Joanne Ryan
Lalor · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I understand how difficult it is for those opposite. Having voted in support of this legislation, they've seen their vote overturned by their Senate colleagues. I understand that they're disappointed.”
“It's a four-page document that does two clear things. It gives the eSafety Commissioner something she has asked for. She has asked for a law that will allow her to compel documents in her investigation as to why big tech companies are not complying with the laws set by this country, set by this House and the other place.”
“These silos create delays and delays can mean claims held up, care interrupted, families unsupported and risks unseen. The failure this bill confronts is not a lack of courage from those who served but a lack of connection in the systems built to support them.”
“The Albanese government agreed or agreed in principle to 104 recommendations, and, significantly, this bill implements 15 recommendations and supports a further 20.”
“Schedule 1 of this bill strengthens information sharing to improve wellbeing, health and safety outcomes for Defence members and to limit the risk. The royal commission found that defence and veterans systems hold critical information but that information has too often been fragmented, delayed or unavailable when needed.”
“It is 1 July today, and that means pay rises for three million workers around this country and tax cuts for all Australian workers. This is good news for my community. And you know what else is good news in my community?”
The complete record
Every one of 410 lines we hold for Joanne Ryan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 9.
“The government has already introduced new laws to double penalties for petrol companies for price gouging. We've convened National Cabinet, we've appointed a national fuel supply task force coordinator, we've begun the release of 20 per cent of Australia's fuel reserves, we've changed petrol standards to get more fuel flowing and we've changed diesel standards so Australia's refineries can supply more diesel. The list of the actions that this government has taken goes on and on. I call on those opposite to support both of these bills, support the government and support Australians.”
“The first is those opposite claiming that the government is acting too slowly and in the next breath that the government is acting too quickly—a theme we have seen since January, I must say. As someone who was here and who remembers very clearly news of the pandemic breaking in this parliament as I sat on the opposite side, I can attest that the Labor Party in opposition was supportive of government because Australians needed us to be supportive of government. I ask those opposite to put down their weapons and be supportive of Australians in this instance. I note some jocularity coming from the other side. You don't get to call something a crisis and then play politics with it. You can't do both things and be perceived to be reasonable.”
“The other piece, of course, is the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026. This allows penalties of up to $100 million for those who are found to be in breach of the Treasury Laws Amendment Act by the ACCC. It works quite simply as a deterrent to stop businesses from price-gouging Australian citizens. Obviously, everyone in this chamber supports the ACCC in pursuing anyone found to be doing these things. In response to the fuel price increases, we have raised this to $50 million and now again here to $100 million to ensure that we've got legislation and that the CQC is empowered to support Australians and prevent them being taken advantage of by companies who want to do these things. I want to go to a couple of points here.”
“In fact, I was having a conversation about it with a next-door neighbour as late as Friday evening. The Albanese government is helping Australia's trucking industry manage the impacts of the war in the Middle East by ensuring that truckies and transport operators are better protected from fuel price rises. This is incredibly important, and this legislation goes to the heart of that. It sees the government again stepping up to help create fairness through the supply chain and manage the impacts of the global fuel challenges. In short, it means that, rather than wait six months to be allowed to respond to things, the minister will be able to give people permission to do that quickly and easily and be more responsive. So it's a very important piece of legislation, and I'm pleased that we're bringing it in today for discussion and to pass.”
“Of course, there's another piece of legislation before us, the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026, that we've therefore called on this morning for debate so that we can get both of these pieces of legislation passed through the parliament as quickly as possible to support Australians. I want to start with that second piece of legislation, which is about supporting truckies across Australia, something that's close to my heart as someone who had truck drivers in the family and something that's really close to my electorate's heart as it has many transport workers and many who work in transport and logistics. Every conversation we have here in this place about that system, whether it be for truck drivers or for those doing the loading and unloading, means hundreds of individuals in my community who work in this space.”
“I rise today to support both pieces of legislation before us in this cognated debate. For those at home, particularly for the people I represent in Melbourne's west, it's worth making a few comments so as to understand why it is that we're talking about two pieces of legislation this morning. It's because those opposite came in this morning to demand a debate on one piece of legislation, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026, and, in the process, said that they would support any legislation that was going to assist Australians in the situation we find ourselves as a result of the war in the Middle East.”
“To my football clubs, to my soccer clubs, to my basketball clubs, to my netball clubs, to my hockey club, to everyone who is actively supporting the recruitment of girls into their teams and onto their pitches and their courts, I want to thank you for your efforts. I want to thank the volunteers who run our local sporting groups. I want to thank the women who are involved in those sporting groups for doing the work to balance those scales.”
“If that's debating, then that's fantastic. If it's on the sporting field then, from my perspective, that's even better. I want to give a shout-out to the local sporting community who are living Balance the Scales, including my football clubs who are actively recruiting young girls to play football so that we're going to be using our community assets like our football grounds—forever the domain of male athletes. We're going to have girls running around on those footy fields, making sure that 51 per cent of our community get to use the community assets that we've so heavily invested in across decades and decades.”
“I want to spend a little bit of time, too, celebrating as chair of Parliamentary Friends of Women in Sport and as chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Netball. I just want to share with people and with people in my community, particularly with mums and dads with daughters, what sport meant to me growing up as a girl. On the netball court, on the volleyball court, on the basketball court and in picking up a tennis racquet, sport gave me permission to be completely and utterly 100 per cent competitive. It gave me permission to be fearless. It gave me permission to be aggressive. It gave me permission to compete. This is something that all our girls deserve. Wherever you can find it, for your daughters, to give them the capacity to go after being their true selves in every facet of their personality, you should do so.”
“Unlike men, our temperature varies. Unlike men, our hormonal patterns vary. The wisdom of the day suggested that therefore, because of those inconsistencies, women should not be in the data. This led to some outrageous things. Women were not used in the data that determined the height of seatbelts in our cars, which has meant that small women are actually still vulnerable in a car accident because of the height of that seatbelt. Since coming to government, by acting in good faith with 51 per cent of the community and ensuring that they are now included in the data going forward, through breast-screening processes and all sorts of ways, we've made sure that we're fixing that data to have women included, to inform the decisions we make in health.”
“I am proud to follow the previous member for Lalor, who was one of the first women elected in this place under our affirmative action and was joined by the first female attorney-general in this country, Nicola Roxon, who was elected the member for Gellibrand under that same program. It is amazing to see what that 30-year commitment to affirmative action has attained. We are taking real action in women's health. On my social media pages, there's a bit of an attack happening: 'They're spending money on women's health.' Well, of course we are. For those who want to understand why, let me tell you this. Historically, women were excluded deliberately from the data that determined our health policies, from the data that determined treatments. Why? Because women were perceived to be aberrant—that is, not consistent enough.”
“I want to celebrate Kritika Sharma, nominated for community; Deborah Dickinson, for business; Ngun Bor Chin, for arts, Angie Robinson, for sport; and Chandrakantaben Patel, our woman of the year, who was involved in working with women in the Gujarati community to educate them about breast screening and whose work actually resulted in real, improved health outcomes for local women. It was a wonderful event, and I want to thank everybody for their attendance and for joining in in celebrating women. Of course, this year the theme for International Women's Day was Balance the Scales. I'm proud to be a member of a party that has for 30 years acted directly to balance those scales in this place.”
“The $800 million investment in women's health includes $49 million in new Medicare items, for longer specialist consultation to support additional services for women with complex gynaecological conditions, and new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics like the one in Werribee. As I do every year, I asked the community to nominate local women to be recognised for the work they do locally. This year's categories included community, business, arts, sports and our woman of the year. This year's recipients were extraordinary. They've created safe and inclusive spaces for women. They've created opportunity for growth. They've shared their love for the arts with others. They've dedicated countless hours to community sport and been tireless advocates for women's health. Their efforts have been pivotal and will continue to be for generations.”
“From community and sports organisations to teachers and students, from the arts and local schools to scout groups and the local CFA, women from all walks of life filled the room. I shared with them some of the achievements of our second-term, female-majority government, and, most importantly, I shared with them how we are delivering for women locally. I talked about the new contraceptive and endometriosis medications that have been listed on the PBS, with scripts now just at $25, and I was pleased today to sit behind the Prime Minister as he called out a celebration around this government's actions to support women with endometriosis and terrible, terrible pelvic pain.”
“I rise today to celebrate and make some comments about International Women's Day, and I'm pleased to follow our Attorney-General, a female in this government's cabinet. Women belong in the House and the Senate, they belong in the cabinet, they belong in the Attorney-General's chair, they belong on the court and on the bench, they belong in the C-suites, and they belong on the boards. In this country, women belong in every facet of our political, social and civic life. Last week in my electorate, I was really pleased to host my annual Lalor International Women's Day High Tea. The event was an opportunity for some of our incredible local women to come together and celebrate our achievements as a community. I was joined by the federal member for Gorton, who shared her experience as a newly elected MP in the government.”
“Those opposite don't want a fair healthcare system. They want an American-style system where the only people that can access health care are those who can afford to pay for it. We're going to hear a lot about Australian values from those opposite before the next election. I want people in Lalor and around the country to know it's a ruse. Now that the ideologues are in charge, they will try to trick you into a more expensive, less fair healthcare system. This bill represents, for all Australians, another delivered election promise by the Albanese government. It will help people in Lalor struggling with the rising cost of living by making health care more accessible and more affordable, and it will drive a healthier Lalor and healthier communities across the country.”
“In 2021, when the shadow Treasurer was speaking about allowing young people to claim dependent status on their parents health care for longer, he argued that superannuation contributions were the real threat to health care in this country. Australians know the real risk to health care—it's the ideologues in the Liberal Party, and the member for Goldstein is just that. In this place he said: …when you take money from young Australians and lock it up in super, they can't do other things, like afford private health insurance or homeownership. We don't see health and housing as diametrically opposed. This is a government that takes action in both spaces. On this side of the House, we know that the only thing Australians need to secure their health care is a Medicare card and a healthy health system.”
“As the Minister for Health and Ageing, the member for Hindmarsh, reminded us recently, the shadow Treasurer wants to see the transfer of health financing shifted from government to individuals. We know he doesn't mean ending private health care subsidies. We know he doesn't mean ensuring that private health care subsidies fund services that provide value for money. He means moving towards an American-style healthcare system. And it's not just those on this side of the House who understand that. The people in my community absolutely understand that, when those opposite get their hands on the levers of government, health care is one of the first places that they undo great Australian systems.”
“On this side of the House, we understand that government plays a central role in making markets work for Australians. Unlike the ideologues who have captured the opposition, Labor understands that commonsense regulation makes markets more efficient and improves outcomes for consumers. This government respects the expertise and dedication of Australia's healthcare providers. These changes, carefully designed to ensure there's no additional administrative burden on the people providing care, give the minister powers to delegate the approval of new or changed products or premiums; however, only the minister can reject applications. This means that beneficial changes will not be slowed down, and products that hurt Australians will receive the scrutiny they deserve.”
“The bill also ensures that people who need gold levels of private health insurance cover are not price-gouged to preserve the profits of health insurers. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the cost of medical and hospital services is a key driver of health inflation for consumers. Higher out-of-pocket costs for specialist care and higher private health insurance premiums are a serious concern for Australians dealing with cost-of-living pressure. Fees can vary widely across specialists, even for the same procedure in the same part of Australia. This bill helps Australians make more informed decisions by helping consumers understand which providers offer the best value. The bill delivers on the government's promise to deliver transparency by default.”
“This legislation strengthens the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's ability to make sure that people are not being ripped off, because this government cares about protecting the most vulnerable. This government is passionate about constantly improving the healthcare system, because good health is the foundation of thriving communities. Good health helps us be better parents, partners, friends, workers and community members. This bill makes sure that people in my community who require specialist care can find options that provide the best value. It gives my constituents the opportunity to avoid paying high out-of-pocket costs. And, as one GP relayed to me, this bill will actually help GPs find specialists who better suit their needs and those of their patients.”
“I know it's expensive, but the next product won't give you the same service.' Private health insurers have been increasing the cost of the highest levels of cover on a dwindling number of customers—typically, those who need the highest levels of medical cover. That means that the most vulnerable are being price-gouged to prop up the profits of private health insurers. We promised at the last election that we would end this shameful practice, and that is exactly what this bill delivers. The proposed legislation makes sure that ministerial approval is required for a proposed new product and is required for the reduction of cover offered by an existing product.”
“Those people, of course, are most likely to have a multiplicity of health issues and be dealing with medicines on a large scale. They are often the people who can least afford it. According to CHOICE, the price of gold hospital cover has increased by approximately 58 per cent in the past five years. Cost-of-living pressures mean that many people have had to give up their gold health insurance. People forced to make sacrifices have dropped down to lower levels of cover. I know I've had conversations with constituents in my community about the fact that they've been to health insurance; they've gone to do the shop-around. They've got an existing policy. They're looking for something that's more tailored to their needs, and they're looking mostly for something that's cheaper. And the advice they're getting is: 'Don't give up what you've got.”
“Right now, when health insurers want to change the premiums of an existing product, they must make an application to the minister for health. Private health insurers are creating new products that are identical or very similar to existing products and are dramatically increasing their premiums and bypassing the step to the minister. They can then cancel the original product, leaving the new, more expensive product as the only option for consumers. It's not seen as an adjustment to an existing one, so it doesn't require the minister's approval. It also means that they get around that obligation. They no longer have to seek approval from the minister. It's a simple practice. It's clever, but it has a devastating effect on those who need the most comprehensive cover.”
“Interestingly, what we're doing here is building on what was the former government's commitment to creating this costs finder website. But, unfortunately, with an opt-in system, only 50 doctors registered for the use of this. Every specialist in the country will now be on this list. It will assist GPs to do referrals. It will assist patients to make assessments and judgements about which specialists they want to work with. I think it's incredibly important. That's just one thing that this legislation does. This legislation also deals with product phoenixing. It's the second thing the bill fixes—the practice of private health insurers protecting their profits by price-gouging their most vulnerable clients. Here's how product phoenixing works.”
“Do we have a different option?' This will mean that, sitting in the GP's rooms, the patient or the GP could look up the cost finder website and then make an informed judgement about what can be afforded, where this specialist operates and whether they operate in a public hospital as an option, as opposed to simply going automatically to the specialist rooms and then to a private hospital somewhere. So this costs finder website will make a huge difference in communities like mine, where people are making health choices based on cost. This is a government that wants to change that narrative back to a universal health system where people don't have to consider those things, and this is a step in that direction.”
“I've had some conversations with some of them about what we're planning in this piece of legislation, and they're really pleased. They say it often ends up being a double visit, because they might meet with a patient and say, 'I'm going to refer you to a specialist.' They look up specialists, they do a referral and the patient leaves and goes home. The patient then does their own research, talks to a few neighbours, rings the hospital, goes through a lot of work and ends up back with their GP, saying: 'I actually can't afford this specialist.”
“Critically, medical practitioners will not need to upload their billing information; it will be taken from data entry already collected by the government, so there will be no extra burden on doctors. People in Lalor will be happy to know that this represents the first significant step towards addressing rising specialist fees and damaging out-of-pocket costs. There is more to be done, and people in Lalor should rest assured that this government is rolling up its sleeves and working hard to drive down their medical bills. Now, I had an opportunity to speak recently to quite a few GPS as I went to visit GP clinics that had moved to bulk-billing. I've had a few conversations with our local doctors, and they've raised the process of referrals to specialists.”
“The information will include names, locations, fees charged by location and the providers' utilisation of gap cover arrangements with insurers—where insurers pay a medical practitioner more if they agree to charge no or fixed out-of-pocket costs. It will include information about hospitals, including medical practitioners who provide services at the facility, and insurers that have gap cover or contracting arrangements with the facility. It will have information about insurers, including the proportion of policy-holders who experience different gap cover arrangements and the out-of-pocket costs under those arrangements. It is transparency by default. Automatically, people will be able to look this up.”
“Firstly, it offers transparency by default. Secondly, it fulfils our election commitment to outlaw the practice of product phoenixing. When we talk about transparency by default, what does that mean? It means the bill improves transparency by giving people more information about specialist care providers and preventing dramatic increases in private healthcare premiums by stealth. These proposed changes will mean that individual medical practitioner fees and insurer out-of-pocket data will be published for common medical services. This information will be made available on the Medical Costs Finder website.”
“At the last election, we promised voters that we would strengthen the healthcare system, helping Australians find the best value when they need a specialist or specialist medical advice and treatment. This bill delivers on that promise. We also promised to stop private health insurers from price gouging their most vulnerable customers—people who need gold levels of hospital cover—by outlawing product phoenixing. The private healthcare system is subsidised by the government through the private health insurance rebate. This bill makes sure that that investment achieves value for money for consumers and taxpayers. This bill is yet another step towards strengthening and securing our world-class healthcare system. And what about the local impact? This legislation will benefit people in my electorate in two clear ways.”
“Like the member opposite who just spoke, I've also met with many constituents about the rising costs of private health care, private health insurance and seeing specialists. So I'm really pleased to stand today to support this legislation, because, like the actions that we have taken to strengthen Medicare and to breathe life back into our universal health system in communities like mine, I'm pleased that we are also reaching into this space, which is incredibly important. This bill is another example of the Albanese government delivering on its election promises. It will help the people in Lalor struggling with the rising cost of living by making health care more accessible and more affordable.”
“I rise tonight, and I'll share with the member opposite that I, too, communicate regularly with the Minister for Health and Ageing. I send him thankyou notes and I smile at him when I walk past the corridors, because Werribee has an urgent care clinic. We also have an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic, servicing the city of Wyndham, with a population of 360,000 people. I'll repeat that: 360,000 people. And, yes, most of them live 20 minutes distance from the urgent care clinic. I also want to thank the health minister for making it possible for 80 per cent of the people in my community to see a GP who bulk-bills, because we were a long way from that when we took government four years ago. I was meeting with constituents every day about the cost of health care.”
“It's why we've cut student debt by 20 per cent. It's why we've cut the cost of PBS medicines down to $25 per script and $7.70 for pensioners. It's why we've delivered the largest investment in bulk-billing in Medicare's history—because it's good for health and it's good for family budgets. Thirty per cent off home batteries—we are delivering; they are divided.”
“I just note to the House: this is not an acting speaker; this is the Deputy Speaker. I rise today as a proud member of this Labor government—a Labor government that's already delivered a tax cut to every taxpaying Australian. Today marks 12 months since the last budget, when we declared two more tax cuts for Australians across this country. Speaking of anniversaries, tomorrow is the anniversary of when the current leader of the opposition was the shadow Treasurer who made the decision that they would vote against said tax cuts. Can you believe it? Can you believe that the party that now sits in opposition voted against tax cuts in this place? They're happy to come in here every day and carp about the cost of living. We know people are doing it tough. That's why it's what we are focused on. It's why we're working every day.”
“My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government making it easier for Australians to see a bulk-billing GP after a decade of cuts and neglect? What information is available about alternative policies?”
“I want to pay tribute to this wonderful physician and the work that she has done for decades supporting the Burmese community on that Thai border, who've been in those camps for such a long time. Her care for their health and her work with the Thai government and with our refugee community here is extraordinary.”
“It was a beautiful evening, and I thanked them for the invitation and the opportunity to wish everyone a blessed Ramadan. On Tuesday I look forward to my own International Women's Day event, where I'll be joined by about 160 women from around our community from various groups, not-for-profit organisations and even some of our school principals bringing along a few students. It's always a terrific event. I also want to spend a moment more. I got to meet Dr Cynthia Maung, who founded the Mae Tao Clinic on the Thai-Myanmar border decades ago. She came to Werribee quite recently and was in Canberra last week. I met her here in Canberra with Ko Saulsman from the Myanmar Campaign Network and Saw Lwin Oo from the Australian Karen Organisation.”
“I want to thank Lakshmi and the volunteers who work tirelessly to support community members across the western suburbs. I followed that by attending the Aussie Bangla Sisterhood's Ramadan Eid exhibition at Eagle Stadium. This was a first for the outer west of Melbourne. There were 36 stalls, mostly small businesses run by local women, selling goods in preparation for Eid. I spent some time with Janatul Ferdous, meeting some of the stallholders and hearing the stories of families buying clothes for Eid celebrations in a few weeks. That was followed by an iftar dinner that evening with the Victorian Bangladeshi Community Foundation. I want to thank President Morshed Kamal for the invitation. I was joined there by John Lister, the state member for Werribee.”
“Well, it's been a vibrant couple of weekends at home in the electorate of Lalor. I'm pleased to speak about those weekends here today. On 28 February, I was very pleased to attend the Wyndham Holi. This is the 12th year the Wyndham Holi have run this wonderful event. I want to thank Neha Kolape and the Wyndham Holi team for what was a terrific event, and, of course, the sponsors and all of those from the community who attended. It was a fabulous event, as Holi events across the outer west of Melbourne—the member for Gellibrand will attest—have been across the last few weeks. On 7 March, this Saturday, I attended the Melbourne Telangana Forum International Women's Day celebration, which is in its second year. I was joined there by Sarah Connolly, the member for Laverton.”
“It includes access to early education through to higher education, so that every Australian can make the best of every opportunity they're given in this country.”
“That is why we are combining responsible fiscal repair with targeted cost-of-living relief, rebuilding the budget while supporting Australians through challenging times. Unemployment is low under Labor. We've lifted wages. We've given every taxpayer a tax cut, with two more on the way. This is a government that is serious about fiscal management. It's serious about budget discipline. It's serious about what is a cost and what is an investment, and—I speak for everyone on this side—education and health are clearly investments. When those opposite go looking and getting their razor blades out, those are always the areas that they cut; history will tell you that. This government will support the vision that we have for Australia. It includes fairer super. It includes universal health care.”
“Labor took a different approach of responsible economic management focused not on politics but on the long-term interests of every Australian and supporting our Australians doing it tough. Since coming to office, we've delivered two consecutive budget surpluses, the first in nearly two decades. This is strengthening the nation's finances. Under the coalition, debt was forecast to exceed $1 trillion in 2023-24. Through disciplined budget management, we've pushed that back and avoided more than $60 billion in interest costs. We've identified $114 billion in savings, including $20 billion in the December MYEFO. We know households are still under pressure and inflation is stubborn.”
“The Labor government delivers on its election commitment to better access to free health care. When the Albanese Labor government was elected in 2022, we inherited an economy under serious pressure and a budget weighed down by years of fiscal mismanagement. Inflation was already at 6.1 per cent and rising. Let me repeat that for those playing at home: 6.1 per cent and rising. That was the inflation figure that we inherited, and it put real strain on household budgets. Those opposite promised Australians a budget surplus; in nine budgets in government, they failed to deliver a single one. Under the Morrison government, spending peaked at 31.4 per cent of GDP, yet there was no plan to repair the budget. In fact, they went to an election proposing even bigger deficits and more debt.”
“Through the National Health Reform Agreement, Commonwealth funding for public hospitals will reach $219.6 billion nationally from 2026 to 2030-31. The Albanese government's funding is three times the increase provided by the previous government's five-year deal. At the core of this Albanese Labor government is a commitment to Medicare. It represents health care as an Australian right, and no amount of Liberal red tape will change that. The Albanese Labor government has made the single largest Medicare investment since its creation 40 years ago, allocating $8.5 billion to deliver more bulk-billed GP visits. That is happening in my electorate. There are now 1,300 more bulk-billing GP clinics across the nation. In Lalor it's changing every day. We've also launched 1800MEDICARE.”
“We've heard many, many, many talk about the Medicare urgent care clinics and about more bulk-billing happening in our communities, but we've also done more around hospitals. We've committed an additional $25 billion for public hospitals over the next five years. I say to those opposite: is that something you'll cut? This is an unprecedented 12 per cent increase in funding to support public hospitals across the country. It's historic. It strengthens our universal health system when it matters most. And it is backed by the investments into urgent care clinics; women's health, with $800 million; and getting those bulk-billing rates back up in primary health. We understand preventative measures and preventative health are where the rubber hits the road.”
“We're tackling teacher shortages head on through strengthening teacher training, paid prac and Commonwealth teaching scholarships that encourage more students to become teachers. As we heard from Minister Clare last week during question time, we now have more teachers in training. We're strengthening antibullying and wellbeing reforms because children can't learn if they don't feel safe. I know this firsthand. This government is backing teachers, schools and families because investing in education is an investment in our future, an investment in our productivity, an investment in our economy. Education is not a cost. The difference between those opposite and those on this side is a belief in that fundamental truth. The Albanese government is also prioritising investment in our precious public health system.”
“In my electorate, this means support for over 35 public schools supporting tens of thousands of local students. It's funding certainty tied to reforms that lift student outcomes and that support effective teaching and learning practices. It means more resources in classrooms and more support for teachers. Compare that with the coalition's record, where they ripped $30 billion out of public schools. Under the coalition's national reform agreement, attendance rates went down, high school completion went down and teacher shortages got worse. Their ideas about supporting private education over public education meant worse outcomes across the country. Only Labor is rebuilding public education, and that's what our $16.5 billion Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is all about.”
“The former treasurer for Victoria, Tim Pallas, who was the member for Werribee, would joke and say that there were more schools built by state Labor in the City of Wyndham than there were in any other state in Australia. The growth is so intense; the need and the demand is so high. As someone who spent over two decades in schools as a teacher, a principal and a proud public educator, I know firsthand that funding has a direct impact on what happens in our classrooms, and that is why I'm so proud to be part of a government that is delivering a better and fairer education system. Through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, we're delivering an additional $16.5 billion in Commonwealth funding to public schools over the next 10 years and an extra $49 billion in the decade after that.”
“My electorate has had the second-highest uptake across the nation of the government's housing policies. Since our election to government in 2022, 5,404 individuals in Lalor have benefited. In growth corridors like my electorate, homeownership goes beyond just housing; it's about belonging, setting down roots and a chance to build a future, with a new school provided by the state government just around the corner, with infrastructure to match. This government believes that, if you work hard, owning your own home should be within reach. It is clear that this policy has changed the lives of locals in my community. It's made a real difference. I just touched on education and that 'school around the corner'.”