it free. This means that more people will get the skills they need to get good jobs—well paid jobs in our economy.

We are expanding paid parental leave. When I had my babies, there was no paid parental leave—none at all—and we had to struggle along on one income. It was a great innovation by the Gillard government to introduce paid parental leave, and now we will be expanding that even more. This will, of course, ease the cost of living for parents. We are building more affordable homes, including through the new National Housing Accord. If those opposite could just see their way through to supporting the National Housing Future Fund, we would be able to build a lot more. We know that increasing supply will bring the cost of housing down, which will, of course, help people with the cost of living. Pensions, allowances and rent assistance have all increased in line with inflation. We are going to improve the bargaining system, which will make it easier for workers to get wage rises and create gender equality in the workplace, making sure that women get equal and better pay.

Let's go back over some of these things I have said. What is it that those opposite don't get? We are easing pressure on families. We are introducing a relief package. There will be cheaper medicines and cheaper visits to the GP. We will have wage rises for aged-care workers and other low-paid workers. There will be downward pressure on power prices, cheaper child care, fee-free TAFE, expanded paid parental leave, more affordable homes and increased cost-of-living measures that will give more money to pensioners and people who need rent assistance. We will improve the wages of every worker in this country. They are all things that will actually help with the cost of living.

Let's have a look at the Liberal legacy. They suppressed wage growth—suppressed wage growth—as a deliberate design feature of their government's economic policy. The now Leader of the Opposition, the then health minister, ripped out, or tried to rip out, $50 billion from hospitals; he tried to increase the cost of scripts by $5 and charge every Australian a tax on their visits to their GP. When Labor was able to block this attack on our health system and Australians' right to access it, he hit them with a Medicare rebate freeze. He was voted, by Australian doctors, the worst health minister in living memory, and we know that wasn't for nothing. So what a legacy! Compare what I said before with its opposite—with what the opposition did when they were in government. The opposition charged a bigger tax; they raised the price of scripts; they froze the Medicare rebate. Such a stellar record from the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite when it comes to cost-of-living relief! I can't help but sit here and think, when I listen to them go on and on and on about caring about people struggling with the cost of living, that they're pouring crocodile tears all the way down their face. They deliberately designed a decade of wage stagnation, froze the Medicare rebate and oversaw a decade of shameful neglect of our aged-care system; they refused to vote for energy bill relief; they said no to every single proposal that we have put forward to help Australian households. And yet they stand there and ask the same question over and over.

Only Labor's government will do absolutely everything in its power to support Australians and Australian workers. We have given pay rises. We have given true cost-of-living relief. And this budget tonight will go even further than I have been able to outline tonight. It will be a sensible budget. It will give cost-of-living relief. It will manage inflation. It will repair the budget. It will clean up the mess that that government left from nine years of absolute neglect of this economy, of workers, of everyday Australians, because only Labor governments deliver real, tangible relief to Australian households. Australians know this. Australians voted for this. And only very recently did we see they voted for this in Aston.

When will they listen? When will they get this through their heads?

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (16:13): I thank the member for Cooper for her time in her career as a health professional, and I acknowledge the fact that she was the 10th president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. When you are heading a union body, wages are important, but so are real wages, and, when those opposite come in here and talk about wage increases, what they should be referring to is real wages, because real wages are going down. They are. Real wages—the take-home pay, the disposable income, of those hardworking Australians—are actually being reduced.

Mr McCORMACK: Now, I listened to you in silence, and you might give me the courtesy of listening to me in silence.

Sitting next to her was the Minister for Aged Care, and I acknowledge the work that she is doing in that portfolio. I acknowledge the work that she's doing in the ministry of sport. But when you go and you talk to people in aged-care centres, to those running those country aged-care centres—and I appreciate they're saying that there's going to be a wage jump for those workers tonight, and that's good—some of those workers won't have an aged-care centre to go to, because of the 24/7 nursing edict that has been placed on them by those opposite.

You get a good aged-care centre, such as the one I visited recently at Junee, and they are desperately worried that they won't be able to provide for their residents with 24/7 nursing. They can't find cleaners. They can't find cooks. They can't find people to change the beds, let alone 24/7 nursing. What are those aged-care centres supposed to do? And that is the case right over regional and, particularly, remote Australia, where aged-care centres are desperately worried.

We know that the price of groceries is going up. We know that Scott's Refrigerated Transport is going backwards; they've been placed in liquidation. I heard the member for Cooper, the assistant minister, talking about building more houses. Jolly good! But who are they going to get to build those houses—let alone the materials to build those houses? That industry is absolutely going backwards, unfortunately. It was going alright under the home ownership schemes that we put in place. But that industry, the building industry, is doing it tough at the moment, and not helped by those opposite. I listened to the Minister for Housing going on not that long ago about a million houses. Good luck building them! Good luck finding the people to actually be able to build those houses!

And then we come to students. You would think that those opposite would have placed students at the top of their expectations—at the top of their aspirations and the top of the care that they supposedly give. And yet the HECS debt is going to reach a 32-year high under those opposite. How do struggling students, such as those like Wagga Wagga's Maddison Dickinson—who still has, she says, about $6,000 to pay off on a HECS debt for partially completing a Bachelor of Paramedicine and a Bachelor of Arts—a 24-year-old, pay off her HECS debt when it's at a 32-year high? I don't know. Maybe those opposite could answer that question. Students are going to be hit with a seven-per-cent indexation rate at the beginning of June. Students are doing it tough, and all those opposite can do is to come in and say, 'Oh, well, we're bringing the budget back into surplus.' They haven't produced a surplus since 1989; Senator Claire Chandler wasn't even born the last time that Labor produced a surplus!

But the fact remains that they demonise the coal industry, they demonise the gas industry and they demonise the resources sector, which is providing the iron ore, the resources and the export cheques. Then they gloat about producing a budget surplus on the back of that resources sector—which kept us going during COVID!—and on the back of the agriculture sector, which kept us going during COVID. And they're hitting the pharmacists hard—I'll get onto that in the next speech I make in this place. But the pharmacists are doing it tough.

We have the assistant minister for regional health, a former pharmacist, belonging to a government which should know better. In some places, particularly in remote country Australia, the pharmacist is the only health professional in town. Why would you hit them so hard, to the point of closure? Why would you do that? It's all about the cost of living and they don't care! (Time expired)

Ms MURPHY (Dunkley) (16:18): Member for Riverina: you asked about those nursing homes in your electorate who are concerned about 24/7 nurses being put on and whether they can do it. You asked the parliament, 'What are they supposed to do?' How about they speak to the excellent Minister for Aged Care, who is sitting right there, about the supports and exemptions that are in place? If you are not referring them to do that, then you're not doing your job! You're not doing your job, because she has said so many times that she is there to help any facility that has trouble meeting the 24/7 nurse legislation. There are exemptions and there are supports. So instead of coming in here and having a crack at the minister, do your job and speak to your nursing facilities that have concerns. Tell them to get in contact with the minister, her office and her department, and they will help them.

That's because we are a government which brings in policies that make life better for people, and we do everything we can to implement them. That's as opposed to the last government, which did wonderful announcements and pretty good press releases, at times, but didn't implement anything. They didn't implement anything. I tell you what, if you want to find a minister who cares more about people than about herself and who works her fingers to the bone, then it's the Minister for Aged Care. Anyone who says differently—whose name might have an extra S in it—might look in the mirror and wonder what jealousy looks like, because then she will see it. The Albanese Labor government are doing what we can to address the cost-of-living issues that we inherited from nine years of wasted time, wasted spending and a lack of action.

In my electorate, my community saved $259,743.57 on PBS medicines in January and February of this year alone. That's $260,000 saved in my electorate, where there are pockets of some of the most disadvantaged people in Victoria, where chronic health problems are way above the state average and where we know how important it is to be able to access medicines. Since the Albanese government reduced the co-payment on 1 January of this year, more than 22,800 scripts in Dunkley have been cheaper. This makes medicines more affordable and accessible, it takes the sting out of the rising cost of living and it delivers better outcomes for people who are often in the most vulnerable position of their lives.

I put up a post on my Facebook page about cheaper medicines. Here's just one comment from Shaz:

soooo good… I'm on a lot of meds so it just makes life easier that it is so cheap to buy.

Elise wrote:

At a time when things are more expensive and cost of living is really tough, this is such a huge benefit.

Of course it is. And we are doing so much more to make medicines cheaper and more accessible.

I know how hard it is to remember to go and fill your script every 3½ weeks, when you can only get it once a month. I know what the Minister for Health and Aged Care says about medicine compliance being lowest at the time when you have to fill your scripts. I can't tell you the number of times I might have not been able to take my medicine for a day or two because I forgot to fill my script. I know the difference 60-day dispensing is going to make to vulnerable people who have chronic health conditions—not to mention the vulnerable people with chronic health conditions who are also struggling because they don't earn much money or they're on a pension. It is going to make the world of difference to those people. Those on the other side can come here with their rhetoric and their ranting and their made-up situations, but we on this side know that the measures we're putting in place are making life better for Australians. (Time expired)

Ms BELL (Moncrieff) (16:23): Tonight, the Treasurer will stand at the dispatch box and deliver what he claims is a cost-of-living budget—a budget that he says will deliver cost-of-living relief for Australians who need it most. The thing is we've heard that before from this government. We heard it when they promised a $275 reduction to your power bill, when they promised cheaper mortgages and when they promised no changes to super, lower inflation, no higher taxes, no changes to franking credits—the list goes on and on. Every single one of those promises has been broken, and it hasn't even been 12 months. And the cost of living for Australian families continues to rise. Groceries and petrol prices are soaring. Fruits and vegetables have increased in cost by 4.9 per cent and dairy products by a whopping 14.9 per cent. Families simply can't afford it.

It's not the only thing that has gone up under this government. The last time Labor was in government, early childhood education fees skyrocketed by 53 per cent in just six years. In the last six months, already, out-of-pocket costs have gone up by 6.5 per cent. In only six months, they've gone up 6.5 per cent, and let's watch them go up further. Centres are struggling to cover the increasing costs of rent, of food and of wages, which means providers will continue to put their fees up. This leads to higher out-of-pocket costs, leaving families with less money to put food on their tables and to pay those bills.

And yet this government continues to promise families they will be better off after 1 July. It's just another broken promise waiting to happen. This government likes to bang on about how they know how hard it is to struggle, that Labor cares about you and that the Prime Minister cares about you. Families are resorting to buying canned food, eating out less, falling behind in their repayments, skipping vital car repairs and even mental health appointments to make ends meet. It's not good enough for Australian families. Charities are inundated with requests for support and assistance, and they simply can't keep up. Families are literally choosing between keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the table. And while you've been trying to figure out how you're going to pay your bills, the Prime Minister has the gall to say, 'It's been a good 10 months.'

Well, maybe it has been a good 10 months for him. He has been gallivanting around the world, taking helicopters to barbecues and partying at lavish weddings, while you are suffering and can't pay your bills. When it comes to the Prime Minister, it doesn't matter what he says; it's about what he does, and his actions show time and again that he doesn't care about you or your family. Almost every day of the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised that he would show up and that he would take responsibility. Well, it's about time he did that.

Unfortunately for many Australian families, this cost-of-living crisis will continue to get worse under Labor. Australian families are making tough decisions about their own budgets. Inflation is eating into Australians' pay packets and real wages are going backwards, causing the price of essential household goods and services to skyrocket. This government must show that they are prepared to do the same: to drive down the rate of inflation through budget measures, not a one-off sugar hit. Inflation comes from Canberra; it's not coming from Vladimir Putin and it's not coming from the war in Ukraine. I know that those opposite like to pretend it comes from somewhere else, but it comes directly from them and their decisions. Unless the government limits spending, Labor will continue to add to the cost of your mortgage, your rent, your groceries and just about everything else Australians are spending their hard-earned money on.

I'm not holding my breath tonight about the budget for Australians and the cost-of-living crisis. The last time this lot were in government they spent billions on programs like school halls and the pink batts disaster, and cut essential funding for mental health and the PBS. They stopped listing medicines because they ran out of money. It sounds like they're reading more from their playbook; they have already cut mental health funding at the first opportunity. It's clear: you can't trust Labor to keep their promises. You can't trust Labor to run the economy, and Australians always pay more under Labor.

Ms SITOU (Reid) (16:28): Two things magically happened on 21 May last year: the Albanese Labor government was elected—very exciting!—and the coalition suddenly realised there was an issue with the cost of living. It was a sudden realisation, because they didn't act on it during the nine years they were in government. Let's examine why their sudden interest in helping with the cost of living is such a charade now.

Act No. 1: under the coalition, the cost of child care went up by 41 per cent. Seventy-three thousand families were locked out of child care because they couldn't afford it. What did that mean? It meant kids couldn't get the early education we know is so critical and it meant there were fewer parents heading back into the workforce and contributing to our economy. And, critically, when it comes to the cost of living, it was a hit to household budgets. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to address this? We have reduced the cost of child care for 96 per cent of families across Australia. Approximately 7,800 families in my electorate are going to benefit from this. Over nine years, those opposite allowed the cost of child care to rise and rise. Under the Albanese Labor government, from 1 July we are making child care more affordable.

Act No. 2: power prices. This is probably where those opposite really excelled at acting. They acted like they were a government trying to come up with an energy policy. There were 22 attempts, but they couldn't deliver a single one, and, even when they had the chance to provide households with energy relief, they voted against it. Instead of siding with the Australian people, they sided with gas companies. They act like they care about reducing energy prices, but they voted for higher power prices. Contrast that with the Albanese Labor government. We have an energy policy that, first of all, isn't here after 22 attempts, and we are working our way through implementing it. We are upgrading our energy grid to enable more renewable energy to come online. Last year we capped gas and coal prices to shield Australians from the unprecedented international pressures on energy markets. We are acting on climate change and providing households with energy price relief.

In tonight's budget we are helping five million households and one million businesses with a reduction in energy bills. Those opposite couldn't deliver an energy policy, couldn't give energy certainty and couldn't help with power bills for households. What could they do? And here we come to the final act. Here's one of the few policies they had when they were in government—nine long years, and they had one policy: robodebt. It is extraordinary that those opposite can come into this place and pretend to care about the cost of living when they were the architects of robodebt. It was an illegal and immoral policy that had devastating consequences for the most financially vulnerable in our community—and they knew it. It was those opposite who hounded the most vulnerable with unlawful debt notices, chasing them for debts they did not owe. It was those opposite who decided to play the role of debt collector, scaring Australians who were already right on the edge.

Contrast that with the Labor government. In tonight's budget we are making it easier for those receiving the single parenting payment and JobSeeker. While those opposite put on the performance of a lifetime and pretend to care about the cost of living, we are actually taking action. For nine years under those opposite the cost of child care skyrocketed. They failed to deliver an energy plan and voted against providing energy price relief, and one of the few policies they had was robodebt. Today is performative. For nine years they did nothing on the cost of living. They may deserve a Gold Logie for their acting job today, but they don't deserve to be in government. That is why they were voted out on 21 May, and that's why they lost the seat of Aston, which is why we have the wonderful new member for Aston, Mary Doyle, amongst our ranks.

Ms WARE (Hughes) (16:33): I thank the member for Reid for many of her remarks. I note that she has spoken about acting and Logie awards. I would just draw the House's attention and the member for Reid's attention to the Prime Minister's pledges that were made: household and business energy bills will be cut by $275—that's act 1; a real lasting plan for cheaper electricity and cheaper mortgages—that's act 2; Australians will be better off under a Labor government—that's act 3. When the current Prime Minister was opposition leader, he personally promised $275 power bill cuts no fewer than 97 times during the election campaign. Not only has the Prime Minister broken that promise; he refuses in question time to even answer any questions about power bills, and we saw that again today.

The energy crisis affects Australians. It affects Australian families. It affects Australian businesses. Under the Albanese Labor government life has become progressively harder for many Australians. This is despite the Prime Minister's claim only a few months ago that it's 'been a pretty good 10 months for most Australians'. Pretty good? Rather than Australians being better off, Australians are paying more in the economy that exists under this Albanese Labor government. Australian families are experiencing the largest fall in their spending power this century, as more and more families struggle with the crippling effects of inflation. Families are even resorting to changing their diets, with one recent report showing two-thirds of people have found it less affordable to eat healthily. This includes Australians buying canned food because they can't afford fresh fruit and vegetables. This is a great shame. More and more Australians are resorting to having meals at home and buying generic brands of food and groceries. Our banks are reporting more Australian families are falling behind on their repayments, and higher-risk customers can't get loans or refinance.

Recently, I spoke in this place about Caruso's Italian Restaurant, in the Sutherland shire. It was forced to close its doors permanently. They had been in the Sutherland shire for 17 years. Owners Rocky and Kerrin Pitarelli cited rising electricity costs, labour costs and staff shortages as reasons for their closure. More recently, in my electorate, Howling Forest cafes at Kirrawee and Kareela have closed, with proprietors Ange and Chad citing the current economic climate as the reason behind the closure.

Last week I visited local businesses in the suburb of Sutherland with the shadow Treasurer. Cafe 2232 owner George explained they've had to increase their prices by 30 per cent over the past six to eight months. Scott's Florist owner Trudy reported a doubling and tripling of the price of fresh flowers. At Left Bower Cafe, Luke cited rising energy costs and the cost of dairy as issues facing their trade. Mandy from The Beauty Loft stated she had suffered $1,000 in cancellations the last time an interest rate rise was reported. We are seeing more Australians with mental health concerns being forced to cancel appointments with psychologists because they simply can't afford them. Mortgage risk reports are showing more and more Australian towns and suburbs are entering mortgage shock. In my electorate of Hughes, over 22,000 households are mortgage holders. With an average increase of more than $1,400 per month, this is impacting Australian families directly.

The key test for tonight's budget is whether it will put downward pressure on inflation. The Albanese Labor government should deliver a budget with less spending to tackle its inflation crisis. Inflation comes from Canberra. After almost a year of inaction, Labor's budget must make bringing down inflation its No. 1 priority.

Ms MASCARENHAS (Swan) (16:38): I'll start by saying that I know that families and households are doing it really tough at the moment, and it's a really challenging time. All households recognise that the cost of living has gone up, and it is an issue that my electorate talks to me about when I go doorknocking. However, I will remind the member for Hughes that, unfortunately, we've wasted a decade, with the coalition asleep at the wheel. A government needs to not only deal with the issues of the day but also plan for the future, and frankly, the coalition government had no plan for the future. The Albanese Labor government is cleaning up this mess.

Following the member for Hughes's political theatre metaphor, let's reflect on that: act 1, failure of the coalition to balance the budget; act 2, failure to create a single energy policy despite there being over 30 attempts to create a plan and not one effective policy to show for it. Act three: a failure to get wages moving again, and, instead, suggesting that low wage growth is a deliberate design feature of our economic architecture. You'd think the acts would end at the election of the Albanese Labor government, but there's an act four: the failure of the coalition opposition to even hold the seat of Aston. You have to credit their optimism, though. Before racking up $894 billion of debt, they bought themselves these mugs saying, 'back in black'. They're the masters of theatrics but not of substance—as Paul Keating would say, 'All tip, no iceberg,' or as Kathleen Studdert from Professionals Australia said, 'All mug and no coffee.'

It's no surprise that when we look around the mainland of this country that it's wall-to-wall Labor governments, because when it comes to action on the cost of living, Australians cannot trust Liberals. Debt and financial mismanagement is part of the Liberals' DNA. In WA, the powerhouse of our economy, we saw a boom squandered and our AAA credit rating lost by the Barnett Liberal government. But, of course, we've seen these characteristics in the previous coalition government. We saw not one or two billion but $13 billion worth of JobKeeper payments go to companies that increased their sales between April and September 2021. This happened without a single thought on whether they should pay this back, and, meanwhile, instead, we had debt collectors relentlessly pursuing individuals for $32 million in JobKeeper for overpayments.

Meanwhile, Labor is wanting to have targeted cost-of-living relief, and we're being careful to make sure that we don't feed the inflation dragon. I'll talk to what the Albanese Labor government is doing to help the people of Australia. In my electorate of Swan, we saw $442,439 put back into the pocket of those with prescriptions, thanks to our cheaper medicine policy. Tonight in the budget we will deliver further savings to households when it comes to hundreds of medicines. The Albanese Labor Government is easing the cost-of-living pressures for millions of Australians by allowing them to buy two months of eligible medicines for the price of a single prescription. Concession cardholders could save up to $43.80 a year per medicine, while others could save up to $180.

Our cheaper child care will benefit 1.2 million families from 1 July. We know that this will help ease the financial stress for families across the country, and 96 per cent of families will be better off financially through our increases to the childcare rebate. We're getting wages moving again. Australians on minimum wage received a 5.1 per cent pay rise at the outset of the Albanese Labor government. I know that some weren't prepared to support our lowest paid workers' pay increase of $1 an hour. Those on minimum wage have played important roles during the pandemic.

The Albanese Labor government supports aged-care workers. Last week the Minister for Aged Care announced an $11.3 billion package to deliver a 15 per cent pay increase to the award wage for aged-care workers. We're doing this because our aged-care workers deserved reward and recognition, for the important, invaluable role that they play in our community. We're working on the job of helping Australia.

Mr WOLAHAN (Menzies) (16:43): Before I begin, can I congratulate those opposite, and the new member for Aston, Mary Doyle, on getting elected. That is a significant achievement for her, her campaign team and the Labor Party. But, all of that said, I have been in this parliament for not even a year, but I have been an observer of politics long enough to remember when commentators were talking about wall-to-wall Liberal governments and what that meant. I remember how fleeting that can be, because to be in power, at a state or a federal level, is the gift of the Australian people, and you have to earn that, not only on the day of the election but also on every day after.

There is no doubt, for those who will compare notes on the Aston by-election, cost of living was one of top issues. There will be an analysis of what happened—my party will do one and your party will do one, I'm sure—but it's clear that the people of Melbourne and, probably, the people of Australia, are giving you a chance. They're giving you a chance to solve their problems. When they give you a chance, for them, it's really giving you a second chance, because when you look at the promises that were made before the last election, those promises have been broken. You've heard those promises many times over: the several references to $275; the claims of real, lasting plans for cheaper electricity and cheaper mortgages and that Australia would be better off under a Labor government.

So you're being given a second chance, and, when you're given a second chance, I say, 'Don't waste it,' because I don't think Australians will give you a third chance. This is it—this is your second chance.

Tonight the Treasurer has one job and it's to reduce inflation. The reason that that's his most important job is that, at the moment, all that work is being done by the Reserve Bank of Australia—all of it. We can have a tit-for-tat about who is to blame: the previous government, or the last 12 months? And the truth is: it's a bit of both. It has to be a bit of both—it would be unreasonable to say otherwise. But what you do is on you, and what you do can't be to leave it all to the Reserve Bank.

There has to be a role for fiscal policy, because, when we think back to the latest, or the last, increase by the RBA, that was devastating for Australian families because it caught them off guard. They weren't expecting it. The professionals weren't expecting it. We saw it in how the market reacted. We saw it in how all of the commentators and all of the media, who are professionals at this, didn't expect it. One of the reasons it happened was that the RBA was addressing something that the government should have been assisting with, and that is core inflation. You can brag about where Australia ranks in inflation around the world, but core inflation—which excludes some of the variable items, of food and resources, which go up and down on a more variable rate—is the inflation that is 'sticky', that lasts longer and that affects people more. When the RBA saw core inflation being higher here than in any G7 country, then what you were doing, as to fiscal policy, wasn't working, and the RBA had to do it.

You may call it a cliche to say it's having one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake, but it is the most simple metaphor for what's happening. We need fiscal policy. We need the government to be working in tandem with our monetary policy, not counter to it.

Today in question time we saw a lot of hubris. We saw a lot of chanting. The responses of 'Why?' were repeated with great enthusiasm today. And we heard the same cliches again, of having inherited a trillion dollars of debt—said to be 'Liberal debt', even though half of that was inherited from the previous Labor government. And let's just forget that we had a pandemic! Let's forget about that, and let's forget that there were actual responses to that, which included your support of the pandemic debt. That's just conveniently forgotten. So, yes, debt is a massive problem. And guess what? There is a bipartisan element to that debt. But it is dishonest to ignore the pandemic and the important decisions that were made by the previous government and your support of those. In fact, you didn't just support them; you asked for them to be extended. Debt would be even higher if you actually had been sitting over there during the pandemic.

So you have been given a second chance. I say: the Treasurer, tonight, shouldn't waste it, because you won't get a third.

Mr KHALIL (Wills) (16:48): Tonight, the Albanese Labor government is going to deliver the first budget surplus of an Australian government in 15 years. I hope I haven't given anything away, but I think everyone knows! That is remarkable. This is the first surplus since the global financial crisis. It is such an achievement—a significant achievement for the Albanese government in its first year. But, more than that, we are doing this while still delivering targeted relief to assist Australians with the pressures of the cost of living, because we know that the cost of living is front of mind for so many Australians right now.

Unlike that mob over there, we are focused on relieving the pressure on Australians doing it tough, because responsible economic management is about investing in our economy and our people. It's about providing sensible, targeted relief whilst making investments that set Australia up for the future. So that's a bit of a contrast to those on the opposition benches. I've seen the shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, doing the rounds this morning with a number of pithy, albeit pathetic, one-liners. He said, 'A drover's dog could deliver a surplus.' That was his line! Well, what does that say for the opposition? Nine years of the previous Liberal government and they were unable to deliver a single one, but he says a drover's dog could deliver it. The poor drover's dog. He gives it a bad name. We should probably replace the Dog on the Tuckerbox on the road to Gundagai with a statue of Angus Taylor. In all his regal, imperious attire, he could be up there on the tuckerbox. It is remarkable that they are making that argument. It's a pathetic argument. In nine years they couldn't deliver one surplus, and we've done it in the first year.

They are led now by a leader of the opposition who, as health minister—let's not forget—tried to tax Australians $7 every time they visited a GP, tried to raise the price of every script by $5 and froze the Medicare rebate. That's the reverse of relief on the cost of living; it's the exact reverse of what you should be doing. Is it any surprise he was voted the worst health minister in living memory by Australian doctors?

Let's not just criticise. The government is helping so many Australians doing it tough. It's doing a lot, so let's talk about the positives. We've already delivered cheaper medicines, cutting the maximum co-payment for general patients from $42.50 to $30. This is going to save someone taking a single medicine up to $150 a year. We've reduced the cost for pensioners and concession cardholders so they will pay no more than $5 a week for all their medicine needs, no matter how many medicines they take. In September we cut the price of more than 2,000 brands of medicine, delivering $130 million back into the pockets of hardworking Australians. And tonight in the budget we will deliver—and you'll hear all about it—further savings to households when it comes to hundreds of medicines. For six million Australians we'll halve their medicine costs, reducing their need to visit the GP and the pharmacist, with $1.6 billion going back into their pockets over the next four years. These are sensible, targeted, measured relief measures that will make a real difference to Australians.

Also, when it comes to wages, the government is supporting wage rises for underpaid Australians. We know the best support for Australians struggling with the cost of living is a wage increase. These are wage increases they certainly missed out on under the previous government, who said, in their own words, that wage suppression was a deliberate feature of their economic policy. The Albanese government and the budget will deliver a 15 per cent increase in the minimum wage for many aged-care workers across Australia. The Minister for Aged Care is here, and I note all the work she has done on behalf of the government to make this happen. This is the biggest pay rise for the sector ever. It's never been this big. That is so significant for so many people. A registered nurse could earn up to $196 a week extra or up to $10,000 a year more. It will help address the injustice of underpayment for our nurses and for our aged-care workers, and it will help them with the cost of living. It's practical and it's real.

We've also addressed housing. Unfortunately, those on the opposite side and some on the crossbenches are opposing the Housing Australia Future Fund. It is crazy that they are doing that. This is about providing what is most important to Australians: a roof over their heads. And we'll hear about support for rental housing in the budget tonight.

In conclusion, I've just got to say we are committed to delivering real relief which will ease the cost of living for so many Australians—millions around this country.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Georganas ): This discussion has now concluded.

Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (16:58): by leave—I present the following 55 petitions:

Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (16:58): I present the following 31 ministerial responses to petitions previously presented: