Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: I’m Patrick Gorman, the Federal Member for Perth and the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister. Today marks one year since the full Albanese Government Ministry was sworn in. And since that time, I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve established the Integrity Commission. We’ve put through our Budget, which has cheaper childcare for 1.2 million Australian families. We have taken serious action on the inflationary pressures in the economy, including when it comes to cheaper power bills for so many Australians. And we’ve seen serious considered action on climate change, which so many have been calling for.
And today also marks one month until cheaper childcare starts for 1.2 million Australian families, making sure that we have more families able to get the childcare that they need. They can get back into the workforce. It’s good for Australia. And it’s good for children. And this is something which was just one month ago, I urge all parents, all families who might be eligible for that cheaper childcare, to go and get the information that’s out there to have a look at what it means. To talk to your early childhood educators so that whether you need that extra day so you can do a bit more work, or whether you need that opportunity to be able to get your child in for an additional day, or indeed looking at putting your children into childcare for the first time. Cheaper childcare starts in one month. And that is something which is to be celebrated.
But if I go back three weeks ago – today also marks three weeks since Peter Dutton delivered his Budget reply. And for three weeks I’ve been out there looking for where his costings are. We haven’t found them in this building. We haven’t found them in the papers of Australia. We haven’t seen them when he goes on ABC, Channel 7, Channel Nine or Channel Ten. These costings are not out there. So we’ve seen – this was supposed to be Peter Dutton’s big moment, his big chance to show his policy agenda – but we don’t have a single costing for a single policy that he put out there.
Meanwhile, we have continued to work through our carefully-costed, carefully-considered pieces of legislation through this Parliament this week. The big one, of course was getting the Constitutional Alteration through the House of Representatives. For 122 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People have not been recognised in our Constitution. And yesterday, 121 Parliamentarians voted to allow the Australian people to have their say later this year. 18 million Australians will get their say.
What we’ve also seen go through the Parliament is the amendments for the Inspector-General of Animal Welfare. Because people like me in my electorate of Perth want to make sure that we do everything we can at a Federal level to protect animal welfare.
When it comes to what we’ve done on social services. We’ve seen the legislation going through the Parliament to increase the rate of Jobseeker, making sure that we support the most vulnerable in our society through rent allowance in rent assistance increases. And again, we saw that go through the Parliament, again, because the people of Australia chose to elect an Albanese Labor Government.
And then, as I know that, around this place, everyone yesterday and everyone today will be talking about the State of Origin. But for Western Australia, obviously, it’s WA Day later this week, and I’m just going to finish by saying some things about two great Western Australians.
Two great Western Australians being my dear friend Mark McGowan, who I’ve worked closely with for many years. I just want to say how happy I am for Mark and Sarah McGowan as they go on the next stage of their life. Mark has done so much for Western Australia. He’s done so much for the nation. I think that’s important to recognise, as I stand here today.
The Western Australian economy has been an essential part of the Australian economy and the Australian economic story over recent years. Mark showed so much leadership during COVID. He’s shown so much leadership on important things like TAFE, on education, on investing in public transport. And I want to pay tribute to Mark McGowan for all of that work, and for working so closely in collaboration with myself, the Prime Minister, the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Cabinet, and, indeed, the Federal Parliament. He will be missed, but I am genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, happy for him and his family, for what lies ahead for them.
And then there is of course, more steps to go for the WA Labor Party as they choose their new leader and then Premier.
But, I’ve known Roger Cook for many years. I’ve known him since I was a child. Roger Cook is one of those incredibly decent people who has continued to be decent, despite that long time he has spent in Parliament. He continues to stand up for things he believes in. Standing up for compassion, standing up for making sure that we do deliver for the most vulnerable and society. And I think about the values that drive me, the values that drive Roger and his team. Those values are Labor values. And it’s so good to see. You know, the idea that he’ll be able to continue the work he’s done as a core part of the WA Labor Government, I’m really excited about.
And I think about the partnership that the Federal Government has with the Premier of Western Australia. That partnership is as strong as ever. That partnership that we have between the Australian Government and the Premier of Western Australia is delivering power bill relief for 498,000 Western Australians. That partnership is delivering fee free TAFE to 19,000 Western Australians. That partnership is building the biggest-ever expansion of our public transport system in Western Australia in Metronet, including the Perth-Morley-Ellenbrook line, which as the Member for Perth I’m particularly fond of.
And that partnership with the West Australian Premier later this year will see Prime Minister Albanese, Roger Cook and so many others out there campaigning for the Voice. Looking to make that big, important change to our Constitution to recognise our First Australians in the Constitution. That affects all six states and two territories, affects the hearts of every Australian. And I look forward to joining Roger Cook and the WA Labor team out there campaigning for the Voice, making it a reality in Western Australia, making it a reality for the nation. Thank you.
