³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: This week, Parliament has important choices ahead of it. Do we continue to build Australia’s future? Or do we take the path advocated by the Opposition, that path of going backwards? Back to the good old days of Robodebt, the good old days of secret ministries and the good old days of promises made from the Coalition but never kept.

This week, the Parliament gets to choose, do we build Australia’s future? Just as the Australian people get to choose in just a few months time, do we build Australia’s future or we go backwards under the Liberals?

We saw that on the weekend, this government has for three years, continued to invest in Medicare. Strengthening Medicare with Medicare Urgent Care Clinics. And then on the weekend, the $500 million package for women’s health. Supporting women with new contraceptives. Supporting women through more support for menopause. And strengthening Medicare when it comes to support for both endometriosis and pelvic pain.

Really important changes and important things that all members of the Parliament engage in. Blokes don’t talk about women’s health enough, but it’s really important. I want to commend all involved in putting that important announcement together to recognise that when we can do more to support women’s health, we should do more. And that’s exactly what this government has done.

Similarly, when we can do more to build Australia’s future by making sure that we have support for the industries of our future when it comes to critical minerals and critical minerals processing, we know that Australia has so much of the minerals that the world needs, but we want to make sure that we’re refining them here in Australia.

That’s why we put in the Critical Minerals Production Tax Credit plan, a plan to make sure that we grow Australian industry, Australian jobs, and grab those big opportunities of the future. And again, there’s a choice for the Parliament, and all parliamentarians, especially in the Coalition. Do they choose to build Australia’s future and grab the opportunities, or do they choose to just say no?

Similarly, we’ve got the commitments that we’ve put forward to keep the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Broadband Network in public hands. The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Broadband Network was built by Australians for Australians, and it should be owned by Australians. I don’t want to see an essential service like the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Broadband Network sold off into private hands, and the legislation we’ve put into Parliament will keep it in the hands of the Australian people forever.

We are also trying to make sure that we put more affordable food into the hands of those who need it most. I want to commend the work that Malarndirri McCarthy has done when it comes to making sure that we have 30 items across 76 remote stores across Australia at an affordable price. Part of our commitment to Closing the Gap. And we’ll hear more of the Government’s plans to make sure that we lose that gap in the statement from the Prime Minister later today.

We will also continue the Government’s plans to make sure that we invest in the future of our people. We know that when it’s a choice about whether you build up our people or whether you put roadblocks in their way, we choose to build people up.

From the earliest years through our Three Day Guarantee, through to lifelong learning, through what we’re doing to try and make Free TAFE permanent. Something that has been a huge success across the country, something that has made sure that thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands of Australians kind of grab those opportunities.

Those opportunities for a new career, opportunities to make a new contribution to this country, and opportunities to pay more tax, because it means that they can have those great, well-paying jobs. Where they can ensure that they’re earning, providing for their family and helping grow our economy. It’s a really great initiative, the Free TAFE initiative. That’s why we want to legislate it for the future, because it helps lift people’s salaries, helps lift their opportunities. That helps lift our economy.

What we will continue to do every day for this week of Parliament and every day between from now to the election, is to put plans in front of the Australian people that build Australia’s future. Choices to make sure that we can grow the nation. And we’ll continue to point out the problems with the plans that are put forward by the Coalition.

This week in Parliament, we will continue to apply close and careful scrutiny to the plans from Peter Dutton to provide a $1.6 billion tax break for long lunches. The Australian people never asked for this tax break. The Australian people know that this tax break will, in fact, leave them worse-off at the expense of giving their boss a cheaper long lunch.

Now I don’t know, I’m not across all of what the Coalition thinks here, but if they think they’re going to get productivity gains by sending people out for long lunches, I think they need to go back to the classroom. This plan, every way that you look at it, from productivity, it’s a stinker. From the cost, it’s a stinker. And when it comes to fairness, it’s an absolute stinker. And people deserve so much better from a Coalition who have, time and time again, said that they’ve got all these plans, they’ve costed them all. They’re just not going to release the costings for the Australian people to scrutinise.

And finally, if I just say, as an Australian, I don’t follow US sports closely, but I know there’s a number of Australians who are following Jordan Mailata quite closely today as he goes for the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles. There’ll be communities across Australia cheering him on.

I join in that, and even as a Fremantle Dockers supporter, one of the hardest things for me to say is ‘Go Eagles.’ But on this occasion, as an Australian, I say ‘Go Eagles,’ and wish them the absolute best for all that comes at the the biggest sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl.