Renee Coffey
Griffith · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“He has also been a leader in sepsis advocacy, helping improve awareness, care and recovery for people affected by sepsis. Professor Hans Peter Soyer received his honour for distinguished service in dermatology, skin cancer diagnosis, medical research and governance.”
“His work aims to find skin cancers earlier, improve patient outcomes and address gaps in access to care, especially in regional, rural and remote Australia. Katarina Carroll AO APM received her honour for distinguished service to law enforcement, disaster management and the community.”
“This year's King's Birthday Honours recognised 14 Griffith recipients whose service reflects the best of our community. In my short few minutes here today, I want to acknowledge a few of them. Matthew Ames received his honour for significant service to community health, engineering, business administration and corporate governance.”
“Christine also contributed to the taskforce on domestic and family violence which delivered the landmark Not now, not ever report. She now serves on the board of DVConnect, continuing to work to support people experiencing violence and abuse. I also acknowledge the other Griffith recipients named in this year's honours.”
“Australia's strength has never come from sameness. It has come from the people who have built lives across difference, from our many First Nations communities with millennia of history and culture—the oldest continuous cultures on earth—to people who arrive with little English, little money and deep hope for their children, people who tur…”
“My friend the member for Reid said in this House in her maiden speech: In just over half a century, we have moved from an embrace of a White Australia policy to a country that is now a majority-migrant nation. But what is more remarkable is how this news was received—not with backlash but with a genuine embrace of modern Australia.”
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“So, when we speak about transparency and fair value for people footing the bill, we are talking about millions of Australians and thousands of families in places like Griffith who need to plan for the cost of their care with the right information in front of them. Schedule 1 of this bill is aimed at giving consumers clearer information about those medical fees that they can expect to be charged and the likely out-of-pocket costs associated with their private health care. In 2024-25, 8.6 per cent of Australians delayed or went without specialist care because of cost, which equates to more than 800,000 Australians each year delaying or forgoing the care that they need. One of the most common sources of out-of-pocket healthcare costs is specialist fees, and that is why transparency is so important.”
“They should be able to make that decision with confidence. At a national level, around 12.6 million Australians have some form of hospital cover, equal to 45.6 per cent of the population, according to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. In the December quarter of 2025, the average out-of-pocket cost for hospital admission was $471.29, with an average medical gap of $277.36. For many households, that's the difference between going ahead with the care or putting it off. In Queensland alone, nearly half of the state is covered by private health insurance. Within the Brisbane City Council region, including my community of Griffith, the ABS recorded 499,000 people with private health insurance in 2022.”
“It is home to young families, older residents, renters, students, health workers, carers and small business owners. We are also home to some of Queensland's most important health institutions, including the Princess Alexandra Hospital, the Mater precinct and the Queensland Children's Hospital. Our community understands the value of good care, but we also understand the pressure that comes when people cannot clearly see what that care might cost. Griffith is one of the nation's youngest electorates, with a median age of 34, and, with 48 per cent of private dwellings rented, there is not much room in household budgets for a surprise invoice. If someone in Griffith is referred to a specialist, they should not have to spend hours sifting through bits and pieces of information on top of the stress of a diagnosis or procedure.”
“It can leave families putting off care while they reshuffle the household budget or worrying that, at the end of a difficult health journey, they may be hit with costs that they simply did not anticipate. No-one should have to make a medical decision in the dark or only discover the price of their care after the fact. People should be able to ask a plain question and get a plain answer, and that is the context behind this bill. This bill is about helping Australians make informed decisions when they need specialist advice or treatment. It's about strengthening confidence in private health insurance by improving transparency, and it's about closing loopholes that have undermined trust. My electorate of Griffith is young, diverse and a growing community.”
“Someone trying to navigate the next step in their care, whether choosing a specialist, arranging tests, considering treatment options or preparing for a procedure, find themselves dealing with a system that feels complicated, opaque and just too hard to compare. At the very moment when people should be focused on their health, they are also left trying to work out what Medicare will cover, what the fund will pay and whether there will be an out-of-pocket cost. All the while, they are frustrated by the fact that it's so difficult to get a straight answer before the bill arrives. This uncertainty is not just an inconvenience; it can have serious repercussions. It causes real stress, can lead to delayed treatment and may contribute to poorer health outcomes.”
“Medicare is a cornerstone of fairness, providing universal access to essential care and forming the foundation of our healthcare system. Many Australians choose to complement that strong base with private insurance to provide additional options and reassurance, particularly for specialist care and elective procedures. When doing so, they want to know that if they need treatment, if their child needs a specialist referral, if their partner needs surgery or if a parent needs support, they will have choices available to them. Too often, people's experience with the private health system falls short of that standard. We hear the same story from colleagues, friends and family members.”
“This legislation is about making the private health system clearer, fairer and easier to navigate by improving the information available to patients about specialist fees and out-of-pocket costs and by closing a loophole that has allowed some private health insurance products to be repackaged in ways that undermine consumer trust. For people in my community of Griffith, these issues are felt in the everyday pressures families are managing—paying the mortgage or rent, keeping up with groceries or school costs, caring for children or ageing parents and trying to make sure that, when someone they love needs care, they can make an informed decision with confidence. Across Griffith, more than half of my constituents are covered by private health insurance because they want an additional measure of security and certainty.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I rise to speak on the Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026. It's fitting to speak on a health bill with you in the Chair, given your 37 years as a paediatrician in Campbelltown and your lifelong work helping children and families get the care that they need. I thank you for your contribution to paediatrics and also to the many, many thousands of patients that you have cared for over the years. When Australians make decisions about their health care, they should be able to understand the costs before them, not discover them after the bill arrives.”
“It was a Whitlam Labor government that introduced paid maternity leave for Commonwealth employees in 1973. But now, 50 years later, Senator Pauline Hanson wants to take us backwards. Labor will not let that happen. We are increasing paid parental leave to 26 weeks from 1 July.”
“One Nation believes a parent's time with their young children should depend on where they work and who they work for. I know how precious parental leave is for my family. Twenty months after I had my first child, I gave birth to my second baby. At that stage, my savings were completely depleted from my first six months of parental leave. I was incredibly thankful that, for 13 weeks, the government provided paid parental leave for baby No. 2. However, I could not afford to take any more time off. It's always been something that I have been very sad about. I returned to work earlier than I would've wanted to, so I had to juggle breastfeeding and two small kids with returning to work so quickly. Labor understands that raising a new baby is important work.”
“For 30 years I have stood against One Nation and Senator Hanson's policies of division, and I can hardly believe that, 30 years on, we are still here, having to call out the same old tired attacks on working families. At the National Press Club, Senator Hanson said, 'If women take time off and they are not paid their wages because they're not working, fair enough.' She then asked, 'Why should businesses pay? They're not at work.' And today, on morning television, she said, 'It's up to companies whether they want to have in their policy that they will give it to their workers.' We know millions of workers and young families across the private sector will be rightly shocked that she is telling them they do not deserve time away from work to care for their children, bond with their babies and establish their families.”
“Our urgent care clinics are also making a real difference, and in the last couple of weeks I visited two of them with our health minister. Across Griffith, they have seen more than 43,000 presentations, including 3,700 at Coorparoo, 5,400 at Carina and a staggering 34,000 at South Brisbane. These clinics are bulk-billed, walk-in and open for people who need urgent care but do not need the emergency department. Ashley from my community recently said she'd visited the clinic at Carina twice this year. She said she was so impressed by the service and she's always happy to pay for a GP, but these after-hour clinics are always so helpful.”
“Across Griffith, people want health care they can rely on close to home and within the family budget. They want cheaper scripts, easier access to a GP and confidence that their Medicare card has their back. That is why the Albanese Labor government is proudly strengthening Medicare and making health care more affordable. Since 1 July 2022, Griffith residents have saved more than $18.2 million on more than 2.1 million cheaper scripts. That is real money back in the pockets of local families, pensioners and workers. We're also seeing bulk-billing improve locally. In Griffith, bulk-billing rates increased from 58.7 per cent in October 2025 to 63.5 per cent in March 2026. As of 3 June 2026, eight practices that were previously mixed billing are now fully bulk-billing.”
“Labor is backing work, building homes and giving younger Australians a better opportunity to secure homeownership in the communities that they call home.”
“A first home buyer saving from their wages is paying rent while trying to build a deposit, but they are competing at inspections and auctions with investors who already have property equity and tax concessions on their side. There is nothing wrong with investing or owning property, but a tax system should not make the front door of homeownership harder to open for the next generation. From 2027-28, negative gearing for future residential investment will be directed towards building of new homes that we desperately need, while existing investments are protected. And, from 27 July, the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount will be replaced with inflation adjusted indexation, so investors are taxed on real gains, not inflations. It would be easier to do nothing, but Australians deserve a government that acts.”
“What a day to be a member of this parliament. Today, this House has passed the tax reform bills, delivering tax cuts for every worker and a fair go for first home buyers. Across Griffith, I meet young Australians working hard, saving carefully and hoping for a home where they can put down roots. But, for too many, that hope is moving too far away. Since the capital gains discount was introduced in 1999, house prices have risen by more than 400 per cent, more than twice the rate of the average full-time earnings. It will always be harder for a young Australian to buy their first home when the tax system makes it easier for someone else to buy their 10th. This is the unfairness these reforms address.”
“When the system gives greater advantage to someone buying their 10th home than it does to someone buying their first, we need to be prepared to ask whether it is still delivering a fair go. It would be easier to do nothing. Labor is choosing a fairer path, one that backs work, supports new homes and gives younger Australians a better opportunity to build secure lives in the communities they call home. For young people across Griffith, and across the country, the Australian dream cannot be blocked by a system that undermines them. It will always be harder, but we are choosing to direct investment towards building new homes.”
“I note that the member for Durack said that she's been speaking to young people in her community. I'm just not sure who they are, because the young people in my community are saying something very different. They are saying that they are doing everything that we ask of them—that they are saving and they are making careful choices about their future. For so many of them, they aspire to have a place of their own, somewhere to raise a family, put down roots and build a life. But that hope is becoming harder to realise. Rents are absorbing more of their income. House prices have moved further out of reach. All the while, young people are just working harder and harder and unable to get a foothold.”
“I am proud that the Albanese Labor government's latest budget commits a further $4.4 million to extend support for people living with eating disorders and their families, and $600,000 for a national platform bringing together prevention and treatment resources and standards.”
“She said: It changed my desire to live in this world, and be understood and heard, helped me to understand that the correlation with food and mental health is real. If I have not had the opportunity to come and being accepted into this the program, I probably would not be here. It gave me mental strength to keep moving forward and not giving up on myself. That is the power of compassionate community-based care. Eating disorders do not have one face, one age, one gender or one body type, yet too many people are still held back by cost, stigma, shame or the belief that they are not sick enough to deserve help.”
“Decades later, during a period of severe mental illness, she began experiencing binge eating. As her mental and physical health declined, she felt trapped, using food to punish herself. For years, she did not seek support. It was only when a psychologist recognised that her eating behaviour may be connected to a deeper distress that she found Eating Disorders Queensland. Through bITE, she was connected with a care navigator, a practitioner and lived-experience workers. She came to understand that she is not alone, that eating disorders can affect anyone in any body and that recovery is possible. She said that without the opportunity to be accepted into the program she probably would not be here. In her words, the support gave her the 'mental strength to keep going'.”
“Belinda's message was clear: early intervention is the best care. Belinda shared with me the story of a 62-year-old woman supported through the Eating Disorders Queensland bITE early intervention program. This story shows how long people can live with distress before finding that care. This lady's challenges with food began when she was just 19 years old. In the early 1980s, surrounded by harmful expectations about weight and appearance, she developed bulimia after experiencing judgement about her body, including being told to lose weight before beginning a course to become a waitress. For the first time, changing her body brought praise and a sense of acceptance. Even happy memories became tied to the message that she was more worthy when she looked a certain way.”
“Today marks World Eating Disorders Action Day, and this year's theme is 'Stop stigma. Start care. Together'. More than 1.1 million Australians experience an eating disorder each year, and more than one in 10 will experience one in their lifetime—our neighbours, friends and loved ones. In Queensland the past decade has seen a near threefold increase in people accessing eating disorder related health services and a fivefold increase in outpatient contacts, reflecting growing community need. Based in South Brisbane, in my community of Griffith, Eating Disorders Queensland provides therapy, peer support and connection for people in recovery and their carers and loved ones across the state. Recently I met with their CEO, Belinda, to hear about her team's extraordinary work and the importance of sustainable, community based support.”
“When she notices they have not stopped for lunch, she boils eggs, makes sandwiches and calls them over for a feed. Now, when she sees them on the scaffolding, she calls out with a laugh, 'I can see you're not working.' That is what a secure home makes possible. It is more than a key in a door. It is safety, dignity and independence. It's the freedom to plant a garden, to make friends, to care for others and to feel that you truly belong. These are homes for people who need stability, homes for vulnerable at-risk Australians, homes for essential workers to help keep our communities running and homes that give people the foundation to look ahead with confidence. A secure home gives people more than shelter. It gives them the confidence to plan, the dignity to participate and the opportunity to thrive.”
“Yesterday, I was delighted to welcome the Treasurer back to Stones Corner on Brisbane's south side to see firsthand how a secure home can transform a person's life. The last time the Treasurer joined me at this site, sometime last year, it was still under construction. Today, it is home to 82 new social and affordable homes close to transport, jobs, health care and the essential services that people rely on. We were welcomed by Janice into her beautiful new home—her castle, as she proudly calls it. Janice's balcony is already filled with plants, and she has shared cuttings with her neighbours, bringing colour to their balconies as well. She's also made friends with the tradies working on a large construction project next door.”
“This means a parent can get help for a child with a fever, a worker can get treated for a minor injury and an older person can be seen after a fall. Our community loves them. I recently heard from Rebecca, a single mother from Coorparoo. She wrote in to me about her local clinic. She said: I just wanted to thank you for the Urgent Care Clinic as I am not always able to afford to see a doctor due to being on Centrelink payments, studying and being a single mother of two kids. Today I had incredible tooth pain after having a tooth pulled and it becoming infected. Thank you dearly for providing this walk-in clinic. It is so helpful and beneficial to people on the lower socio-economic side of life. This story speaks volumes about why these clinics matter. This is what strengthening Medicare looks like, and this is what this budget delivers.”
“This year's federal budget is about helping people now while making responsible changes for the years ahead. It delivers cost of living relief, strengthens fuel security, lifts productivity and reforms our tax system to address longstanding housing challenges. In health, we continue to strengthen and invest in Medicare. The Albanese Labor government is delivering $1.8 billion to make Medicare urgent care clinics a permanent part of our health system. The clinics are fully bulk-billed, walk in, open for extended hours and designed for urgent but non-life-threatening care. They are essential to the health of our communities. In my community of Griffith, the South Brisbane, Coorparoo and Carina clinics have already seen more than 40,000 presentations.”
“When women help shape the budget, the budget better reflects the lives of the people that it is meant to serve. When our parliament looks more like the communities we serve, our democracy is stronger. In Griffith, I will keep listening to the women who shape our community every day, because their experiences should guide the decisions we make in this place. When women are safe, paid fairly, able to access health care and able to participate fully in work and community life, our whole community is stronger. That is the purpose of this Women's Budget Statement and that is the work this Labor government will continue to do.”
“We're also delivering the most substantial changes to the child support system in nearly 20 years, which will reduce the weaponisation of the child support system and help protect women and children from financial abuse. We know there is more work to do, but progress for women has not happened by accident. It happens when women are in the room, when women are heard and when women help shape the decisions that affect their lives. Under this Labor government, we have a gender-equal cabinet and women proudly make up 56 per cent of the Labor caucus. For too long, women were expected to carry the consequences of decisions they had little power to shape. Women are now in the room, not through tokenism but as leaders, decision-makers and equals.”
“Whether it's in reproductive health, menopause, mental health, pelvic pain, eating disorders or perinatal care, women deserve health services that take their experiences seriously. Women's safety remains a central priority. We've now invested more than $4.4 billion since 2022 towards the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children. This budget also includes $218.3 million to support 'Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices', the first long-term, First-Nations-led national strategy to end family, domestic and sexual violence. We're providing $61.2 million for the 500 Workers Initiative to support the frontline family, domestic and sexual violence response workforce, and $11.7 million to continue the Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties Scheme.”
“Our government's historic $792.9 million women's health package is already delivering better outcomes, including cheaper medicines and better access to contraceptives and menopause therapies. In this budget we are strengthening Medicare mental health centres where women make up more than 57 per cent of users. We're also investing in perinatal mental health through our expansion of perinatal mental health centres, including at Gidget House in Greenslopes at the Greenslopes Hospital, which is in my electorate. It has been supporting my community with three individual psychological counselling services for expectant, new and potential parents. At local women's health forums in Griffith that I have held over the last couple of years. I've heard women speak about the importance of being listened to, believed and supported when they seek care.”
“Paid parental leave, something that I discussed at length with Amelia, is also being expanded to reach six months from July this year, where eligible families with a baby born or adopted from July will be $14,000 better off than they would have been in May 2022. These reforms recognise something women have known for a long time: care is work and care supports work. When families can access affordable early learning, when parents can share care more fairly and when women are supported to return to work on their own terms, the whole economy benefits. We're also investing more than $1 billion in the Support at Home program, supporting women both as unpaid carers of many old people and as the majority of people who use the aged-care services. We are continuing our record investment in women's health.”
“We're introducing a $1,000 instant tax deduction for work related expenses without receipts, which will benefit around 6.2 million working women. For a woman earning around the average wage of $81,000, the combined benefit of our legislated tax cuts, the new tax offset and the instant tax deduction could mean she is nearly $3,000 a year better off from 2027-28 compared with the 2023-24 tax settings. Cheaper child care has already helped more than one million families, and the three-day guarantee will give families access to three days a week of subsidised early childhood education and care.”
“And I have seen it in all of our local sporting clubs and communities, including the Southside Eagles, who I joined with the other weekend. Women and girls are claiming space on the field, building confidence, backing each other and helping shape the future of women's sport. These local stories show why the Women's Budget Statement is so needed. When we talk about gender equality, we are talking about real women, real communities and real organisations doing this work every single day. This budget provides practical support for women and families. From 1 July, every Australian taxpayer will receive more tax cuts to help with cost-of-living pressures. On top of those cuts, we're delivering a new $250 working Australians tax offset.”
“I've seen it in the leadership of Mama Saba OAM, who founded the Eritrean Australian Women's and Families Support Network in West End, helping people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds build skills, confidence and community. I've seen it in organisations like the Immigrant Women's Support Service, led by Mitra, and from Deb Kilroy OAM and her team at Sisters Inside. These are two incredible organisations that support women through some of the hardest moments in their lives, with dignity, expertise and so much care. I've seen it from Tamara and Sue, just down the road from my electorate office, at the Queensland Country Women's Association, our state's largest and most widespread women's organisation.”
“Australia has recorded its highest ever international ranking for gender equality, moving to 13th in the world, up from 43rd when we came into government. Since 2023, women have also saved more than $647 million across 139 million prescriptions, including through cheaper medicines and expanded access to contraceptives and menopause therapies. That is meaningful progress, and we are ensuring progress reaches women in their daily lives—at work, at home, in caring roles, in study, in business and in moments when they need safety, dignity and support. In Griffith I see what women's leadership looks like every single day, like at the Women's Creative Centre in Greenslopes, which last year celebrated 50 years welcoming generations of women to learn skills, share knowledge, make things with their hands and build friendships.”
“For too long, budgets were treated as though they affect everyone in the same way, but decisions about tax, wages, child care, paid parental leave, health care, housing, superannuation and safety can land very differently in women's lives. We brought back the women's budget statement to make those impacts visible and to ensure gender equality is built into economic decision-making from the beginning. Good policy depends on seeing the whole picture—paid work and unpaid care, financial security and safety, health and housing, opportunity today and retirement security tomorrow. We are seeing the results. Since 2022, women's average weekly earnings have grown by almost $300 a week. More than one million families have benefited from cheaper child care.”
“Across Griffith, I hear echoes of Amelia's story all the time from women at school gates, mobile offices, community events, local cafes and small businesses, from students working while they study, from carers supporting older parents and from volunteers keeping our local organisations going. They talk to me about safety, services close to home, wages that reflect the value of their work and a government that sees the full contribution women make to our economy and to our communities. Those conversations are at the heart of the women's budget statement. The Hawke Labor government introduced the first women's budget statement in the 1980s, and, in 2022, the Albanese Labor government brought it back.”
“Last Friday, I sat down with the gorgeous Amelia for a coffee in Camp Hill. Amelia is a young parent raising her child, trying to start up a brand new small business and doing what so many women in our community do every day—holding many responsibilities at once. She's thinking about her child's future, her family, her business, her time and the pressures that come with trying to build a good life. As we spoke about family, work and the daily reality of running a small business, I was reminded how important it is that public policy meets people where they are at. For young parents like Amelia, for example, paid parental leave is part of the support that helps families navigate those early months with a little more security, time and breathing room.”
“It does not accurately reflect inflation and, depending on returns as a result, that can overcompensate investors while also undercompensating others. Our reforms return to cost base indexation based on CPI, with a 30 per cent minimum tax on real capital gains. In plain terms, investors will not be taxed on inflationary gains; only their real gains. The reforms only apply to gains after 1 July 2027, and only when the gain is realised. Those opposite would protect the status quo. Labor is building a fairer tax system, a stronger economy and a housing market that gives more Australians a chance to get ahead.”
“New builds can continue to be negatively geared before and after 1 July 2027. Properties held before the budget night will be grandfathered. If someone has already made an investment decision under the existing rules, they can continue to negatively gear the property until it's sold. I think they are all really important items in this discussion to understand, because there is just so much fearmongering going on at the moment. This is careful, responsible policy design which protects existing investment decisions while making sure future tax settings better support housing supply, an issue that this government is absolutely committed to confronting head on. We are also reforming the capital gains tax. The current 50 per cent discount was introduced in 1999.”
“I think most people on this side agree with that. He also did say in this place: The tax system is screwing over young Australians. Those opposite would leave this system untouched. They would leave younger Australians to keep falling further behind. They would tell first home buyers to work harder, save harder and wait longer while defending tax settings—we heard it this afternoon—that have helped push homeownership out of the reach for too many. Young Australians should not be left behind in a country they are helping to build. From 1 July 2027, negative gearing for residential property will be limited to new builds. That means investments will be directed towards adding more homes to supply. People will still be able to invest in property. People will still be able to build wealth.”
“Between 2001 and 2021, the homeownership rate for households aged 25 to 34 declined by seven per cent. We know that the system is broken and is not working. I will share some words from someone I have a lot of respect for, Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor. He said of the current system: The system lets wealthy families with good accountants pay less tax than nurses and tradies. That doesn't pass the pub test. Someone else who I have quite a bit of time for—I might be the only one on this side of the House—is the shadow treasurer. I do co-chair a parliamentary friendship group with the shadow treasurer. I'm not going to win any friends on this side! This is good evidence for why we should give him a little bit of time. He has said, in his wisdom: There is no intergenerational justice in such preferential arrangements.”
“They are about building a better, fairer and simpler tax system that works for more Australians, not just those who already have wealth behind them. We are delivering reform that takes our intergenerational responsibilities seriously. This government will not leave younger Australians with a broken housing system—unlike those opposite. Housing is one of the biggest issues I hear about across Griffith. I hear it from young people who are working hard, saving carefully and doing everything they were told to help get ahead. They are studying, working extra shifts, building careers, starting families and putting money aside for a deposit all while paying rent in one of the toughest housing markets we have ever seen. Since 1999, housing prices have risen more than twice as fast as average full-time earnings.”
“Across Griffith, people are working hard to build secure, decent lives. People are raising children, caring for parents, running small businesses, studying, renting, saving, working and contributing to our community. They are making careful choices about household budgets, and they want a government that understands those pressures. That's why this is a budget that delivers practical help now and responsible reform for the future. It strengthens Medicare and backs in workers, it supports small business, investment and innovation—we are strengthening our fuel supply chains—and it delivers the most significant tax reforms in more than a quarter of a century. These reforms are measured, targeted and responsible.”
“Our progress is clear: women's average weekly earnings have grown by almost $300 since 2022, more than one million families have benefited from cheaper child care, paid parental leave is expanding to six months and women have saved more than $647 million through cheaper medicines and better access to contraceptives and menopause therapies. In Griffith, women lead across every part of community life. Their leadership is practical, generous and often quiet, but it is felt in every suburb of our community. This budget backs them. It backs their work, their safety and their health. There is more to do, but, under the Albanese Labor government, women are in the cabinet room and in the caucus room at record levels, helping shape the decisions that affect our lives, affect our communities and affect our families.”
“Last Friday, I sat down for a coffee with Amelia from Camp Hill, a young parent raising her child, running a small business and doing what so many women in Griffith do every day, carrying family, work, care and community all at once. She was thinking about her child's future, her business, her time and the pressures of building a good life. As policymakers, we cannot pretend that decisions we make in this place impact everyone in the community in the same way. Decisions about wages, child care, paid parental leave, health, housing, safety and superannuation affect women in specific ways. That's why Labor brought back the Women's Budget Statement—to build gender equality into decision-making from the start—after those opposite scrapped it.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. What will today's default market offer mean for power prices? What policies are reducing the cost of power, and what policies would make power more expensive?”
“Our approach is clear for working Australians: people who work hard should be able to keep more of what they earn. We're introducing a $250 working-Australians tax offset that will benefit more than 13 million workers, including around 1.5 million sole traders. We're also introducing a $1,000 instant tax deduction, making tax time easier and delivering cost-of-living relief for workers who claim work related expenses. Together with tax cuts already delivered and legislated, these measures mean an Australian worker on average earnings could be up to $2,816 better off each year. This is Labor's approach: helping households with the pressures they face today while strengthening Medicare, building more homes, backing workers, lifting productivity and making our tax system fairer.”
“I am proud to be part of a government that backs aspiration for all, because the opportunity to build a secure future should not depend on whether you own property already. It should be within reach for the young worker trying to buy a first unit, the family saving for a modest home, the renter hoping for stability and the next generation working hard to build a life of their own. We are also investing a further $2 billion in enabling infrastructure to help build 65,000 more homes, extending the ban on foreign investors buying existing homes, continuing support for social and affordable housing through the Housing Australia Future Fund and providing $59.4 million to community housing providers to help secure housing for young people at risk or those experiencing homelessness.”