Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: It is the final sitting week of 2025. This year, the Australian people returned the Albanese Labor Government to deliver for Australian people. It is great to be here with one of the excellent new additions to Parliament, my mate, Tom French the Member for Moore. And the Member for Dunkley, Jodie Belyea, excellent to have seen her returned here to deliver for Australians. And that's what we have been focused on all year.
You see that in the legislation that we passed this year to deliver on our 20 per cent reduction for HECS and student debt for 3 million Australians. Right now, Australians are literally waiting by their mobile phone, waiting for that text message to tell them that their student debt has been cut by 20 per cent thanks to the decisions of the Australian people, and the action and delivery by the Albanese Labor Government.
Then you have the action we have taken to make sure that some 14 million Australians get a tax cut. We committed to two more tax cuts for the Australian people. Labor voted for it. Others opposed it. Others went to an election saying they didn't believe that Australians should get two more tax cuts. We stood up to make sure that Australians could earn more and keep more of what they earn.
It is exactly what we did with our legislation to protect penalty rates for millions of Australians who rely upon them. And our legislation to deliver Payday Super, making sure that people get their superannuation when they get their pay packets. Again, that is going to deliver huge benefits for millions of Australians in their retirement.
And then there's the legislation that we all voted for to make sure that we get medicines cheaper for every Australian who relies on a PBS script, down to $25 a script from the first of January.
It is all about delivery, and it's all about coming to this place every single sitting week to deliver for the Australian people. And that's what I'm really proud the Albanese Government has been focused on. Now we've delivered a lot through the Parliament. There's one big piece of work left to do. We are determined to see the five year discussion that has been happening, a five year discussion that Sussan Ley herself kicked off, come to a conclusion where we can get an environmental reform package through this Parliament this week, that is better for Australia's environment, creates more jobs and is smoother for business. Making sure that we don't rely on the Howard-era laws, that we have something modern for Australia's modern economy, and to back Australian jobs. That is what these reforms are all about, and I urge every Member of Parliament to vote for them when they have the opportunity to this week.
Now, of course, we're focused on delivery, and it's been pretty clear you don't need to be an astute political analyst to recognise that the other side have been focused on division. That has been clear. We have had fight after fight within the Coalition party room. I think one of the most curious things about this year is you've seen a range of people undermining the leader of the Liberal Party, from the very top. From the Leader of the National Party, remember they had that brief split just a few months ago. But the other person who spent so much of this year saying in media interviews, jumping on radio, jumping on Sky News, saying that he should be leader. We have seen Andrew Hastie out there, putting the case as to why he should be leader. Well, it's the end of the year, the final sitting week, what's he going to do? I've got a hot tip. I don't think Andrew Hastie has the ticker to be leader, and I don't think he's got the courage to nominate to be leader. Simple as that. He talks a big game. But like with so many things, when it comes to the Liberal Party, when it comes to delivery, they fall way short.
I am going to throw now to a Western Australian who's committed to delivery, someone who is a key part of our big visit with the Ministry to Western Australia last week. I'll throw over to my mate, Tom French.
TOM FRENCH, MEMBER FOR MOORE: Thanks, Patrick. It is good to be back in Canberra. After a very busy week, it was great to have the Prime Minister back in Western Australia, his 38th visit since becoming the Prime Minister. And it is the sixth time Cabinet has visited. They met down in Busselton and Bunbury, where they had a meeting with the local Chamber of Commerce at another great local Western Australian brewery, Shelter.
While they were down south, they managed to drop in to see all the new critical minerals that have been going on down at Wagerup with Alcoa, employing about 1500 workers there at Wagerup, and another 1000 at Alcoa. It is just great to see more Australian jobs being brought to Western Australia through the Albanese Labor Government's commitment to critical minerals.
They also dropped up to HMAS Stirling there to see the USS Vermont, which is another $8 billion investment. There has been massive investment there at HMAS Stirling and again, creating more and more jobs for Western Australia.
We will continue to work with the Cook Labor Government to deliver for Western Australians. Over 100,000 people have taken advantage of Free TAFE in Western Australia, and then over 200,000 people have visited Urgent Care Clinics in Western Australia. These are examples of successful Albanese Labor Government programs. It is good to see the Albanese Labor Government and all of us committed to delivering for Western Australians. I'll hand over now to the Member for Dunkley.
JODIE BELYEA, MEMBER FOR DUNKLEY: Thanks, Tom. Good morning everyone. I'm very excited that this week students, those with a HECS debt, received a text on their phone letting them know that a 20 per cent HECS debt relief is on the way and on their statement. In addition to this, the Minister for Housing, Clare O'Neil, announced the third HAFF round. On Friday this week just gone, I hosted a range of investors, community housing providers, builders and state and local government to look at the housing needs in the city of the electorate of Dunkley. We were able to come together and talk about what the needs, gaps and opportunities are. I'm very excited to see that there will be a number of organisations putting applications in for the HAFF round to build 21,000 more homes in our community.
GORMAN: Thanks. Enjoy the final sitting week.
BELYEA: Yes.
FRENCH: Cheers guys.
