House of Representatives

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister announced a historic $573 million investment for women's health, including the initial PBS listing for new oral contraceptive pills in over 30 years and new menopausal hormone therapies in over 20 years. He noted that the package includes increased Medicare payments for long-term contraceptives and more clinics for endometriosis and pelvic pain. He highlighted broader Medicare strengthening measures, such as tripling the bulk-billing incentive, saving Australians more than $1 billion on medicines, and delivering 87 urgent care clinics. He contrasted this with the opposition's previous record, citing a funding freeze, a proposed GP tax, and $50 billion in cuts to public hospital funding.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister stated that Ambassador Rudd had met with President Trump, the Defence Minister had met with the US Defence Minister over the weekend, and the Foreign Minister attended the inauguration. He affirmed that the government would continue to engage diplomatically with the United States to resolve the issue.

Answer from Catherine King

The Minister detailed a half-billion-dollar package including PBS listings for common contraceptive pills and menopause hormone therapies, effective from 1 March. She noted these changes would save women between $250 and $577 annually depending on their status. The package also includes a 150 per cent boost to Medicare rebates for IUDs and implants, saving up to $400 for around 300,000 women, and a new rebate for menopause health assessments. Additionally, trials will allow pharmacists to provide contraceptives and treat uncomplicated UTIs. The Minister contrasted this with the opposition's history of attempting to introduce a GP tax and cut healthcare funding.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister emphasized that the government's focus is on increasing housing supply through the $32 billion Homes for Australia plan. He highlighted recent legislation for build-to-rent incentives, 20,000 no-fee TAFE spots in construction, and $10,000 apprenticeship incentives. He noted that the government is building 1.2 million homes, including 55,000 social housing units, and has increased rent assistance by more than 45 per cent since the election. He criticized the opposition for opposing these supply-side measures and favoring corporate tax cuts.

Answer from Mark Butler

The Minister stated that the government is addressing decades of neglect in women's health, particularly regarding contraception and menopause. He noted that the package includes new PBS listings for oral contraceptives, higher fees for doctors providing IUDs and implants, and improved training for GPs. He highlighted that the package has been broadly welcomed by medical, nursing, pharmacy, and women's organizations. He emphasized that women consume about 60 per cent of health services and face significant costs, which the new measures aim to reduce.

Answer from Tony Burke

The Minister explained that applications for the visa were closed on 31 July last year due to integrity concerns and a lack of compliance staff. He cited Productivity Commission figures indicating the visa cost the Australian economy $2.5 billion by displacing skilled migration. He noted that the previous government had cut compliance staff from 360 to 203. He referenced the Nixon review, which found mass exploitation and human trafficking linked to the visa, and stated that the Productivity Commission found no case for retaining the category.

Answer from Mark Dreyfus

The Attorney-General did not address the question on mandatory sentencing. Instead, he spoke about the government's actions to combat antisemitism, including legislation to ban Nazi salutes, criminalize hate speech, and prohibit the glorification of terrorist acts. He criticized the opposition for politicizing the trauma of the Jewish people and for failing to act on hate crimes.

Answer from Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs) (Australian Labor Party)

The Attorney-General emphasized the importance of unity against antisemitism, citing his personal connection to the Holocaust and the recent legislative actions taken by the government to criminalize hate speech and extremist material. He called for bipartisanship in addressing the issue.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer listed tax cuts, energy bill relief, cheaper medicines, and increased rent assistance as key measures. He cited Westpac economists' forecasts that core inflation is moderating faster than anticipated, with headline inflation expected to fall to 2 per cent this quarter. He contrasted the government's responsible economic management, which delivered two surpluses, with the opposition's lack of costed policies and reliance on secret cuts. He warned that the opposition's plans would require cuts to Medicare, pension indexation, and housing.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister stated that the federal government works constructively with all state and territory governments. He highlighted agreements to provide extra education money for each student in Victoria, totaling over $16 billion, and $1.7 billion for Victorian hospitals. He criticized the opposition for lacking coherent economic policies and for previously presiding over rising inflation, low wages, and crisis in aged care and bulk-billing.

Answer from Anne Aly

The Minister outlined reforms focused on affordability, supply, and workforce stability. She noted that a family earning $120,000 is better off by $2,768 annually due to cheaper childcare. She highlighted fee caps linked to wage increases, limiting fee rises to 4.4 per cent initially and 4.2 per cent subsequently. She warned that the opposition's lack of policy and reliance on cuts would leave families worse off, contrasting this with the government's commitment to building early learning centers and guaranteeing 72 hours of subsidized care per fortnight.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister committed to reviewing the ideas in the bill and agreed on the importance of intergenerational equity. He highlighted government actions such as establishing the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, the Office of Youth Affairs, and more robust intergenerational reports. He noted that debt is $177 billion lower than forecast and cited investments in education, housing, and climate action as addressing young people's concerns. He also mentioned the commitment to cut student debt by 20 per cent in the second term.

Answer from Anika Wells

The Minister stated that the government put over $15 billion into raising award wages for more than 250,000 aged-care workers since 2023. She noted that registered nurses are earning an extra $14,685 annually and personal care workers are earning an extra $10,573, with additional savings from tax cuts. She highlighted fee-free TAFE places for 130,000 students in care courses. She contrasted this with the opposition's lack of support for pay rises or fee-free TAFE, criticizing their policy of allowing taxpayer-funded corporate lunches.