Steve Georganas
Adelaide · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It reflects one of our most important national values. Health care should be available to everyone, not just to those who can afford it. Many people prioritise their health and paying their everyday essentials. That is a fact.”
“That means more than 172,000 occasions when individuals and families have been able to receive urgent medical care without needing to attend an emergency department or a public hospital and without needing to face out-of-pocket costs.”
“That is really important because that gives the confidence to those people that I spoke about earlier, those families that are doing it tough that may have previously considered whether they received the health care that they really required and was a necessity or whether they put food on the table.”
“People receive treatment earlier, chronic illnesses are managed more effectively, hospital admissions are reduced and pressure on our emergency departments is eased. Every dollar invested in effective primary care saves costs elsewhere in the system while delivering better health outcomes for Aussies.”
“I too rise to make a contribution, just as the member for Pearce just did, on the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026. At its heart is Medicare.”
“In my home state alone, bulk-billing has risen to 80.4 per cent across the state, representing one of the strongest improvements in the country. We heard, the other day, other statistics around the country. They are all increasing, and this is a good thing. It means people are having to fork less out of their pocket when visiting a GP.”
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“It will cost $2 billion in infrastructure alone for the submarine construction yard, which has started and will be completed at some point in the very near future. Four thousand people will be employed just to construct the construction yard, let alone the people that will be employed for cutting-edge, high-technology submarine building, including welders and a whole range of trades. When you think of AUKUS, it is a massive project. It's a nation-building project. It's a project that, of course, will have its hiccups along the way. When governments undertake projects as big as AUKUS, there'll always be hiccups along the way. We're dealing with unforeseen elements. We're dealing with things that are completely out of hand. But that's not to say that this will not get completed, and that's not to say that this will not benefit the economy.”
“It gives me great pleasure and pride to speak about AUKUS, which is a core pillar of this government's national security policy to protect our nation. When you look at AUKUS, the announcements that have been made and what's in store for the future, it is exactly the type of defence strategy that governments should be very proud of. AUKUS will shape and grow the economy for decades to come. It will increase economic complexity, with skilled jobs. In South Australia, it is very much welcomed. It is welcomed because South Australia has a proud history of manufacturing. Right up until 2013, we were developing and producing cars, until they were ousted by the former government. So it was a welcome announcement to be told that we will make the submarines in South Australia.”
“We've heard of some cases where people let it go too long; they could have been diagnosed earlier and could have had their lives turned around. We've had some great speakers. Next time you get an email that says 'friends of lung health', please come along. I'll leave this House with this thought. Breathing is the most fundamental part of life. When something so essential is at risk, it becomes our responsibility to act because every breath matters and every Australian deserves the chance to take each one with strength, dignity and hope.”
“Early diagnosis is key, even if it's a small cough or a sniffle or a bit of breathing that just doesn't sound right. We can't afford to wait until lung health becomes a crisis. We must act earlier, as governments we must invest smarter and we must ensure that awareness, support and care are accessible for every Australian who needs them. Today I acknowledge every Australian living with lung disease, every carer who stands beside them, every health professional providing support and every organisation working to improve outcomes. The Parliamentary Friends of Lung Health have very informative regular events up here with the Lung Foundation. We have doctors, professionals and people who are living with the symptoms of lung disease come in and talk to us.”
“The reality is that it touches almost every Australian or a family member at some point in their life in one way or another. Lung Health Awareness Month is more than a moment of recognition. It's a call to act. It's a call for all of us, as members of this place, as members of our community and as a nation, to take lung health seriously, to understand the warning signs, to speak openly about the symptoms, to encourage early conversations with GPs and to support better systems for prevention, diagnosis and care. Ultimately, this is about something deeply human. It's about dignity, it's about the ability to live life fully and it's about ensuring that Australians are not defined or limited by a condition that too often goes unnoticed and untreated until it's too late.”
“Every diagnosis opens a door to real intervention, whether it is smoking cessation support, pulmonary rehabilitation, vaccination or stronger primary care—these are not small changes; they are changes that can extend life and improve its quality. This is why the work of Lung Foundation Australia is so vital. They provide more than information; they provide guidance, support and advocacy. They stand alongside Australians navigating diagnosis and treatment. They give people a pathway through the uncertainty. And they continue to advocate for a health system that responds earlier, more effectively and more compassionately. Lung disease is not rare. It will affect one in three Australians over their lifetime. That's not a small cohort of numbers. It's not a niche issue.”
“Too often the early signs of lung disease go unnoticed: a cough that lingers, shortness of breath, a sense of fatigue—these symptoms are brushed aside. People tell themselves they're just getting older or 'I'm not fit enough' or they're just a little out of shape—just something temporary. By the time the diagnosis comes, the condition has already progressed. But we know something really important that should be a guide for everything we do in this space, and that is early detection. When lung disease is detected early, outcomes improve dramatically. People receive the right care sooner, they remain healthier for longer, they maintain independence and they avoid unnecessary hospitalisations.”
“I'm doing quite well. I use my puffer occasionally and so far, so good. Recognising lung health is also about recognising that you can turn it around. There are things we can do with medication, with a bit of exercise, with the ability to see your doctor on a regular basis and being monitored as to where your lungs are actually at. For those who do have lung diseases or COPD or asthma, it affects everyone around them—their partner, their children, their friends, their carers. Lung disease does not happen in isolation; it becomes part of the life of the whole family. As I said, this month really matters because it's about awareness. Awareness is not just about information; it's about intervention.”
“I'm quite pleased that, at the moment, I am not smoking and haven't for a number of years, but it affected my lungs. You could say, 'You're stupid for smoking.' Yes, certainly I was. But I grew up in an era where everyone smoked, where everyone turned a blind eye to it. It was just part of everyday life. Because of that I've developed asthma and that's what got me involved with the Lung Foundation. There are many thousands of Australians who have developed lung cancer who have never smoked in their entire lives, so it shouldn't be a stigma for those people who have. Many people develop COPD and they've never smoked in their entire lives. But there is a stigma still attached to lung disease that 'he or she must have been a smoker'. It's also about recognition of people who, through no fault of their own—in my case it was my own fault.”
“They affect families, they affect carers and they place real and growing pressure on our healthcare system. In the community in my electorate, the federal electorate of Adelaide, these impacts are not distant or theoretical. They are deeply real. Between 2018 and 2022, more than 1,900 people in my community lost their lives to COPD. In just one year, more than 3,000 hospitalisations were considered potentially preventable. COPD is now one of the leading causes of preventable hospital admissions. But behind every number there's a person—a life saved, a family affected, a future changed. For me, this is not just something I speak about as a representative; it's something I experience as well, having previously been, it's embarrassing to say, a smoker. I smoked all my life from the age of 16 right through, gave it up and started again.”
“And yet, despite how essential they are, lung health is often overlooked, taken for granted until it is compromised. I've been a long-time advocate for Lung Foundation Australia, and I'm proud to serve, as I said earlier, as the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Lung Health. Through this work over the many years, we've seen how widespread and serious lung disease is in this country. Conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD; lung cancer; asthma; bronchitis; lung disease and many others do not just affect the lungs. They affect the lives of everyday people, their families and everyone connected to them. They shape how people live day to day, whether they can walk to the shops, whether they can play with their grandkids or their kids, whether they can work and whether they can sleep.”
“Today I rise to speak about Lung Health Awareness Month. May being Lung Health Awareness Month and as chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Lung Health in this place, it's quite appropriate for me to stand up and let everyone know that this month we're celebrating Lung Health Awareness Month, a time to stop to reflect and to bring real attention to an issue that quietly affects millions of Australians each and every day. Breathing is something that we rarely think about. It happens naturally, effortlessly, constantly—until it doesn't. Healthy lungs are fundamental to life from the moment we take our first breath, through childhood, through adulthood, right through. Our lungs carry us through every experience, every conversation, every step.”
“If we get this right, we secure that promise for generations of Australians who will one day rely on it and for those who already rely on it. But, if we fail to act, we risk weakening the very system that so many depend on. This moment, this bill and these reforms truly matter because securing the NDIS is not about— (Time expired)”
“Australians expect the NDIS to continue transforming lives, as it should, and they expect it to provide certainty. They expect it to provide dignity, and they expect it to be here not just today but in the years ahead so generations of people can have the facilities and be serviced in a way that provides that dignity. It's more than just reform. It's about responsibility, and that's what this government is doing. It's about protecting one of the most significant social agreements this nation has ever made and ensuring it endures with strength, fairness and integrity. This is so important because the NDIS is not just the policy; it is a lifeline. It is the difference between isolation and inclusion, between dependence and independence, between uncertainty and dignity.”
“Without intervention, it would have continued to place pressure not just on the system but on the very people it is designed to support. Without action, it will collapse. It may go on for a few years, but, without action—such as this bill—it could collapse. That would have been very detrimental. This bill builds on the work strengthening governance, improving safeguards and implementing those reforms that reflect the recommendations of independent reviews that have been done and the voices of the disability community itself. Importantly, this work was not done in isolation. The government remains committed to working with people with disability, their families, their carers and the broader community because the success of the NDIS depends on trust, cooperation, a shared responsibility and sustainability.”
“But, for that promise to endure, we need the scheme to be sustainable, and that's what this bill is all about. It must be fair, it must be accountable and it must work as it was always intended to—that is, supporting those who need it the most. That's why these reforms truly matter. Securing the NDIS means more than just managing the costs; it means restoring confidence, strengthening integrity and ensuring the support is delivered where it is genuinely needed. It means tackling the fraud and stopping misuse, clarifying access and eligibility, improving planning and ensuring quality services for participants. We've already seen the importance of acting responsibly. Growth in the scheme has been unsustainable.”
“They're about protecting people who rely on the scheme, they're about restoring confidence for those people and their families, and they're about ensuring that, when someone turns to the NDIS for the support that they need, they're met with fairness, clarity and care. For the people in my electorate of Adelaide who depend on it, it's not just the policy; it's their daily life. It's their everyday life, and it's core. This bill is about protecting one of the most important social commitments this country has ever made. The NDIS is not just a program; as I said, it's a promise. It's a promise to Australians living with permanent, significant disability that they will be supported, that they will be included and that they will be given the opportunity to live with the dignity and independence that they deserve.”
“It's about stopping the kind of behaviour that undermines confidence in the scheme. Stronger action on fraud and compliance, clearer eligibility and better planning processes will help restore that balance. There've also been calls for more practical safeguards, including placing limits on what providers can charge. We've seen unscrupulous providers charging exorbitant fees that, outside this system, would be much cheaper. I've seen that firsthand. We need to ensure that those participants are not overburdened and that the funding is used in the way that it was intended: to service people with disabilities. Ultimately, these reforms are about making the system work better on the ground and not just in theory.”
“We've seen the frustration from participants who believe their funding has perhaps been reduced without clear explanation or whose changing circumstances aren't being properly recognised. These are not isolated incidences in the electorate office. They're the real experiences of people in my community, and they highlight something important: while the NDIS has changed lives, it must also be strengthened to work better for the people it serves and for those it was designed to serve. That is why these reforms matter so much. Securing the NDIS is not about sustainability; it's about fairness. It's about ensuring that participants across Australia and in my electorate and my community can trust the system. It's about making sure that supports are delivered where they're needed.”
“More often than not, they're not coming to us because everything is working well. They usually come to us because they need help either navigating the system or cutting through to the services that they require. They're coming to us because something in the system has not worked the way that it should have, and we hear from constituents who feel overwhelmed navigating that system. It is a complex system. Those of you who deal with it in your electorate offices see the complexity of it. It's everything from families struggling to understand changes to their plans to, most concerningly, people who feel vulnerable in a system that was meant to protect them. We've seen cases where providers take advantage of those who are most at risk.”
“That is why this bill provides the NDIA with stronger powers to improve oversight, strengthen compliance and ensure that the scheme operates in a way that is fair, accountable and responsible. It's about ensuring that the NDIS remains compassionate but also consistent, that it is supportive but also sustainable and that it continues to deliver for those who depend on it most, without compromising its future. The NDIS is more than a program. As I said earlier, it is a promise, and it is our responsibility to ensure that that promise is kept today, tomorrow and, importantly, for many generations to come. In my federal electorate of Adelaide, I see firsthand how important the NDIS is because my office deals with participants—as your office does, Deputy Speaker Chesters, and many other offices do—and their families every single day.”
“This bill strengthens the governance arrangements, improves transparency around pricing decisions and introduces more structured and effective planning frameworks. Importantly, it provides for the transitional arrangements necessary to support participants as changes are implemented, ensuring that no-one is left uncertain or unsupported through the process. This bill also addresses a critical issue that has increasingly come to the forefront: the need to protect the scheme from misuse and ensure its long-term integrity. Fraud and noncompliance do not just the affect the system; they affect the lives of people in the system and all of us. They take resources away from those who need them the most. They undermine confidence in the scheme, and they place unnecessary pressure on the sustainability of the scheme.”
“It gives effect to key elements of a broader plan to restore the scheme's integrity, to bring it back to its original intent and to ensure that it continues to deliver meaningful outcomes for those that it was designed to support. When I read those words, it brings back memories of a forum in Glenelg where members of the disability sector were asking the then government to design something to give people support. I think of those people in that room who have turned their lives around since then because of the NDIS and have benefited from it. The bill introduces reforms that focus on the core foundations of the scheme—access, eligibility and planning—ensuring that decisions are clear, consistent and grounded in the needs of participants.”
“But, of course, with a scheme of this scale and importance comes an equally significant responsibility—a responsibility to ensure that it works and is working as it was designed to work; a responsibility to ensure that support is being delivered to those who genuinely rely on it, those for whom it makes a difference and turns lives around; and a responsibility to ensure that the NDIS is protected so it can survive well into the future to service future generations of Australians. As I said, it's not just for those who depend on it today but also for those who will rely on it well into the future. If we fail to act at this point of time, when reform is needed, then we risk undermining the very system that Australians depend on. This bill represents an important step forward in meeting that responsibility.”
“For many, it represents not just support but also recognition from governments, government agencies and those that make the rules of the importance of offering support to people so they can participate and be fully fledged contributing members of the community. We've seen, as I said, many lives changed. It's also recognition that every Australian, regardless of their circumstances, deserves the opportunity to participate fully in our society.”
“It was there to give people dignity—people who perhaps don't have the same ability that we do to just get up in the morning to get dressed and go to work and who need assistance and help to be able to participate, whether it be at work or in the community, as a full member of our community. That's what the NDIS was designed to do—to give people the opportunities to be able to participate regardless of disabilities. As I said, it has changed many, many lives. It's transformed lives. It's restored independence, and it's provided dignity, confidence and opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Australians and their families.”
“At that very meeting—it was held in Glenelg, in my old electorate of Hindmarsh, with about 100 people in the room—there was an idea that perhaps a disability insurance scheme should be looked at for the services and requirements of people with disabilities. Mr Shorten, at the time, was engaging with this idea at other forums as well. So I suspect that a bit of a role that I played was to plant the seed that day for the shadow minister, who then went on to become the minister. With Julia Gillard, who then took over, and Jenny Macklin, all of that was brought to fruition. It was a very, very noble bill. It was a bill, as I said, that changed people's lives.”
“I remember the joy on the faces of Jenny Macklin, Julia Gillard and many others. It was an achievement that was going to change people's lives. I also recall, way before the NDIS was being discussed, when it was just bits and pieces of ideas from the disability sector for how it could be funded. At the time, in 2005, Bill Shorten was the disability services shadow minister. He had visited my electorate, where we had a disability forum with members of the disability sector, people with disabilities, educators and parents to discuss a whole range of issues and how to better fund better services et cetera for people with disabilities.”
“The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 goes to the very heart of restoring the National Disability Insurance Scheme to what it was always intended to be—a system that supports Australians living with permanent and significant disability—while ensuring that it remains strong, fair and, very importantly, sustainable into the future and for generations to come. The NDIS is one of the most important social reforms in our nation's history. It was a once-in-a-generation change for the disability sector, and it's changed many, many lives. I was here in this House when the NDIS changes were made pre 2013, and I clearly recall sitting in the Speaker's chair, doing my shift on the Speaker's panel—as you are now, Deputy Speaker Chesters—when the bill finally went through.”
“For far too long, we've missed out. This is a great step. It's the first step—securing 20 per cent for domestic use—but I would have gone that step further to ensure that some of these companies are taxed a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. When prices spike and go through the roof, they're making extraordinary profits. That money could raise billions and billions of dollars for Australia. A strong Australia is one that uses its own resources to protect its people and ensure that no-one is left behind when the world becomes uncertain, as we're seeing now with the Strait of Hormuz being blocked and oil shipments delayed and unable to come through. This is a good measure to put aside gas in reserve for domestic use for Australia.”
“This particular measure goes a long way in securing our energy needs, and, in fact, I would have gone that step further. We've heard others say in this place, from the government side and from opposition members, that, even though we commend the steps taken, it would have been great to go that step further, and a 25 per cent tax on gas exports alongside that strong 20 per cent domestic gas reservation will place real downward pressure on domestic prices and ensure that Australian gas works for Australian households and businesses. We've heard and we've seen foreign multinationals making extraordinary profits whilst we miss out, and that's not right. Tens of billions of dollars could be raised for Australia, paying for our hospitals, our roads, our infrastructure, home care for our elderly, education and a whole range of other things.”
“Fuel excise was halved for a period, easing pressure on the bowser and giving households much needed breathing room. Measures were put in place to ensure Australians were not paying inflated taxes on already rising prices, and, importantly, strong action was taken to address unfair practices. Penalties for price gouging were increased, and the ACCC was tasked to ramp up fuel price monitoring and issue on-the-spot fines. Australians understand price pressures, but they do not accept being taken advantage of, and, for far too long in this nation, the industries have enjoyed incredible profits, pocketing incredible windfalls and profits in this area, and rightly so for their shareholders, for the investments they make et cetera. But we also have to look after Australia. We also have to look after the families who are doing it tough.”
“It's not just good policy; it's common sense. It protects households, it strengthens Australian industry and it builds resilience in the face of global instability. Because when international markets shift, when conflict disrupts supply chains and when prices spike beyond reason, Australians should not be left exposed. We are a resource-rich nation and we should take advantage of it. We should never be a nation struggling to access or afford our own energy. Domestic gas reservation is about fairness, it's about security and it's about taking control of our energy future in moments like this. It's leadership like this that matters. The priority must always be clear: keep fuel flowing, keep costs down, and keep Australians moving.”
“I rise to support this motion because, for too long, Australians have watched as gas extracted from our very own soil, our own national asset, has been sold overseas, while households and businesses here at home struggle with the rising cost of energy. This private member's bill is supportive of the 20 per cent reserve for Australian use. Now you can argue, as we heard the member for Kooyong, that we perhaps could go a bit further. I tend to agree that a 25 per cent export tax would have been a good thing. I've written to the government and to the minister and will continue to talk to my side of politics, because for too long Australia has missed out. Australians expect one simple thing: that the resources of this country work for the economy, and that's why we're setting aside this at least 20 per cent of Australian gas for domestic use.”
“You could see how it turned their entire lives around to have that security and stability that is required to go on and achieve bigger and better things. These policies are making a difference, and these homes will provide security, dignity and stability. Through the Social Housing Accelerator program, another 133 social homes are being built just in my electorate of Adelaide. These are not just numbers; these are lives that are being turned around. These are lives that are changing because of the fact that they can now get a roof over their head. This could be a parent who can finally provide stability for their family. It could be an older Australian who will now be able to age with dignity or a young person given their first chance to build independence. A roof over someone's head is not a privilege. It is a basic human need.”
“These are homes that will provide security, dignity and stability for Australians who need it most. When you speak to people who have secured one of these homes or have purchased their first home through the five per cent deposit scheme or through the equity program with the government, you can see the joy that they have that one of the steps in their lives has been completed. If you don't have a roof over your head, if you don't have shelter, it's very hard to concentrate on other things. Last week, when the Prime Minister was in my electorate and we visited the prospect project in the northern part of my electorate—where over 200 homes are being built and some have already been completed—we spoke to a young couple, Erin and Harry, who had purchased their very first home.”
“Certainly, we need to keep an eye on it and ensure that we are keeping stock up with the growth of the population, and that's what hasn't been done for over 20 years. That's what hasn't been done and needs to be done. As I said, there was inaction for many, many years. I pointed out a few infrastructure projects and investments in my electorate that are already making a real difference. In fact, the HAFF and other programs that the Prime Minister has announced are making a huge difference. Just in my electorate, 918 new social and affordable homes are currently being built, are on the way to being built or have been completed. That's just my electorate. That's all through the Housing Australia Future Fund. Another 508 homes will be delivered very soon.”
“Those on the other side will try and say that it's migration and a whole range of things. The reality is that this country has always had migration, right through the turn of the century, back in the 1700s—right through. There's been constant migration, and we've managed to keep up. The reality is that we need more houses, and this government is acting to do so. When you think of migration—I think the intake last year was about 300,000. There were about 178,000 homes that were built. Do you think that each and every one of them requires one house? In fact, the majority of them are in student accommodation and don't get their visas unless they have accommodation before they get here. The furphy about immigration and housing—I just don't buy it.”
“I think housing is what we heard the other night is the government's focus—ensuring that people have a roof over their heads, that people can find premises and live the Australian dream as many have done. It was getting out of touch for a lot of people. You look back at the last 10 years, and there were no policies. There was nothing being instigated. In fact—I said it earlier today in this place—I was here when questions were being asked by the then Labor opposition about housing. I clearly recall the coalition government at the time saying: 'This really has nothing to do with us. It's a state issue.' In other words, they were wiping their hands of it. Therefore, there was inaction for well over 10 years and we're in the position that we're in today.”
“Now we've got an overpass over Marion Road allowing the traffic on Marion Road to free itself up. There's also community infrastructure in my electorate, Karkungka reserve, where the National Servicemen’s RSL Sub-Branch is. They're getting brand new headquarters there for their activities and also for community use. The entire park is being rejuvenated with money from the federal government and the West Torrens local government. One of the great infrastructure community projects is the Western Youth Centre at Cowandilla, which I'm very proud of. Many sporting clubs affiliated with it use the grounds and the gymnasiums that are there. The budget is important, as I said, especially for housing.”
“Another bottleneck that was there for many, many years was on East Avenue, Grange Road and Holbrooks Road at Allenby Gardens, right on the border of Flinders Park. That's coming to fruition and nearly completed and, again, seeing the freeing up of transport. People are saving up to 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon. That's 20 minutes a day. Times that by five and that's a good hour and a half that could be spent with family instead of traffic. One of the great things that I've campaigned on for a long, long time—since I was first elected in 2004—is for the overpass of the tram on Marion Road at Plympton. Once those shutters came down and the bells started ringing when a tram was going by, it would bank up for nearly a couple of kilometres at peak hour traffic.”
“The original decision wasn't to have tunnels, but, through an outcry from the residents and a campaign from all the residents in those suburbs of Mile End, Richmond, Torrensville, Hilton and West Hindmarsh, the previous government saw fit to work with the state government and ensure we have a tunnel, and that tunnel is taking place right now. We've seen other works in my electorate on Sir Donald Bradman Drive and Marion Road in the West Torrens council area. We now see slipways. Sir Donald Bradman Drive is the main road that goes off into the airport that has thousands and thousands of motor vehicles, and with those slipways now it's become quicker and more convenient and there's more of a better traffic flow.”
“We went down and saw the new cutter, which is digging the underground tunnels for motor vehicles that will be going underground from about Torrensville and West Hindmarsh in my electorate right through to Kurralta Park, where they'll be coming back up onto the surface. We saw the cutter being lowered into the ground. It's millions of dollars of work. Also, by having the tunnels, we save a whole range of heritage listed buildings that are in my electorate, like the Queen of Angels Church, which is nearly 160 years old; the Thebarton Theatre, which is one of Australia's oldest theatres; and, of course, a whole range of schools, businesses et cetera. I'm very pleased that there was a decision made.”
“They require a whole range of infrastructure around them for that particular community. They require roads, water, electricity and services to make them liveable. For South Australia, this means more than $130 million in funding that will unlock projects that would otherwise remain stalled. In my electorate, this investment is already making a real difference. In the electorate of Adelaide, some of the works are taking place. Only last week I was at the North-South Corridor, which is going from the most northern suburbs to the southern suburbs. It cuts right through my electorate through South Road.”
“It's investment for our communities making our communities more productive and able to enjoy the benefits—to do it a little bit easier than what they have in the past. This is an investment into our communities, our infrastructure and our future. At the heart of the budget is a recognition of one of the defining challenges of our time, and that is housing. I mentioned at the beginning of my speech how important it is. The budget delivers $2 billion for a new stream of housing support programs designed to help local governments and state utility providers deliver the infrastructure needed to support new housing. In other words, when new housing goes up, we need infrastructure and also other support structures for that new housing. We know that homes do not exist in isolation.”
“Together, our housing reforms, our cheaper medicine and our bulk-billing rates that are going upwards—today there was a report of an increase of four per cent in bulk-billing—are measures to help battling Australians that are doing it tough. There's been also much work in the electorate of Adelaide. In the budget, millions of dollars have been announced for infrastructure. Of course, without infrastructure—without money being spent on bridges, on roads, on crossings—we'd have a quagmire of traffic and a quagmire of people not being able to get from point A to point B. We'd have a quagmire of transport in people not being able to get quickly enough to railway yards, to ports et cetera. These are important investments. It's not just funding on paper.”
“There's a $250 tax offset for workers—and of course the $2,616 average across the nation, which works out to about $5,054 per week. There's also $25 billion for public hospitals—on top of the Medicare urgent care clinics around the country. Everywhere you look, there's an urgent care clinic. Just in my area of Adelaide, we have the Norwood urgent care clinic, which is servicing many, many patients; we have the Albert Park care clinic on the western borders of the Adelaide electorate; and, on the northern borders of Gepps Cross, on Grand Junction Road, there is another urgent care clinic. They are all servicing people that need a doctor and that would normally end up in the emergency rooms waiting for hours and hours.”
“Last weekend, and the weekend before, in this country, for the very first time in many years—in fact, in decades—young people, young couples and single people, attended auctions and bid for houses that they were previously unable to bid for because big investors were quite happy to go the extra $50,000, $100,000 or even $150,000 because they knew that they could save that money in their tax returns because of the measures that we had in place. So, for the very first time in decades, last weekend, we saw young people being able to be part of that auction bid to purchase their own homes, and we saw reports in the media on Sunday and again today of young couples that actually purchased their homes. There are also tax cuts in the budget.”
“That's why it is imperative that this budget, which was announced last week, goes through the House of Representatives and the Senate to ensure that it is focused on and targets those people that need it the most. In the budget, we heard that there's more housing—it's a fairer budget to try and bring to fruition for those who have missed out for a number of years the Australian dream of purchasing a home.”
“They can say and do as they like whilst they're in opposition, but the reality is that this war is pushing up prices not just here in Australia but all around the world. If you read international papers—I like to see what's going on around the world—it's copy and paste pretty well everywhere in Europe, the United States and other nations around the world because of this war and because of the lack of control that we have over it. But there are things that have been put in place and measures that this Albanese Labor government has taken on board to make it easier. We know that Australians are doing it tough at the moment. We know there are a lot of people out there who are working very hard to make ends meet, and we know that there are people out there that are doing their very best just to survive.”