Julie-Ann Campbell
Moreton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It was Steven Miles who introduced 50c fares, which go to making sure that people can have relief when they tap their card at the bus or to get on the train. And it was many energy workers who came together to make sure that publicly owned renewables could be back in state government hands.”
“We just heard during the MPI in this parliament every excuse that they could think of—every obfuscation that came to mind, every reason—to not back reform that protects our children. The news I want to give to those opposite is this: we will not lie down when it comes to ensuring that Australian children are safe.”
“It is important to remember that yesterday marked a tax cut, the fifth from this government, for every Australian taxpaying worker. It is important to remember that this government, unlike those opposite, backed in minimum and award wage increases which came into effect yesterday.”
“Yesterday didn't just mark the beginning of a new financial year, it marked the next step in the Albanese Labor government's crusade to ensure that cost-of-living relief is delivered to everyday Australians, and it sits in stark contrast to what we've seen from those opposite this week.”
“If you've ever sat in your car at the Coopers Plains crossing on Boundary Road, you would know that it can feel like an absolute eternity. It's been consistently named by the RACQ as one of the worst crossings in our entire state. Locals in my community have been waiting decades for the promised overpass to that rail level crossing.”
“But if you'd cracked open the LNP's budget last Tuesday, what you would have found as you sorted through the papers is that there was no commitment and no timeline to this important project being delivered, despite the state previously having committed $179.5 million to the project as well.”
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“We must make sure that there are frameworks for community engagement, because the concerns that people raise around water and energy are legitimate. The way to address those concerns is to set clear expectations for what we need as a country when it comes to data centres. We want to be masters of our own destiny in this place. We don't want to bury our head in the sand on this, and we have a choice. That choice is for an Albanese Labor government to ensure that we are.”
“That's why in late March, the government's data centre expectations were rolled out. It's why what we set were some very clear expectations that you've got to bring your own supply, that you've got to cover your grid connection costs and that you have to co-operate with market operators to strengthen the energy grid. This is not about moving forward at any cost. It's about making sure that, when these critical decisions are made and that economic impact rolls in, we are not passengers. We cannot be price takers. We cannot be people who sit on this side of the world and aren't in the game for the benefit of everyday Australians. Instead, what we must do is ensure that data centre providers pull their weight. Instead, what we must do is make sure that, as the scale-up happens, workers are supported and are not casualties of this work.”
“The first is that, when it comes to data centres, we need them to reflect our Australian values. We need to ensure that our values as a nation are implemented when we talk about rollout, and we also need to ensure that those data centres are advancing Australia's interests and our people's interests. I know that data centres have been something that have been very hotly contested, not just here but across the globe. For some people it's a new age. It's the new industrial revolution. It's something that's big and exciting. For others they're big, gargantuan sheds that suck energy. The truth is, when we decide our role in this space, we need to make sure that we account for all those arguments and set a framework to ensure that our country gets the best out of these.”
“The first is to capture the opportunities, and the opportunities are many. We know that there are huge opportunities in terms of making the economy grow. We know that there are enormous opportunities in terms of productivity. We know that there are big opportunities in the aftermarket of data centres and AI. The second is that we have to share in the benefits. The benefits are many, but those benefits need to flow into everyday Australians every day. The third is to keep Australians safe, because we know that disinformation and misinformation are things that people are concerned about in our local communities, and we must protect Australians from them. When there is a big digital transition like this and infrastructure is rolling out, we have to be in the ring. But we have to be in the ring with some conditions.”
“When you want something to work—when you want to shape it and when you want to have a stake in it—you can't bury your head in the sand. You can't close your eyes and pretend it isn't already happening. AI isn't coming soon. AI isn't a vision that's for the future. AI is here, and, because it's here, we now have a very important question that we need to answer. What is our role, not just as a government or as a country but as every single Australian, in that AI journey? I thank the member for Warringah for that question, because it's incredibly important. It's something that people are talking about in communities across our nation, and it's something that this Labor government is acting on right now. In December last year, this Albanese Labor government announced the National AI Plan. That plan has three really clear goals.”
“These reforms are designed to help Australians, and, at its core, this bill is about ensuring that Australia's workplace relations system continues to work as intended and continues to work for everyday working Australians.”
“Importantly, this does not require businesses to have enterprise agreements; nor does it override value-for-money requirements. This bill forms part of the Albanese Labor government's broader commitment to supporting workers. That's in our blood; it's in our DNA. We have always been the party that backs workers in when they need it most, and strengthening job security and helping Australians to manage cost-of-living pressures is an important part of that. That's why this government has strengthened job security. It's why we delivered same job, same pay. We've criminalised wage theft. We've introduced the right to disconnect. We've expanded paid parental leave. In one week's time, mums and dads across this nation will be able to access 26 weeks of paid parental leave.”
“It means that additional administrative burden for employers, employee representatives and the commission can come off. The reforms before the House recognise that, where bargaining relationships are already established and already functioning effectively, unnecessary procedural duplication serves little purpose. Instead, parties should be able to focus their efforts on negotiating those outcomes. This is a practical example of the broader purpose of this bill: protecting rights and maintaining safeguards while ensuring that the workplace relations system operates as efficiently as possible. The bill also removes an outdated restriction that currently prevents the Commonwealth from considering enterprise agreements when making certain procurement and funding decisions.”
“Rather than requiring workers and employers to repeat unnecessary procedural steps over and over, these changes allow bargaining to proceed more efficiently, where appropriate safeguards are already in place. This is not about changing the fundamental principles of bargaining. It's about reducing unnecessary duplication and allowing parties to focus on reaching agreements and, again, to focus on reaching outcomes. This bill also includes a practical change to bargaining arrangements. Where employers and workers have already successfully negotiated a supported bargaining agreement and wish to bargain for a replacement agreement covering substantially the same cohort, the legislation creates a more streamlined pathway to recommence that bargaining. At present, parties can be required to repeat that again and again.”
“Enterprise bargaining allows workers and employees to negotiate arrangements that reflect the particular needs of that workplace. When bargaining works well, workers can secure improved wages and conditions, employers can secure arrangements that support productivity, flexibility and long-term planning, and workplaces can develop solutions that benefit both parties. This bill also includes practical reforms designed to streamline bargaining processes in circumstances where parties have already established successful bargaining relationships. We don't want things to get bogged down. We want to make sure that, if people can come to the table, they can find fair outcomes.”
“The overwhelming majority of people who engage with the Fair Work Commission do so legitimately and in good faith, but where processes are misused, it places additional pressure on the system and it delays outcomes for others wanting to use the system to resolve their challenges. These measures will help protect the integrity of the commission while ensuring genuine applicants continue to have access to workplace protections and dispute resolution mechanisms. Labor understands that workers deserve timely outcomes, that employers deserve timely outcomes and that the Fair Work Commission deserves the tools necessary to perform its role effectively for everyone. One of the most effective ways of building productive and cooperative workplaces is through good-faith bargaining.”
“It would allow the commission to focus its resources on helping parties reach outcomes, rather than getting bogged down in procedural questions. Fair outcomes are what's important here. That's what this legislation is about. We know it impacts on livelihoods. We know it impacts on family planning. We know that it goes beyond the worker and the business. It goes to the people surrounding them. For working people, it goes to the impact on their families. For businesses, it goes to the aftermarket and their employees. Ensuring that that is resolved as soon as possible is surely a logical, simple and straightforward reform that the Australian people need. As we've said, the bill also strengthens the commission's ability to deal with applications that are frivolous.”
“Following a Federal Court decision several years ago, the commission has often been required to determine complex jurisdictional questions before parties can even begin the process of conciliation or mediation. The complexity starts before they even get to the table to try and work things through. In practical terms, this can mean that workers and employers spend additional time and resources arguing about whether a matter can be heard before they've even had an opportunity to attempt to resolve the dispute itself. This bill restores a much more practical approach. It allows the commission to move more quickly to assisting parties to resolve disputes through conciliation and mediation, while preserving that ability for substantive issues to be properly considered if a matter proceeds further. That is sensible reform.”
“The bill streamlines a number of administrative processes and provides additional mechanisms to deal with applications that are frivolous, are vexatious or have no reasonable prospects of success. That matters and it matters because every hour spent dealing with matters that have little prospect of success is an hour that cannot be spent assisting workers and employers with genuine workplace disputes that need to be resolved so that all parties can move forward. The bill also responds to practical challenges that have emerged in recent years, including growing workloads and increasing complexity across the workplace relations system.”
“When you sit down with someone who doesn't know what's going to happen with their job, who's not sure where their next pay cheque might come from, who can't plan for what their family might be able to do in the months and years ahead—that's a problem. This bill responds to those challenges. It introduces a series of practical reforms that will help the commission manage its workload more effectively and resolve those kinds of matters more efficiently. Importantly, these reforms are not about reducing workplace protections, nor are they about limiting access to the commission. They are about ensuring the commission can focus its time and resources where they matter the most—resolving disputes, supporting bargaining and delivering outcomes.”
“Every year, it assists thousands of workers and employers to resolve disputes, to negotiate agreements and to access workplace protections. When the commission works well, disputes are resolved more quickly, uncertainty is reduced and workplaces can move forward. But, when delays occur, the consequences are felt by everyone. Workers can be left waiting months for certainty about their future, businesses can be left navigating lengthy and costly processes, and resources that should be directed towards resolving disputes can instead be consumed by procedural issues. I cut my teeth representing working people in the manufacturing industry.”
“I was talking to Richard Huang, who heads up the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. They're all on the south side and all running strong small businesses. What they all have in common is that they want certainty for those businesses and a workplace relations system that is fair, that is effective and that is fit for purpose and helps make that possible. That's why it's important that our workplace laws and institutions continue to evolve alongside the workplaces, the industries and the technologies that they are designed to support. This bill contains a series of practical reforms designed to strengthen that system—so, no, it is not surprising that those opposite don't support it. The Fair Work Commission sits at the core of Australia's workplace relations system.”
“These changes are designed to ensure Australia's workplace relations system remains fair and is efficient and capable of delivering better outcomes for workers, employers and indeed the broader economy. Legislation such as this is often portrayed by those opposite as a choice between supporting workers and supporting business, but the reality is that strong economies and strong workplaces depend on both of those things. They depend on workers having secure jobs, fair wages and confidence in their rights at work, and they depend on businesses having the certainty to invest, to innovate and to create opportunities. My local electorate is full of fantastic small businesses. The other day I was at French & Mor cafe in Sunnybank with Bianca. I was also at Endua in Archerfield, which specialises in electrolyser technology.”
“Across my electorate on Brisbane's south side, people work hard for their families. Whether it's a tradie from Coopers Plains heading out before dawn, a nurse at the QEII hospital finishing a long shift or a barista in Sunnybank, people want the same thing. They want a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, they want secure employment and they want a workplace relations system that works for them. A system that protects workers, a system that supports business, a system that rewards productivity and helps people get ahead—that's what this bill is about. The Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026 makes a series of practical improvements to Australia's workplace relations framework.”
“Like Dennis Shanahan, I don't think that endless alliteration and the new wordplay that we've heard today is anywhere near sound political strategy, but I'll play along. The member for Wannon is the worst for workers not only because of the positions that they've taken in terms of workplace relations not just over this term but for decades but also because of what the coalition have stood for when it comes to reforms that help everyday working Australians every day. That's why they voted against a tax cut for every working Australian. That's why they chose to vote against policy that would assist working Australians to get into their very first home. And that's why they voted against every single piece of cost-of-living relief moved by this Labor government.”
“In a surprising moment in this place, the member for Wannon opposes legislation that fundamentally is focused on workplace relations reform. What a shocker! And it's so unsurprising in actual fact because the member for Wannon voted against same job, same pay. He reckons that, if you're working side-by-side, you shouldn't be getting paid the same. The member for Wannon sent manufacturing workers overseas and thought that their jobs should be offshored. These are the architects of WorkChoices. They're the architects of AWAs. They are the people who are the natural enemy of working Australians. And they've got their backs up today because one of their favourite pastimes is giving working people a big kick.”
“Goode', and it was performed by people from the Red Radiant band. This was a very special thing because it was the 10th anniversary of Red Radiant Productions, run by Tim Teh, who is a band member and a drummer. It's got a focus on multicultural artists, with a diversity of acts from K-pop to lion dance, taiko drumming, J-pop and more dance battles. Can I say a very special thankyou to the Australia Malaysia Business Council Qld's Shona and Wai Kiong for their excellent efforts in making sure that that event happened in my community.”
“Arabella grew up watching her family volunteer across generations and now does so herself. Geoff is part of the very famous Grumpy Old Men, a support group for blokes in my local electorate that meets at the Sherwood Neighbourhood Centre. They are just two of the people who were awarded Local Heroes awards at Councillor Griffiths's and Councillor Johnston's awards in the lead-in to the Oxley festival. The Oxley Community Festival is a very special event in my community. It's been volunteer run for 14 years by Brian Tovey and the team. Held at the Oxley Bowls Club, the event had rides, food trucks, fireworks and even a dance-off judged by the doctors at Growlife Medical, who run the Oxley urgent care clinic. Congratulations on a great day, and congratulations to all the awardees. Chuck Berry blared out of the speakers. It was 'Johnny B.”
“People are worried, because they want affordable health care, and that's why this is a government that has introduced urgent care clinics and has made them permanent in the budget. It's why we have $25 scripts. I was out at a pharmacy just a couple of days ago in Eight Mile Plains talking about the impact that that has made to people, particularly those who have chronic illness. It's why we've increased bulk-billing rates. In my electorate, we've almost doubled the number of places where people can go where there is only bulk-billing. It is tough out there, and the Australian people need the action of a Labor government.”
“Young people feel like they won't be able to buy a home in their lifetime. That's why this is a government that has introduced five per cent deposits. It's why this is a government that has introduced the help to buy scheme. It's why this is a government that is making sure that the relationship between our taxation system and our housing system is fair for young people. People in my community are worried about the cost when they pick up the pump. That's why this is a government that has been driving more supply. This is a government that has been underwriting shiploads of fuel being brought into this country so that we have more fuel right here at home. That's why this is a government that has brought our fuel reserves home.”
“When I looked at Margaret and saw the pity but also the shared understanding from the parents who were around me, I think that we shared more than just that kind of experience. I think that what parents share right now is concern and worry. I think what people wonder is: will my child be able to afford a home, will my child be able to have the same opportunities that I had and what is the world that they will grow up in? I think that, when we talk about what people are feeling in our local community, it's that. They don't need discussion in this place. They need action because it's really tough out there. People are feeling cost-of-living pressures. They're feeling it at the bowser. They're feeling it when they pay their bills. They're feeling it when they pay their rent.”
“It's about doing something about it, and this is a government that has been hard at work doing something about it while the coalition seeks to block at every opportunity, while the coalition tries to unpick critical services like Medicare and while the coalition stands in this place and talks about young people without ever backing it up—and not only not backing it up but sitting there and voting against a budget designed to rebalance our taxation system so that young people can get a fair shot. The other day I was at the Yeronga Park Swimming Club awards. I was there with a young person, a very young person—a toddler, in fact. She was barefoot, she had face paint of a tiger that was melting off her face and she had taken off her shirt. That was my toddler, Margaret.”
“The member for Durack paints a pretty broad fantasy in her words today. I will tell you what is 'callous' and I will tell you what is 'uncaring': the fact that the member for Durack is part of a party that wanted to see something that more than a thousand people in my local electorate on Brisbane's south side benefit from—five per cent deposits, to get them into their very first home—cut. They wanted to cut that. It is the fact that 16,416 visits to my local urgent care clinic in Oxley wouldn't have happened under the member for Durack. And it is the fact that students and people going to TAFE would have been 20 per cent poorer if the member for Durack and her political party were in government. This is the stark reality. When you talk about what is important to the cost of living, it's not just about talking in this place.”
“At a time when people are doing it tough, at a time when people are struggling to pay their bills, at a time when young people are trying to get into their first home, at a time when this country has a big challenge when it comes to cost of living, the opposition have today anointed themselves as the enemy of first home buyers. The opposition today have anointed themselves as the nemesis of young people across this nation. Today was a test for those in the coalition. I don't rejoice in their spectacular failure of that test, because we want Australians to get a better life and to have a home.”
“It doesn't matter how the opposition tries to spin this one; nothing will change the fact that those in the coalition have just voted against a tax cut for working Australians, again. Nothing will change the fact that the coalition have just voted against 75,000 Australians getting into their very first home. Nothing will change the fact that the coalition have just voted against a $1,000 instant tax write off. All in all, what this now means is that the coalition have made average working Australians $2,800 poorer.”
“You might live in Sunnybank on Brisbane's south side in my electorate of Moreton. Your kids might go to one of the local state schools. It could be Sunnybank Hills State School, the No. 1 school in all of Queensland. You might sit on the local P&C and turn the sausages at the barbecue for the big fundraiser. You might coach the local netball team. You might work as a nurse paying your taxes and looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our community. But you've got a problem, because the coalition has you in their sights, because you are a permanent resident.”
“This government is committed to a fairer tax system, because when nurses, teachers, sparkies, aged-care workers, early childcare and education workers, coppers and boilermakers are paying higher taxes than those people who are earning from assets, that's a problem, and this is a government that will fix that problem through this budget. This budget reflects the view that the strength of the economy must be measured not just in headline figures but in the everyday experience of Australians at the checkout, in energy bills, at the pharmacy and at the pump. Proposed expenditure agreed to.”
“Making sure that everyone gets a tax cut is part of the architecture of what this Albanese Labor government is doing in this budget. We know what the other side wants when it comes to the deliberate design of their policy architecture. What they want is for working people's wages to go lower. While this Labor government is investing in a tax cut for everyone, while this Labor government is investing in health care and while this Labor government is working towards a pay rise—of up to $12,000 now, by the way—for our lowest-paid Australians, those opposite want to vote against a tax cut yet again.”
“Next, it works to make the economy more productive, because that's what will lift living standards over the long term. It follows up with necessary tax system reform that supports workers, that supports businesses, that supports young Australians and that delivers tax relief to every Australian taxpayer. Finally, it aims to put the nation's finances on a stronger footing, helping to ease the pressure on inflation. We are putting more money back into the pockets of Australians with another tax cut for every taxpayer, and, this week, we will finally find out if a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer is something that those opposite support or whether they will double down, wind up again and again vote against a tax cut for every single taxpayer.”
“Those numbers paint a stark contrast between a government that is investing in the things that matter to everyday people—housing, the cost of living, tax cuts—and an opposition incapable of doing that. When the Treasurer handed down the budget last month, he identified five main focus areas for action. To begin with, this is a budget that helps Australia navigate global shocks, including ups and downs in energy prices, and we've already seen the policies of this government come to fruition with the first steps in reducing energy prices. Secondly, it focuses on taking some of the pressure off households where we can, with targeted support to help people manage the cost of living and to try and get everyday people into their very first home.”
“Given that we're talking about consideration in detail in relation to the Finance portfolio, I thought it would be prudent to start with some numbers: 2,800 is the number of dollars that someone on the average income will get back in a tax cut from this government; 75,000 is the number of Australians who will be supported into their very first home because of this budget; $3.5 billion is the amount of new business-tax relief; 137 is the number of urgent care clinics being opened to make sure that health care in this country is more affordable and closer to home; and the last number, half a trillion dollars, is the hole that this opposition will make in the budget—from their irresponsible, unfunded approach to budgeting. Those numbers paint a really clear picture.”
“The member for Barker talks about this budget having an ideological objective, and he's absolutely right. It has an ideological objective, and that objective is to get young people into homes. That objective is to make sure that families have a roof over their heads. That objective is to make sure that the next generation has the opportunity to open a door that they call their own.”
“It's pretty rich hearing from the member for Cook talking about workers and honesty. Having listened to the good history lesson that we heard from the member for Solomon, I think it's important to have a little bit of a history lesson for the member for Cook on the matter of working people, because he is part of a party that decided that a deliberate design feature of their policy would be to keep wages low. He is part of a coalition that includes a party that decided, in my home state of Queensland, to dismantle the workplace health and safety laws of our state. He is part of a party that thought that same job, same pay wasn't worth their vote. So, when we talk about working people in this nation, you've got to have a good, hard look at yourself, mate. Do you know what Australians really want? Australians want a tax cut.”
“The $250 offset effectively increases the tax-free threshold for workers to $19,985, or up to $24,985 for those eligible for the low-income tax offset. Millennials and gen Z are expected to make up around two-thirds of those who benefit, making this a targeted initiative to support younger generations in getting ahead. Importantly, this is a permanent structural reform, not a temporary measure. These reforms are designed to create a tax system that is more efficient, more equitable and easier to navigate, because, when a taxation system means that a nurse working shift work, a copper on the beat or a person looking after our youngest or our oldest Australians is paying more tax on their wages earned than someone earning from assets, it means the system is broken. This government and these bills are here to fix it.”
“That's 75,000 real, everyday people who can get into that first home. Overall, the combined effect of these policies is to create a fairer and more balanced housing market, where investment contributes to increasing supply rather than making existing homes less affordable. These bills also implement the working Australians tax offset and an instant $1,000 standard tax deduction through schedules 3 and 4. The WATO for individuals earning income from work will begin in the 2027-28 financial year. This offset will deliver a tax reduction to around 13.3 million working Australians, and it's a measure designed to help workers retain more earnings, to provide targeted cost-of-living relief and to encourage greater participation in our workforce.”
“Importantly, these changes are grandfathered, meaning that current investors can continue their existing arrangements, reducing disruption. The government is also reforming CGT by replacing that flat 50 per cent discount with a system based on indexing gains to inflation, alongside the minimum tax rate. This ensures that investors are taxed only in their real inflation adjusted gains, rather than paper profits. The reform is intended to return CGT to its original purpose and remove distortions that have encouraged speculative investment in property over assets. By reducing those tax incentives that favour speculation and increasing incentives to build, the reforms are expected to improve housing supply and to improve affordability. Over time this is expected to support around 75,000 additional Australians entering homeownership.”
“This is another arrow in the quiver to make sure that we are driving supply in the housing market, because it means that, if you're trying to invest in yourself, when it comes to negative gearing, you're also investing in us: you're investing in your neighbours; you're investing in Will and Amity; you're investing in our nation—and that's what is important when it comes to supply. The change is intended to shift that domestic demand away, and, by encouraging construction, the policy aims to ease competition between investors and first home buyers in the established housing market. We've already heard the stories. We've heard the stories of young people going to auctions. We've heard the stories of people being able to bid on their first home and get a bid through. It's got a real face, it's got a real impact, and it's already happening.”
“A key aspect is limiting negative gearing—a tax benefit that allows investors to offset property losses against their income—by making it apply to newly-built homes only. This change is intended to shift investor demand away from existing homes and towards new housing supply, increasing the number of dwellings available. We've talked a lot about 40 years of not building enough supply. We've talked a lot about making sure that we're getting more tradespeople into trades: more chippies, more sparkies—more people who can build the homes of the future. We're investing in an ambitious target to build more homes and to build more social and affordable homes.”
“The changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax will make owning my own home a possibility. And Will and Amity are not alone. There are so many Wills and so many Amitys who are relying on these bills to make sure that that dream can be realised once again. So let's talk a little bit more about these changes and how they're not only giving young people hope, but will lead to more homeownership. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 implement part of what is the most significant housing reform and investment in Australia in more than 25 years. Schedules 1 and 2 concern negative gearing and capital gains tax changes, and the reforms go to improving homeownership prospects for our young Australians.”
“But that's one of the reasons why I am so incredibly proud of this 2026-27 budget. This budget says: enough is enough. This budget says: enough of the intergenerational unfairness making it difficult for young people to get ahead financially and to get into the housing market. I know it's resonating with young people on the south side of Brisbane in my electorate. Will, from Coopers Plains, told us: I'm happy about the changes because it means that I will be competing less with investors when I buy my first home. It means I'm able to get into the market sooner and have the same opportunities that my parents had … Amity, from Moorooka, agreed. They said: As a young person who is worried about affording to move out of my parents' house, affording rent let alone buying a house is a big worry for me.”
“The Reserve Bank recently released research which indicated that, 25 years ago, people younger than 40 made up 35 per cent of property investors, and, by 2023, this had fallen by about 20 per cent, while investors over the age of 60 had increased dramatically, from 12 per cent in 2000 to 28 per cent by 2023. These figures highlight that, for many young people, that great Australian dream of owning your own home feels exactly like that—a dream; a fantasy; something intangible. For many, it's certainly not a goal that's achievable in the short term, and, for many, not in the long term either. That is something that, in this country, must change. And that is what this bill is all about. Let's be very frank: the current situation is a bleak outlook for many young Australians.”
“But buying a home often isn't an option—often isn't seen as a possibility—and many young people end up staying at home with mum and dad for much longer. That's why this isn't a challenge just for young people; it's one for mums and dads who are worried that their kids will never achieve what they were able to. House prices have risen so much faster than wages over recent years. Since 1999, house prices have grown at more than twice the pace of average full-time wages, and homeownership among those aged 25 to 34 dropped by seven percentage points in the first 20 years of this century.”
“It's no secret that young people are facing many interconnected challenges as they build their careers, as they build their families and as they build their lives, from insecurity surrounding the rapidly changing job market to anxiety about climate change. Many young people describe their prospects as less certain and less secure—certainly in comparison to their parents at the same age. Young people aren't immune from cost-of-living pressures. They're forking out more for groceries, fuel and bills, making it harder to save for those big life steps like buying a home. As we know, one of the biggest challenges facing this group is housing, whether it's renting or wanting to buy a home. Accessing a rental property can be tough, with high demand, low vacancy rates and increasing rental payments.”
“Today I want to talk about ambition. I want to talk about the ambition of young people and of families not only in my electorate but across this nation. When you talk to young people and families—Australians—what they will tell you is that they are ambitious to own a home. What they will tell you is that they are ambitious to open the front door to that first house where they can plan their family, raise their young ones and set up for their future. What they are ambitious for is that great Australian dream of having the keys to a place that they can call their own, and can I say that on this side of the House we are ambitious for them and for that dream.”
“There were some 366 students from across 50 different cultural backgrounds celebrating with a kaleidoscope of different traditional national food and dress, and an excellent culinary taste testing that represented the best of what our local multicultural community has to offer. It was a family and community event with involvement from so many different groups in our community, and it's an absolute bedrock of who we are.”