Josh Wilson
Fremantle · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Tomorrow, every working Australian will receive a further tax cut, continuing the record of the Albanese government in delivering tax relief, especially for low- and middle-income earners. Indeed, the average worker will now have benefited annually to the tune of $2,800 in tax cuts thanks to the Albanese government.”
“This is real change. These are real measures that will make a difference at a difficult time and will build on the work we've done since coming to government in a range of areas.”
“At a time of cost pressures and a time of global turmoil that's created supply shocks and caused inflation, communities around Australia are looking to their government to help tackle those challenges, not with a magic wand but by delivering real change that makes a difference at a tough time.”
“It's a real change that takes courage and makes a difference, which is what the people that we represent rightly expect from their government.”
“I'm grateful to all the members who have contributed to this debate, this conversation, and will answer some of the questions that have been put. I'll start by saying that, in this portfolio area, as across the budget, the government is focused on resilience and reform. We know that we're living through a fuel crisis at the moment.”
“That's why we've made the biggest investment in Medicare in a generation, lifting bulk-billed GP care to 90 per cent by 2030, including through the creation of new dedicated bulk-billing clinics like the ones that have opened this year in my community in Jandakot and Hamilton Hill.”
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“It's a real change that takes courage and makes a difference, which is what the people that we represent rightly expect from their government. On 1 July, through wage rises, tax cuts, our strong action on supermarket prices and cheaper energy, the Albanese government will be continuing to deliver real and positive change of a practical kind to the Australian community at a tough time. That's what the Australian people expect of good government. That's what the Albanese government is delivering.”
“This is real change. These are real measures that will make a difference at a difficult time and will build on the work we've done since coming to government in a range of areas. We've just introduced and passed through the House of Representatives momentous and courageous tax reforms to make sure that we eliminate the Howard government distortions that saw the price of housing grow twice as fast as wages, a piece of policy madness that's fuelled the housing crisis and made homeownership out of reach for many, especially young Australians. In being prepared to take on difficult but necessary change we're making sure that our tax system doesn't put a heavier burden on the vast majority of Australians who earn their living from wages than on those who earn income from asset investment. It's a change in the direction of fairness.”
“Tomorrow, every working Australian will receive a further tax cut, continuing the record of the Albanese government in delivering tax relief, especially for low- and middle-income earners. Indeed, the average worker will now have benefited annually to the tune of $2,800 in tax cuts thanks to the Albanese government. Tomorrow, Paid Parental Leave will be extended to six months and we'll see superannuation added to Paid Parental Leave. From tomorrow, price gouging by supermarkets will become illegal. From tomorrow, Australians will be paid super into their accounts on their pay day. From tomorrow, people in New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland will be able to benefit from Solar Sharer, an initiative that means customers with a smart meter can choose a plan that includes a three-hour free power period each day.”
“At a time of cost pressures and a time of global turmoil that's created supply shocks and caused inflation, communities around Australia are looking to their government to help tackle those challenges, not with a magic wand but by delivering real change that makes a difference at a tough time. Tomorrow, on 1 July, we'll deliver more of that real, practical change to support Australians. Tomorrow, more than three million Australians will receive a pay rise, continuing the record of the Albanese government in delivering real wage rises after a decade of wage stagnation under the coalition. Award workers will get a 4.75 per cent pay rise, and those on the national minimum wage will see a six per cent increase.”
“I'm grateful to all the members who have contributed to this debate, this conversation, and will answer some of the questions that have been put. I'll start by saying that, in this portfolio area, as across the budget, the government is focused on resilience and reform. We know that we're living through a fuel crisis at the moment. It's interesting that that none of the contributions to date, particularly from non-government members, have picked up on that. I think that that is a very pressing concern for Australian households and businesses. Making sure that we are more resilient has been a big focus of this budget, with a $10 billion investment in fuel security as we address supply issues, as we address cost issues. But, as the Prime Minister, Treasurer and cabinet ministers have said—”
“That is not the case in a vast majority of other countries. It's a special feature of Australian life that Labor fought to achieve and that the Albanese government is working to keep strong.”
“My mum had a major cerebral haemorrhage last November and, as a result, spent time at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, then at Fiona Stanley Hospital and finally with the amazing crew at Freo hospital in January. My daughter was hospitalised with a heart condition, and last month my dad was hospitalised after a fall. I am incredibly grateful for our public hospital system. I want to express my family's gratitude for the expertise and phenomenal care of doctors and nurses and technicians and orderlies and cleaners and a range of other support staff provided. It is, of course, life-saving and life-restoring work of these people who contribute to our health, and it's also a labour of love. It's a service that any Australian can access, without concern for their financial circumstances, with their Medicare card.”
“That's why we've made the biggest investment in Medicare in a generation, lifting bulk-billed GP care to 90 per cent by 2030, including through the creation of new dedicated bulk-billing clinics like the ones that have opened this year in my community in Jandakot and Hamilton Hill. That's why we'll shortly complete the delivery of 137 Medicare urgent care clinics, including the clinic in Beeliar that has been one of the most effective in the country. That's why we've delivered a new women's health package with new endo and pelvic pain clinics and a long belated focus on perimenopause and menopause. And it's why we've reached a new agreement with the states and territories to provide an additional $25 billion to fund public hospitals. My family has had an unusual six months, with three separate hospitalisations.”
“That's why Labor fought to create Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, both of which are distinctive features of our way of life in Australia, just as Labor created the age pension, compulsory superannuation, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the national broadband network. Keeping our public health system strong and effective has to be a perpetual focus of good government, because the needs of our system change as Australians live longer and as we embrace new diagnostic and treatment technologies. That's why the Albanese government has done what Labor governments always do—make our health system stronger and more responsive to the needs of the Australian community.”
“Health is not only the bedrock of individual wellbeing; it defines the quality of life within our families and across our communities. I know it matters enormously to the people I represent. I've often said that the most important things are the things we share, and that's because those common features of Australian life are the manifestation of our principled commitment to fairness, fair pay and working conditions, a first-rate public education system, the protection of our environment, the social safety net, and community infrastructure and facilities. Needless to say, a high-quality public health system is right at the top of that list.”
“That's what they should expect. That's what we are responding to. That is not the easy path. Change is not the easy path. But we're not here to do what's easy. We are charged with the responsibility to shift the dial in the direction of fairness, which is better for all of us, which is what Australian governments should deliver, which is what the Albanese government is delivering.”
“Since the Howard government decided to change the capital gains tax arrangements in 1999, house prices have grown twice as fast as wages. That has fed into the housing crisis. It has created an investment distortion that is making housing less and less affordable while contributing to broader intergenerational inequity. If this distortion isn't fixed, then house ownership will drift further and further away from younger Australians. If we're not prepared to make sensible change, then the position of working people—the significant majority of Australians—will deteriorate further. We are prepared to make the case for positive reform, and I've heard from so many people over the years who rightly expect their government to take responsibility for tackling problems that are embedded in the status quo. That's what they expect.”
“In a period of substantial global turmoil, the Albanese government has shown from the start that we accept the responsibility given to us by the Australian community to deliver sensible and necessary reform. We've done that with the stage 3 tax cuts. We've done that with the changes to increase superannuation overall and to make sure that super tax concessions are shifted to benefit people with low super balances. We've done that with reform to the PRRT and the introduction of a gas reservation scheme to make sure that Australian households and businesses can get fair-priced Australian gas while we drive the clean energy transition. But we know there's more to do, and in this budget we're seeking to make further change in a careful and consultative fashion.”
“It means we're prepared to change arrangements that are skewed away from people trying to make a go of it and skewed towards those of us who are already doing reasonably well. It means we don't accept a situation in which homeownership is drifting out of reach of younger Australians. It means we don't accept a situation where the tax treatment of income from wages is less generous than the tax treatment of income from investments. What it requires is the courage to change. It requires the strength of character in all of us to deliver on our values. If we say that we support change for the greater good, then we need to make that true in our conduct. There's no question that our tax system has elements that aren't as effective or as fair as they could be. The only question is whether or not we're prepared to do something about it.”
“There are so few Australian artists who can really go into their work as professionals and have the expectation of that security. That's something we should keep trying to fix.”
“For many, many Australian artists, the reality is that, while they pursue their art and while they make an essential contribution to our wellbeing, they almost start from a position of having to ask, 'What's going to be the way that I earn a living so that I can also write these incredible novels and produce these amazing albums, these great films and so on?' We need to say to ourselves, 'That's not right.' We should continue to try to be creative in finding ways to make sure that those creators and those workers get a fair go. I say this cautiously, but it's good that you can be a run-of-the-mill anything—a run-of-the-mill bricklayer, a run-of-the-mill dentist, a run-of-the-mill politician—and be able to earn a fair living. You could be an absolutely first-rate author, first-rate musician or first-rate playwright, and you will struggle.”
“The public lending rights arrangements do send significant and rightful support to the producers of works. If you look at that $28 million across 17,000 payments, it's probably $1,700 per author, on average. It's an important contribution. They ought to have it as a matter of right. But we should nevertheless recognise that, if you are a writer, a musician, a playwright, a painter, a visual artist or a person who's creating original choreography, you are struggling. You make a choice out of that vocational commitment. What goes with that choice, inevitably, is economic uncertainty.”
“That includes a lot of books that Fremantle Press has been involved in that draw upon our incredibly rich First Nations history—both the subject matter of those stories and the language—like Noongar First Words and those kinds of publications, which I wish I had had the benefit of reading when I read books at primary school but which kids now do get to enjoy. That's something we should recognise. I'll conclude by saying that we need to maintain our focus on the importance of cultural production—that kind of future made in Australia. We need to keep recognising that, however our system works, it doesn't properly reward or support those kinds of producers. That's just the way it is. The average income of an Australian writer is just a bit more than $18,000; it doesn't even get over the tax-free threshold.”
“I also want to acknowledge the 10th birthday of the Paper Bird bookshop. It's Perth's only specialist children's bookshop, and it also functions as a dedicated arts and culture centre for young people. It was created 10 years ago down in Fremantle, and it's a beautiful place. It's a place that, for lots and lots of young people and their parents—and for not-so-young people—is a kind of treasure island of children's and young adults' literature and of the work by illustrators that is often part of that.”
“Having a press like Fremantle Press in WA helps bring forward, for all our benefit, writers like Elizabeth Jolley, AB Facey, Sally Morgan, Kim Scott, Joan London, Dave Warner, David Whish-Wilson, Dianne Wolfer and many, many others. I say happy birthday to Fremantle Press and recognise the incredible work that they've done over 50 years and that I know will continue for the next half-century and beyond. I'm glad that Creative Australia's Plus1 program was able to support Fremantle Press in finding their new headquarters in the old SEC Substation down in Fremantle—what will be their 'forever home'. As they reach the half-century, being able to occupy new headquarters, after having moved various times over the years, is a great step in securing a foundation for Western Australian writing for a considerable period of time.”
“I sometimes wonder about the impact I might be having on the world when I see all of the really amazing stories, fiction and non-fiction, that Georgia has supported authors to see become part of our experience in Australia. It reminds me that the work that cultural creators do in this country is seriously undervalued. What Fremantle Press has done—some of the hardest work in the publishing world is dedicated to identifying and seeing stories into print, particularly unpublished Western Australian voices. That is a challenge in a great continent like ours, because some jurisdictions that are outside the Melbourne-Sydney-Canberra triangle can face all of the barriers and the disadvantages that come from that smaller scale and that distance.”
“That includes a number of significant writers and it includes a number of significant literary organisations. A couple of them have celebrated birthdays recently and I just want to touch upon them. First and foremost, Fremantle Press just marked its 50th anniversary. It has been one of the most critical arts and culture organisations in Western Australia. And, as a matter of full disclosure, my wife, Georgia, works at Fremantle Press as the fiction and non-fiction publisher. I think the work she does is amazing. One of the things I love is when, in our house, I'm occasionally allowed into her study and I get to see the shelves of books that she's had a hand in seeing into print. That's an incredible legacy.”
“I've obviously had much more extensive experience as a reader. I know that there are—well, I would say virtually every Australian will have, through reading, some Australian stories as part of the formation of themselves, as part of the way they have come to understand the things that are valuable to them and precious in their community, particularly stories that allow us to see ourselves and to understand ourselves better. I really welcome what this bill is contributing. And I want to take the opportunity, while talking about the necessary support of Australian writing and Australian literature, to reflect on its significance in my community in Fremantle. Fremantle has been a place that has nurtured the creative arts in all its dimensions over a long period of time.”
“For me, writing and storytelling and books are special for a couple of reasons. When I was young, it was my ambition to make a life as a writer. When people say, 'Well, how did you ultimately come to be involved in representative work?' I say that it was by first being a failed novelist. I worked as a travel writer; I wrote and published short fiction. I did a range of things. I don't regret any of the many wonderful and sometimes difficult and frustrating hours that I spent on those novel manuscripts, even though, ultimately, they weren't good enough to enter the public realm or end up on the shelves of a library. From my own personal experience, I know that the contribution that writers and authors make is massive. I've had some experience in seeking to be a contributor to that—unsuccessfully.”
“There are times when it would be easier and cheaper if what we watched on our screens had been made somewhere else, but we cannot accept that. We cannot allow that to occur. One of the ways that we make sure Australian storytelling, Australian voices, Australian experiences and Australian language are kept at the core of our national experience is by making sure that the people who devote themselves, their skill and their expertise to that enterprise are properly supported. And this is just one small part of it. I'm not here to say today that public lending rights make the distinctive difference. There's a whole range of things, and we need to keep focusing on them. I know that Minister Burke and the Special Envoy for the Arts, the member for Macquarie, who's just entered the Federation Chamber, are at work on that all day, every day.”
“This is especially relevant, of course, for those works that that touch on, draw upon, engage with or seek to interrogate and resolve the most interesting and complex parts of our identity and our history, starting with our First Nations cultural heritage—our most precious heritage as the longest continuous civilisation on earth. Those things are sustained by arts and creativity, cultural production and all the people who contribute to that in Australia. It is essential. It is vital. We know that the health of that broad creative ecosystem is at risk from all of the things that can impact on the people who are drawn vocationally to make that contribution. And some of them are those global market forces.”
“It is not the same to say that, if all the novels we read in this country were written somewhere else, there would be no difference to the quality of Australian life. It is not true to say that, if all the music we listen to, all the theatre we see and all the films we enjoy were made somewhere else, there would be no experiential difference, no difference to our identity and no difference to our capacity to understand ourselves, to consider our circumstances or to imagine our best future. It's not true to say that that wouldn't be massively affected for the worse if we weren't able—particularly as young Australians—to access the stories, songs, theatrical performances and dance that have origins here, in our experience and in our landscape.”
“If you think about things that are made in Australia and manufacturing in Australia, they really should be at the very top of the priority tree. While we want to see more and more things made in Australia, as a matter of economic diversification, economic self-sufficiency, supply chain sovereignty and all of those things, the reality is that it probably doesn't matter a great deal in the lived experience of Australians, whether, say, a beverage was manufactured in Australia or came in from overseas. I like to drink Australian-made beverages, but, at the end of the day, if someone gives you a glass and it's got lemonade in it, the experiential difference between lemonade that may have been made here and lemonade that may have been imported is not all that great. When it comes to cultural products, there is a vast difference.”
“I also support, and am glad for this opportunity to highlight, the significance of the contribution that Australian authors, writers, storytellers and picture-book illustrators make to our broad wellbeing and the sustainment of our distinctively Australian identity. Making sure that authors and writers get paid fairly for the work that they do is a matter of justice for those people as workers and, frankly, as Australian manufacturers. We talk about a future made in Australia. In this country, there are very few more important things that we make than cultural products. When we consider books and stories—when we consider films, music, works of theatre, dance and all of the many expressions of creativity and cultural production—they are something essential to life in Australia.”
“I'm really glad to be able to make some remarks in support of the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 and the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026. It's a significant consolidation of the arrangements that have been in place since the Whitlam government, quite rightly, decided that that, as a matter of fairness, authors should get the benefit from the proliferation of their works through libraries and educational institutions. I support what this government has done in extending that to cover digital formats, which, as the member for Bonner rightly said, is how many Australians now enjoy Australian stories and Australian literature.”
“Being in a position to enable and amplify that labour of love through the Volunteer Grants is one of the great privileges of my work.”
“Finally, it was a joy to pop into Harmony Primary School and meet with Christine and Sam from the school's canteen, which now benefits from a new commercial freezer and two new commercial fridges, thanks to an application from the Harmony P&C which resulted in $4,750 in grant support. All the canteen's food is prepared fresh on site, with a focus on healthy, tasty, colourful and waste-free options. All these community organisations represent vibrant patches of supportive local colour in the great warming quilt of neighbourhood support that spans across Freo East, Freo and Cockburn. The fact that so much of this sustaining support is provided by volunteers is an uplifting reflection of our values and of our inclination to connect with and lift up our fellow residents and citizens.”
“I also recently caught up with the good folk from the Coolbellup Panthers Amateur Football Club, including the president, Adrian, the club secretary, John, and some other members, to see how they were going with their upgraded point-of-sale system. The system was funded with a grant to help their bar and canteen volunteers and to make the club more viable and less administratively painful, especially for the volunteer treasurers. The Panthers do a brilliant job of delivering the great physical, social and emotional health benefits of team sport for young people across a range of culturally diverse backgrounds, with lots of First Nations kids in addition to new Australians from places like Cambodia, Croatia, Ethiopia, India and New Zealand. So go, Panthers!”
“In my time as the local representative, I've been glad to deliver 148 volunteer grants through more than $515,000 in practical, focused support. In the latest round of grants, there are a number of what I regard as characteristically generous and big-hearted recipients. The Hub 6163, in Hamilton Hill, is a great example. It's a community centre that hosts all kinds of engaging groups and activities, from the Freo Steiner Playgroup to the South Freo Writers Group to Alcoholics Anonymous, and it facilitates life-affirming bits and pieces from yoga to Pilates to singing. On the recent occasion I visited, the hub was alive with the machine hum and warm conversation of the sustainable sewing group. I'm rapt that the volunteer grant will support this vital community centre's operational costs, insurance and communications expenses.”
“I want to pay tribute to some of the wonderful volunteer organisations in the Fremantle electorate and especially to the people who put their time and energy into making our community more inclusive, more connected and more fun and making our community healthier and happier by providing a range of ways to be involved—through sport, through arts and crafts and through initiatives that provide practical assistance and cost savings and that combat loneliness and isolation at the same time. The federal government's volunteer grants program makes a small but important contribution to all those fantastic outcomes by helping to fund equipment, training and IT resources that amplify the effort that local people supply.”
“As a nation whose character and wellbeing is deeply sustained by the ocean, our focus and active support for the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty is what the Australian community rightly expects.”
“In the first term of the Albanese government, Australia delivered the largest act of global marine protection in calendar year 2023 by strengthening the Macquarie Island Marine Park, and then we delivered the largest act of global marine protection in calendar year 2024 by strengthening the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve. As a result of those key improvements to the national network of marine protected areas that was designed by the Gillard Labor government, Australia now protects more than 4.6 million square kilometres, or 52 per cent, of Australia's ocean. Twenty-four per cent of our ocean is under a high level of protection in no-take zones, and we are working towards protecting 30 per cent by 2030.”
“Closing remarks To secure the health and resilience of the high seas and all other areas beyond national jurisdiction, we must cooperate and coordinate with other countries and act to implement relevant provisions of UNCLOS. Ratifying the high seas biodiversity treaty demonstrates Australia's commitment to international law and the multilateral system more generally. The Albanese government is committed to working with key partners in our region and beyond to safeguard the health of our shared ocean domain—which must be protected for its own sake and for the sake of environmental conditions and marine biodiversity on its own terms—and to support a sustainable blue economy for future generations.”
“Environmental impact assessments Part 4 of this bill will put in place an environmental impact assessment process to manage the risk of harm to the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction from planned activities by Australian entities. It also implements obligations with respect to planned activities within Australia's jurisdiction that may have significant impacts on the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The purpose of part 4 is to ensure that the potential impacts of such activities are assessed in accordance with the treaty, before the minister makes a decision on whether to authorise the activity.”
“Area based management tools, such as marine protected areas Part 3 of the bill creates a framework for Australia to recognise and declare area based management tools, such as marine protected areas, and their associated management plans, established by the treaty's Conference of the Parties, and for Australians to comply with them. The government is preparing for the first generation of high seas marine protected area proposals, as contemplated by the treaty. Work is underway to lay the groundwork for Australia to lead and support others on such proposals, including gathering the underpinning science and data and engaging with stakeholders.”
“The bill implements a notification based regime requiring certain persons to provide information on the collection and utilisation of marine genetic resources and digital sequence information. This information will later be provided to the clearing-house mechanism, an open access platform managed by the secretariat under the agreement. The bill also imposes reporting and record-keeping requirements on relevant repositories and databases and will provide for an online register to receive required information, enable public access and promote transparency. The register will be operated by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.”
“This implementing legislation will enable us to ratify the treaty, noting that the treaty entered into force on 17 January this year. In 2024, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties recommended that Australia take binding treaty action and become a party to the high seas biodiversity treaty. This bill creates a new regulatory regime to implement into Australian law relevant obligations under the treaty, relating to marine genetic resources and digital sequence information; area based management tools, such as marine protected areas; and environmental impact assessments. Marine genetic resources and digital sequence information Part 2 of the bill establishes oversight for the collection and utilisation of marine genetic resources from areas beyond national jurisdiction and related digital sequence information.”
“The treaty will also complement Australia's own domestic and regional practices in sustainable ocean management and protection. More than half of Australia's maritime jurisdiction is now protected in marine parks. That includes about a quarter of our marine estate—2.2 million square kilometres—in highly protected areas. At last year's United Nations Ocean Conference Australia went further, committing to work towards lifting that to 30 per cent highly protected by the year 2030. Australia was proud to sign the high seas biodiversity treaty on 20 September 2023, the day it opened for signature, after playing an active role in its inception and development over two decades. Today I am proud to introduce the High Seas Biodiversity Bill.”
“The treaty provides greater environmental protection for the ocean by providing a global framework for protecting and sustainably using marine biodiversity outside our maritime borders—that is, the high seas and the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. Around 60 per cent of the global ocean is beyond national jurisdiction, but only around one per cent is currently protected. The treaty will complement existing international and regional instruments, frameworks, and bodies. It will enhance cooperation between parties as well as between the existing global and regional ocean governance regimes and will play a critical role in achieving the global target to protect 30 per cent of the world's marine areas by 2030.”
“I present a revised explanatory memorandum to this bill and move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia is an island nation, a maritime nation, with the ocean wrapped around our national identity in a sustaining and defining embrace. First Nations people have a profound and enduring connection with sea country, which is central to cultural and spiritual identity, social and economic life, and wellbeing. The ocean is critical to our economic prosperity and health. It connects us with our region and the rest of the world. In June 2023, the United Nations adopted the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the high seas biodiversity treaty.”
“by leave—I move: (1) Mr Burnell be discharged from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and that, in his place, Ms Payne be appointed a member of the committee; (2) Ms Payne be appointed a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; and (3) Ms Scrymgour be discharged from the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories and that, in her place, Ms Payne be appointed a member of the committee. Question agreed to.”
“It's part of the big, big difference that the Albanese Labor government is delivering on behalf of the Australian community.”
“We know that, if you go from a two-star rating to a five-star rating, you see 40 per cent less energy use. That's 40 per cent lower energy costs. We want to support that, as I said before, through the Household Energy Upgrades Fund. We are delivering the new Solar Sharer program, which will become available from 1 July. It'll be in New South Wales, South Australia and South-East Queensland. That will mean retailers have to offer a three-hour free power period. We think that's really significant. We'll start to see some of that time shifting, where people can use energy when we've got massive amounts of solar, and it will bring system costs down. So I really, really welcome this topic. I could go on for another 10 or 15 minutes and rattle through lots more programs.”
“In the first couple of months of 2026, it's at 17 per cent. So we've gone from one in 25 new vehicles being EVs to one in six in four years. We're now approaching 500,000 EVs nationwide. Last year, sales increased 38 per cent, and year on year—if you go from February 2025 to February 2026—it's jumped 96 per cent. That's making a massive, massive difference. In terms of energy performance, we've extended the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme that applied to new dwellings from about 2003 to 2004. We recognise that there are lots of existing homes that haven't had the benefit of that scheme. We will extend it from 1 July this year to all existing homes. That's an additional seven million dwellings that will be able to measure their energy performance.”
“We're making sure that the benefits of solar can be experienced by people who can't necessarily put solar on their roofs, through the Community Solar Banks Program and the Solar for Apartments Program. There's $100 million there. I've touched on transport. Under this government, we've tripled the number of EV models available to Australians, with many more cheaper and affordable EV models, because of the reform that we undertook through the first National Electric Vehicle Strategy and the delivery of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard for the first time. So we've tripled the availability of EV models, we've tripled EV charging and we've seen the sale of EV vehicles go from four per cent in 2022 to 13 per cent last year. The ratio of new vehicles that are being sold as EVs has tripled.”