Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault) (14:30): When a government hands down a budget, it is more than a set of figures and financial forecasts. It is a vision for the future and a statement of values. This week the Minns Labor Government handed down its second budget and set out a clear vision for New South Wales, and for my electorate of Charlestown. The values of this budget are clear: It cares for and supports the people of this State during tough times, and it is responsible. The budget does not recklessly throw cash around to get good media grabs. It is a budget of must-haves, with sensible spending on important infrastructure and much-needed support for essential services, frontline workers and the people doing it tough right now.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for families in Charlestown and across New South Wales to make ends meet. That is why the budget is all about getting the services that people rely on and the State's finances back on track. This budget means that we will not have to spend money on interest payments instead of essential services. It means that we will be able to invest in health care, education, transport and the bread-and-butter services that governments should deliver to citizens. I often hear from people in the Charlestown electorate who have difficulty accessing primary health services, including GPs. The budget commits $189 million to support bulk-billing in GP clinics by waiving payroll tax for GPs in the Charlestown electorate who meet a minimum bulk-billing rate of 70 per cent. That will mean more people seeing their GPs and fewer people presenting to our emergency departments.
The budget prioritises building homes across the State, including in the Charlestown electorate, because the Government recognises that everyone deserves a safe, secure roof over their heads. The Building Homes for NSW program will support the delivery of 30,000 new homes across the State. It is difficult to overstate how important that will be. I once stood in this Chamber and referred to the state of public housing maintenance and access under the previous Government as a "humanitarian disaster" and said that those opposite had mismanaged a homelessness crisis into a full-blown catastrophe. Now, thanks to this Government and the largest investment in housing by any government in the State's history, that disaster will come to an end. This investment will transform some parts of my electorate and give some of my most vulnerable constituents the safety and security of a well‑maintained home, something denied them by the previous Government's neglect.
The budget also prioritises important local infrastructure and services, with funding provided to commence construction on stage one of the much-needed Hillsborough Road upgrade. This important arterial connection in northern Lake Macquarie has been unfit for purpose for so long. Unlike members opposite, this Government listens to the locals who have been advocating for these upgrades for so long. As part of this Government's commitment to taking mental health seriously, there is funding to open the Residential Eating Disorders Centre in Charlestown.
I am proud to be part of a government that takes fiscal responsibility seriously but does not default to austerity, a government with a vision for the future and the determination to achieve it, and a government that cares, supports, listens and gets on with the job. I am proud to represent the Charlestown electorate in this Parliament. My constituents have every right to expect a passionate, vocal advocate who works to deliver for them, and I am proud to be part of a government that is doing exactly that.
