This Federal Budget is all about delivering targeted cost of living relief while continuing Labor's strong record of responsible economic management.

I know many in our community have been doing it tough. That's why I'm proud to be part of a Federal Government that is supporting people in our community through:

• A tax cut for every tax payer, that's 82,000 people in our community - find out your tax cut here;
• Wage increases for aged care and early childhood education workers;
• 29 additional Urgent Care Clinics, including one in Armadale;
• Debt relief for over 16,600 local uni and TAFE students;
• Expanded Fee-Free TAFE;
• Paid prac placements for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students;
• Major investments in social and affordable housing.
  

I'm happy to let you know WA households will receive a $700 electricity credit thanks to combined funding from the State and Federal Labor Governments.

However Labor isn't just meeting the needs of today. We're laying the foundations to deliver a future made in WA, by backing in homegrown small and medium business. Most importantly, we're also bringing down inflation by making responsible, and affordable investments in our future.

The Details on How Labor is Delivering for Our Community

With Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher

Tax Cuts from 1 July

• From 1 July 2024 every Australian tax payer will receive a tax cut, with people in our community saving an average of $1,489.
  
• Thanks to Labor: 
  • A nurse working in Armadale on $74,000 will get a tax cut of $1,524.
  • A part-time shop assistant in Gosnells on $32,000 will get a tax cut of $414.
  • A high school teacher on $84,000 will get a tax cut of $1,779.

Click here to find out how much you'll save under Labor's Better Tax Cuts.

Cost of Living Support 

• $3.5 billion in energy bill relief, meaning local households and small businesses will get $700 off their electricity bills, and small businesses a $725 credit.
• WA Student Assistance Payment of $150 for Kindergarten & Primary Students and $250 for Secondary Students.
• $18.6 million to increase the Carers Payment work hours limit to 100 hours over a four week period.
• An increase to the Medicare levy low-income threshold.

Building Local Infrastructure 

• An additional $575 million for the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link and High-Capacity Signalling Program.
• $93.4 million to continue Tonkin Highway Upgrades.
• More than $640 million to build and maintain WA's local roads.
• A new $100 million Active Transport Fund to build new bicycle and walking paths.
• $21 million for the National Road Safety Data Hub.

Strengthening Healthcare

• $2.8 billion nationally to strengthen Medicare, including keeping pathology bulk billed for the 58,608 locals that accessed services last year.
• $4 billion to deliver more cheaper medicines, building on the more than $2 million that locals have already saved.
• A further $227 million to open 29 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, including one in Armadale. This is on top of the 58 clinics already delivered around Australia, which offer walk-in care, seven days a week over extended hours, completely bulk billed.
• Health and hospital funding of $3.5 billion, including $1.2 billion for WA's public hospitals, making our hospitals the best funded per capita in Australia.
• Investing $1.89 billion into health and medical research.
• Expanding mental healthcare through a $361 million investment.
• A further $468.7 million to support people with disability, including the more than 4,600 people on the NDIS in our community.

A Future Made in Australia

• Releasing the Future Gas Strategy to to support the WA resources industry.
• Combined Federal & State funding of $67 million to support the development of Westport, which will supercharge WA's future trade growth.
• $22.7 billion plan for a Future Made in Australia to attract investment, support our resources industry and back in Australian innovation.
• $470 million to build the world's first fault tolerant quantum computer in Australia, and make us a tech manufacturing powerhouse.
• Investing $566.1 million to power our economy with new geoscience mapping.

Helping Families 

• Extending Paid Parental Leave to 26 weeks by 2026.
• $1 billion for social & emergency housing for women an children escaping domestic violence.
• Paying superannuation on Paid Parental Leave, helping 180,000 families a year.
• Launching the Early Years Strategy, which sets out an overarching vision for children in Australia, along with clear goals to ensure children aged 0-5, and their families, can learn, grow and thrive.
• $1.9 billion to increase rent assistance by 10 per cent for 7,110 households in our community.

Commitment to Gender Equality

• $925.2 million to establish the Leaving Violence program, including financial support for those escaping domestic violence.
• Adding consultations for Endometriosis, PCOS and Pelvic Pain to Medicare with a $41.9 million boost.
• $55.6 million for the Building Women’s Careers program to expand support for women training in clean energy and other key industries.
• $1 Billion for social and emergency housing for women and children escaping domestic violence nationally.

Keeping Australia Safe

• An extra $50.3 billion over the next decade in Defence funding.
• $330 billion for the Defence Integrated Investment Program, creating thousands of jobs for Western Australia.
• Keeping Australia secure with an additional $569.4 million in border protection, making Border Force the best funded it has ever been.
• $71.6 million to combat the growing threat of foreign interference.

Supporting Students and Apprentices 

• Slashing HECS/HELP debt for 16,616 local students, apprentices and trainees. Click here to calculate how much you'll save.
• $91 million to create a clean energy workforce by upgrading training facilities, supporting teachers and trainers, and expanding access to the New
  Energy Apprenticeship Program.
• FEE-FREE Uni Ready courses to prepare local students for university through a $350 million investment.
• $1000 incentive payments for local apprentices, along with an additional $1000 rebate to cover the costs of tools and equipment
• $319.50 per week payments for teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work students on mandatory practical placements.
• $88.8 million for 20,000 more Fee-Free TAFE places nationally, building on the 33,946 students already enrolled in WA.
• $777 million to fully fund WA public schools in line with the School Resourcing Standard.
• Working with the higher education sector to increase the supply of student accommodation, to ease housing pressure.
  

Protecting Our Environment and Agriculture

• $519.1 million for the Future Drought Fund to help farmers and regional communities prepare for the next drought and build climate resilience.  
• Protecting WA's water security with an extra $536 million investment.
• Over $500 million from the state Government to bolster WA's clean energy transition.
• $107 million to assist producers and processors with the transition away from live animal exports.

More Affordable Housing

• $1.1 billion in social and affordable housing initiatives for Western Australia.
• Increasing the first home buyers stamp duty exemption threshold in WA to $450,000.
• $32 billion in new housing initiatives, including $1 billion to get homes built sooner, with funding for states to provide roads, services and parks, essential for additional housing supply. 
• $11.3 billion to build 1.2 million new homes nationally by the end of the decade.

Supporting Veterans and Families 

• $222 million additional funding for veteran and family entitlements, to be made available through simplified and harmonised compensation legislation.
• $186 million for more DVA staff, building on the extra 500 funded in last year's Budget, to ensure claims are processed faster.
• $48.4 million for Veterans' Home Care and Community Nursing Programs.
• Click here, to find out more about how we are supporting veterans and families.