This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the election of the Albanese Labor Government. We promised the Australian people that after a wasted decade under the Liberals, we wouldn’t waste a day and we have started delivering real benefits for the people of the Hunter region.
We’ve already expanded eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card, established the National Anti-Corruption Commission to crack down on corruption and passed our $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to bring manufacturing back to Australia.
We are also ensuring young people across the Hunter are equipped with the skills of the future by providing an additional 300,000 fee-free TAFE places building on the 180,000 places nationally we have already delivered, underpinning our commitment to affordable vocational education.
Our Budget handed down this month prioritises responsible, targeted cost of living relief while also investing in the future and putting downward pressure on inflation.
I know people in our region are struggling to find a bulk billing doctor. So I am extremely pleased that the Albanese Government will triple the bulk billing incentive for doctors. This is the largest increase to bulk billing in Medicare’s history. It will mean around 328,000 Hunter residents benefit from better access to doctors who bulk bill. This builds on our decision to make the Hunter a distribution priority area to attract more doctors to our region and restoring funding to the Hunter’s GP Access After Hour Services, guaranteeing it for the next six years.
We are also making medications cheaper by allowing patients to buy two months’ worth of medicine for the price of a single prescription for 325 common medications. This means fewer trips to the doctor, fewer trips to the pharmacy and fewer fees – saving around 184,200 Hunter residents up to $180 a year for every eligible medicine they buy.
From July, we’re making child care cheaper for around 27,900 families across the Hunter, as well as expanding paid parental leave.
The Albanese Government knows that the Hunter region which has powered our state for generations can continue to do so long into the future. It is why we have already provided over $100 million to the Port of Newcastle to help it get ready for hydrogen energy. We are also establishing a new agency, the National Net Zero Authority to ensure the workers and communities that have powered Australia for generations can seize the job opportunities of our energy transformation.
Our Budget addresses the immediate challenges Australians are facing whilst laying the foundations for a stronger and more secure economy.
There’s more work to be done by the Albanese Government, one I’m proud to be a part of. We have laid the strong foundations in our first year and will work every day to ensure the better future we promised those in Lake Macquarie, broader Hunter region and all across Australia.