Source: Prime Minister of Australia
strong>ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Welcome back. Of course, we came back early to deal with the immediate consequences of December 14, the antisemitic terrorist attack. And we got the legislation through, not in the form that we originally proposed, because some of it was unable to receive support of people who had called for the precise measures that we introduced into the Parliament. But the legislation on guns and hate speech that we were able to carry through the Parliament was a significant advance. And the commitment of this group to not just talk about bringing Parliament back and getting reform done but actually support it and vote for it, was a major beginning for this year.
In January, of course, we got a lot done. I stood in this room after the election in May of 2025 and said that I wanted it to be the year of delivery, that we wanted to fulfil the commitments that we took to the Australian people. If you have a look at what we’ve been doing this month, we’ve been doing just that. On the 1st of January, 1800MEDICARE came into being, and already tens of thousands of Australians have benefited from that. The Cheaper Medicines, down to $25, began in January, the same price they were in 2004. When you look at measures and improve people’s health, but also our cost of living measures, that has been a real focus for us. We’ve now opened 120 of the 137 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics. We’ve been opening them right around the country over the last couple of months as well.
On the 6th of January, the Three Day Child Care Guarantee came in, making an enormous difference, particularly for women, to be able to participate in the workforce, removing an area of real discrimination that was keeping people in a trap where they couldn’t work, but they couldn’t get subsidy as well for child care. It was a perverse system that was in place.
Since then, as well, on Friday, a really important reform, the Health and Hospitals Agreement, a landmark reform, but it also is connected up with reform of the National Disability Insurance Scheme to make sure that it’s sustainable into the future. $25 billion for our public hospital system across the board, making sure, when you combine that with the work that we have done in taking pressure off emergency departments through Urgent Care Clinics, in making sure as well, that we have the opening of the Medicare Mental Health Centres. If you look at the tripling of the bulk billing incentive that has led to a situation whereby there’s an extra 1,300 medical practices around Australia are now fully bulk billed as a direct result of that reform.
All of these measures, improving people’s quality of life, immediately giving them access to health care, access to child care, and in the next week as schools go back, will be the beginning of our fully funded public schools system for the first time that that has ever happened. The beginning of that rollout, making sure that people can have the confidence that every child will get the opportunity in life that they deserve. So, education, health, housing.
On Saturday, we began the first rollout with South Australia of the housing deal. 17,000 additional homes being built, 7,000 of those reserved for first home buyers. Making sure that they get the infrastructure in place at the same time as the houses are being built. We need to move away from the idea that you just have suburbs rolled out without the community infrastructure, let alone the water and roads and other facilities which are there. Working through this agreement, providing an incentive. The Commonwealth working with state and territory governments across the board to make a difference.
All of these things put in place over the summer period. More to do in the lead up to the Budget, where we will look towards significant reform. We know that there are real cost of living pressures still there in our economy – that’s why we have plans to actually do something about it. That is the focus of this united, cohesive, orderly government, led by the people in this room, across our united caucus.
And it stands in contrast with our opponents. Because you can’t fight for Australia if you’re obsessed by fighting each other. And that is what we are seeing on the other side with the fragmentation of people competing for who can be more right wing, who can be more divisive, who can dislike their own people more and more. We’re very focused on the national interest, as we bring Parliament back for its normal sitting schedule during this period. We will continue to look for how we can make sure that we have sustainability in our systems, that we provide responsible economic management, that we continue to deliver for people in lifting up their quality of life.
That is our focus each and every day in this room. The last time that we sat, we passed the significant environmental reforms during that last sitting week as part of the package of legislation that we were able to achieve through the Parliament. As we continue to roll out our reforms this week, we continue also to be engaged internationally, whether it be the agreement that we set last week with Timor-Leste, this Friday, I’ll be in Indonesia to sign the Treaty that we agreed with President Prabowo at the end of last year. Again, making sure that in this region and in the world that we’re engaged in a way that protects our national interest. So, back to work. That’s what we are focused on. The other side, we’ll allow them to engage in their bizarre behaviour.
I note that Married At First Sight begins tonight and it’s a bit like that with the relationships on the other side. You know they’re going to end badly. You know there’s going to be cheating involved and they’re going to be not truthful to each other and, you know, that’s what we’re seeing played out in real-time down the other, I’m not sure if they’re down the other end of the corridor or where their meetings are taking place at this point in time, but we’ll continue to be focused. Thanks.
