What Anthony Albanese has promised to Australia as our next prime minister

As congratulations pour in for prime minister elect Anthony Albanese, many are turning their minds to what a Labor-led government will mean for the country.

In his victory speech on Saturday night, Albanese, who will soon become the nation’s 31st prime minister, said he was humbled by the win and promised a more united Australia.

“No matter how you voted … the government I lead will respect every one of you every day,” he told the crowd.

“We can have an even better future if we seize the opportunities that are right there in front of us.”

So what will Australia look like under a new government? Here are some of the key policies Labor has promised.

Cost of living
The cost of living – intensified by soaring inflation and rising interest rates, as well as global challenges from the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine – fast became one of the key election issues.

Minimum wage

Albanese says Labor will get wages moving to keep up with inflation, including backing a 5.1 per cent rise in the minimum wage if it’s recommended by the Fair Work Commission.

Tax cuts

So-called stage 3 tax cuts, legislated under the previous government, are locked in.

Costing around $19 billion a year, the 32.5 per cent marginal tax rate will be cut to 30 per cent (from July 2024) for everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000 – effectively making one big tax bracket.

It means a potential gain of $1,125 per year for an individual on $90,000, rising to $9,075 per year for a person on $200,000 or more.

Medicine costs

Albanese said he would match a measure promised by outgoing PM Scott Morrison which looks to expand eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

This means 50,000 more older Australians will have access to cheaper medications and health care, as well as be entitled to some state, territory and local government savings, such as discounted rates, electricity and gas bills, and public transport.

Education
Labor’s $1.2 billion investment will see additional places at universities and free TAFE courses.

One year of free broadband will also be given to 30,000 families who don’t have access to the internet at home.

Early childhood

Under a Labor government, Albanese said providing cheaper childcare would boost participation and productivity in the workforce.

University and TAFE

Labor has promised that universities will get $480 million to deliver up to 20,000 extra places over two years.

It has also vowed to boost teacher numbers by paying 5000 students with an ATAR of 80 or higher $10,000 a year to study teaching, and an additional $2000 if they move to a regional or rural area.

As for TAFE, Labor pledged to spend $621 million over four years to cover the cost of 465,000 places in an effort to address Australia’s skills shortage.

In addition, a $50 million TAFE Technology Fund is set to be established to improve facilities across the country, and $100 million will be invested to create 10,000 new energy apprenticeships.

Jobs and pensions

Labor plans to support wage reviews and to address the gender pay gap through the Fair Work Act.

It will also provide new protections for gig-economy workers, invest $1 billion into advanced manufacturing projects and make wage theft a crime nationally.

Small business

Labor says it will require small business invoices to be paid within 30 days, and will reduce merchant fees, standardise disaster support payments for small business owners, and slash red tape at tax time.

Health
Health care, especially after the height of the pandemic, has become an ongoing hot button issue.

Labor has promised almost $1 billion in new Medicare funding will be made available.

This includes $750 million over three years for a new “Strengthening Medicare Fund”, which will aim to improve access and care for patients, as well as $220 million in grants for GPs to train staff, supply new equipment and upgrade telehealth services.

The COVID-19 pandemic

Frontline workers have consistently said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is crippling hospitals.

Labor has announced a plan for 50 urgent-care clinics, costing $135 million over four years, to try to take some pressure off hospitals.

Mental health

The federal budget has already allocated $547 million over five years to mental health services, including for regional suicide prevention programs, digital and youth mental health services and eating disorder care plans.

Labor has committed $31 million to reinstate funding for telehealth psychiatric services over four years for people living in regional or rural areas.

Aged care

Labor has pledged $2.5 billion to overhaul the aged care system, including ensuring a registered nurse is on-site 24 hours a day.

Tough penalties will be introduced in a bid to address systematic abuse and neglect in aged care facilities.

NDIS

Funding cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme became a major issue this election, with the average participant seeing a four per cent cut to their plan between 2020 and 2021.

While four per cent doesn’t sound like a lot, the impact can be potentially devastating – with many service providers already operating at a loss, any further cuts could lead to a lower level of care.

Labor has promised to boost staffing levels, fix regional access, reduce wasteful administrative expenses, boost efficiency, stop cuts to plans and co-design changes to the scheme with the sector.

Housing
It’s never been more difficult – or expensive – to enter the property market.

The median house price in Australia is $1.07 million, up more than 18 per cent from March last year, with the median price in Sydney increasing by around $1100 a day last year to $1.6 million, according to Domain.

It’s not much better for renters – not only have rental prices surged over the past two years but the market is unable to keep up with demand, with the national vacancy rate at a multi-year low of one per cent.

Labor has backed a lot of the measures outlined by Scott Morrison to address these issues, including the HomeBuilder program to help eligible Australians buy or renovate a property.

However, Albanese did not support the Super Home Buyer Scheme, claiming it wouldn’t help those entering the housing market as they typically had the lowest superannuation savings.

Instead, the ALP’s $329 million shared equity scheme will help low- and middle-income earners enter the market, with the government taking up to a 40 per cent stake in the property they buy.

Environment and climate change action
Albanese has committed to not introducing a carbon or mining tax.

He pledged to reach zero emissions by 2050 to help keep global warming under two degrees Celsius.

Labor has said it will make electric vehicles cheaper and build charging stations across the nation, as well as invest $80 million for 16 hydrogen refuelling stations on our busiest freight routes.

Another $194.5 million will be put into Great Barrier Reef protection programs, plus there will be funding for various other projects including fixing local waterways and catchments, and establishing a National Water Commission.

Integrity
Labor has promised a National Anti-Corruption Commission will be legislated by the end of the year.

Sports broadcasting
Albanese has vowed his government will review the anti-siphoning scheme, saying major sporting events should be on free-to-air TV.

The anti-siphoning scheme gives free-to-air broadcasters the first opportunity to acquire the television rights to major events.

Indigenous affairs
Labor says it will implement the Uluru Statement – Voice, Treaty and Truth – in full.

“On behalf of the Australian Labor Party I commit to the Uluru Statement from the heart in full,” Albanese said as he began his victory speech on Saturday night.

Labor will also abolish the Community Development Program, address incarceration and deaths in custody through what it calls landmark justice reinvestment funding, get rid of the controversial cashless debit card and improve housing in remote Indigenous communities as well as strengthening First Nations job opportunities.

Domestic violence
Labor has pledged to build 30,000 affordable housing properties in its first five years in government, including properties for families fleeing domestic violence.

It has also previously said it would appoint a new commissioner for family and sexual violence, as well as creating hundreds of frontline positions under a $153 million women’s safety policy.

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