Climate Change

• How do you feel about Australia’s current climate commitments?

  The Morrison government’s lack of plan and response has been at best, plain embarrassing, and at worst catastrophic. At every turn they have deflected, rejected and simply rehashed numbers to make then look better – when they have, in fact, done nothing. Many within the Coalition ranks are climate deniers, and Morrison has defended them.  They have had eight years to address climate change. Finally, at the end of 2021 with Glasgow COP looming, public pressure dragged them kicking and screaming and they announced an insipid climate action plan and net zero by 2050.

• What will Labor do about Climate Change?

  Labor has a plan to address the climate emergency – Powering Australia. This comprehensive plan will ensure that finally decisive action is taken on climate change at a national level in a way which seeks to work with state governments, local governments, communities, business and all Australians.

  There is a climate emergency and national leadership is needed urgently. Labor will provide this leadership.

  The Labor party wants Australia to become an international renewable energy superpower. The best way to address the climate emergency is to seize it as an opportunity to create jobs, to build infrastructure and to resurrect local manufacturing. Labor has a fully costed, viable plan to do this called Powering Australia. This plan will:

  • create 604,000 jobs

  • invest $20 billion upgrading the electricity grid

  • co-invest $100 in solar banks across the country

  • install 400 community batteries.

  I am an active member of MP LEAN – Mornington Peninsula Labor Environmental action Network which has input to Labor platform and policy development, advocating for strong environment commitments and climate action.

  I am a keen supporter of eMPower and can see clear links between Labor’s climate action strategies outlined in Powering Australia and the priorities and efforts of eMPower.

• How will a Labor government seek to promote electric vehicles?

  An Albanese Labor government will introduce initiatives designed to transform Australian transport. Labor will:

  • Introduce an Electric Car Discount to make electric vehicles cheaper by removing inefficient taxes (import tariffs and the Fringe Benefits Tax) from low-emissions vehicles. 

  • Establish a real-world vehicle testing program to ensure Australians aren’t slugged with higher fuel costs than they were expecting. Currently Australian households are paying $750 a year more for fuel than the advertised fuel efficiency of their vehicle.

  • Develop Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, including using existing Federal commitments (e.g. roads funding) to encourage EV charging infrastructure.

Integrity

• Will Labor establish a national anti-corruption body? 

  Labor will establish a National Corruption Commission (NACC) which will be independent, well-resourced and which will have the powers of a standing Royal Commission. 

  There is a desperate need for a commission such as this. The Morrison government pledged to establish a national anti-corruption body. They failed completely. Instead the Morrison government has been embroiled in an endless parade of scandals, cover-ups and shonky deals. They have redefined pork-barrelling with their sports rorts and their car parks. Enough is enough.

  An Albanese Labor government will put an end to corrupt behaviour in the national Parliament and help restore the Australian people’s trust in their politicians by establishing a powerful, transparent and independent NACC.

Families

• How will a Labor government make child care better for Australian families?

  Labor is committed to providing cheaper child care for all families.

  Working families with kids in child care are struggling right now. Families know how expensive and difficult the child care system is to navigate. Australians pay some of the highest child care in the world. In fact, fees have increased more than 35% under the Liberals. The way the current system works means that many women actually lose money if they work more than 3 days per week.

  Labor will reduce child care costs. Our policy will:

  • Scrap the $10,560 child care subsidy cap which often sees women lose money for every extra day worked

  • Lift the maximum child care subsidy rate to 90%

  • Increase the child care subsidy rate for every family earning under $530,000

  Labor will work to fix Australia’s broken child care system which currently locks out more than 100,000 families because they just can’t afford it.

• What is happening with Education?

  Both my sons attend primary (Year 1) and secondary (Year 10) schools on the peninsula. I know that the last two years have been particularly challenging for educators. The interruptions to onsite learning, grappling with staff shortages, online learning, rapid upgrades, and having to adapt to keep in line with health protocols has been a steep learning curve for everyone.

  As a parent I am so very grateful for all that the school community has done to keep our children and staff safe, while trying to support our children with remote learning. This year, I am looking forward to the new normal and  the children being able to reforge many missed connections.

  The response from the current Morrison Government has been too little and too late, with the shortage of Rapid Antigen tests available to schools and the slow rollout of vaccinations and boosters for staff and children. I would really like to change that and help educators with the resources they need to be proactive rather than reactive. I want to work with our local schools to better understand the issues they are facing. I have written to schools in this electorate offering to meet their leaders. I am particularly interested in how a Federal Labor Government can improve our education system.

• How will a Labor government act to improve education?

  Labor has already committed to a $440 million plan, with $50 million for capital works  across schools for urgent air purification and ventilation works. Investment has also been pledged for co- curricular activities, counselling, and psychological support, focusing on those schools which have missed out the most. 

  Labor believes that a great education system, which includes early childhood education, schools, universities and TAFEs, is crucial for a strong economy with well paid, secure jobs. We see a great education as the ticket to a lifetime of opportunity. We want every Australian to get a world class education, no matter where they live or their circumstances, so they can get ahead, and stay ahead. 

  Labor will expand trades and traineeship opportunities.

  All Australians, regardless of their background or where they live, should have the opportunity to attend higher education. Everyone who has the ability to go to university should have a place. Labor therefore:

  • opposes the deregulation of fees and the introduction of full fee degrees for undergraduate award courses in Australian universities
  • supports a fair and equitable student contribution and income-contingent loan system that does not create financial disincentives to study and gives students who take out loans adequate consumer protection
  • will maintain a targeted system of student income support
  • opposes the Liberals’ changes to university fees which delivered huge fees and huge debts for many Australian students and are deliberately designed to discourage students from studying courses such as the arts and humanities, despite evidence of strong employment outcomes for graduates in these fields
  • will work with the university sector to improve the breadth and quality of courses available to students in the regions, addressing training and workforce needs where they exist.

  Labor recognises the crucial importance of university research to society and the economy through advances in science and technology, medicine, the humanities and social sciences, and the arts. Labor will therefore ensure that research activity is linked to its benefit to humanity, to economic prosperity, and to university engagement with community and industry.

Employment

• How will Labor promote and protect Australian jobs?

  The pandemic exposed how vulnerable insecure workers can be.  Prices are rising. Real wages are falling. Many key workers, such as those in aged care, are forced to go to work sick, because they can’t afford to take a day off.

  Australian workers deserve secure jobs, to be safe at work, and to be paid the minimum wage.

  The Morrison Government will do everything it can to keep wages low. Australian workers know they cannot trust a Liberal-National Government with their wages and conditions.

  Only a Labor Government has a plan to tackle the problem of insecure work – Labor’s Secure Australian Jobs Plan.

  An Albanese Labor Government will deliver secure jobs with better pay. There are around 3.4 million people in insecure work in this country – casuals, gig workers, freelancers, short-term contract workers – and underemployment is at 8.3 per cent.

  • Labor wants real wages to grow 

  • Under Labor’s workplace policies more workers will be able to plan for their futures with certainty

  If you’re a woman, young, or from a migrant background, you’re more likely to be stuck in insecure work. In addition to casual workers, contractors, freelancers, gig workers, and those on temporary contracts or working in labour hire – nearly half the workforce misses out on the many benefits of a permanent job. Being in secure work means more Australians can:

  • get a bank loan to buy a home or start a business
  • take leave when they’re sick or need to look after their loved ones, without risking their employment. 
  • have the confidence to spend money to stimulate the Australian economy, boost growth and create more jobs.

  Labor’s Secure Australian Jobs Plan will tackle the worst employment practices that leave millions of Australians in insecure work.

  • Labor will end the exploitation of casual workers.

  • Labor will deliver a better deal for gig workers.

  • Labor will end wage theft by introducing criminal penalties for employers who rip off their workers.

  • Labor’s Same Job Same Pay policy will ensure workers employed through labour hire companies receive no less than workers employed directly.

  • Labor will introduce 10 days of paid Domestic Violence leave so women don’t have to fear losing their job to escape their abusers.

Women's Safety

• How will the election of a Labor Government benefit women?

  Labor has a proud legacy of advancing women’s rights and a long-held commitment to gender equality. We know that much remains to be done to eliminate discrimination, harassment and abuse.

  Labor will work in partnership with business and the community to close the gender pay gap, reduce violence against women, reach equal representation in public, private and community sector leadership, and improve health and wellbeing. We believe that achieving gender equality will make a major contribution to our nation’s social wellbeing and economic prosperity. 

  Labor will introduce a national Gender Equality Strategy to guide whole of government efforts to achieve gender equality. 

• How will Labor act on the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces?

  The National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces was carried out by Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The inquiry found that one in three people experienced sexual harassment at work, two in five women. The Inquiry also found that the current legal and regulatory system is not working to protect workers and reform is required urgently. The outcome of the inquiry, the Respect @ Work Report, released in March 2020, includes 55 recommendations for reform. 

  Labor will legislate to make it clear that employers have a positive duty to provide reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation, as far as possible.

• How will Labor address violence against women and their children?

  The prevalence of family violence in Australia is a national shame. Labor believes government has a responsibility to properly resource evidence-based programs that prevent family and gendered violence, support women and children to be safe, and change behaviour. Systems of justice, social security, housing and industrial relations must work better to support women experiencing family violence.

  The next Labor government will invest in preventing and responding to family violence in partnership with LGBTIQ people, First Nations people, people from CALD communities, people with disability, and people living in remote, regional and rural areas, as well as faith and community groups. 

Health

• How will a Labor government preserve Medicare?

  Labor built Medicare. Defending it is in our DNA. The Liberals and Nationals opposed Medicare. Cutting it is in theirs.

  Under cover of the national focus on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Morrison Government has made almost 1000 changes to Medicare Benefits, including cuts to funding for vital surgeries that Australians need. You will now pay thousands more or you’ll have to go without.  

  This is the biggest attack on Medicare in years, but it’s not the first. The Liberals and Nationals have attacked Medicare for decades. They tried to put in a GP tax to make you pay more to see your doctor, and they cut billions from Medicare by extending the funding freeze. 

  It’s not good enough. 

  Only Labor can be trusted to fight to strengthen Medicare at every turn. Medicare is one of Australia’s greatest achievements. It was built by Labor – and Labor will protect it.

• How will Labor improve Aged Care?

  Labor believes older Australians should be valued and respected; they deserve dignity, security and choice as they age. Australia’s ageing population is a social and economic asset that should be celebrated, and Labor will develop a positive ageing strategy to benefit our community. 

  Labor recognises that the Australian Aged Care system is currently in crisis. Labor acknowledges the work of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Labor will work to ensure that the sector is reformed in a coordinated and comprehensive manner, with the principles of quality, safety, dignity and fairness embedded at every level. As such, a Labor government will begin implementation of the recommendations in the Royal Commission’s final report within the first term of office.