Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has pledged billions of dollars to fix the aged care industry — which he's dubbed as being in crisis — if Labor wins the forthcoming federal election.
Mr Albanese used his budget reply speech to make his pitch for returning Labor to government after nine years in the political wilderness.
"If we want to change aged care in this country for the better, then we need to start by changing the government," he said.
Mr Albanese's $2.5 billion pledge includes around-the-clock nurses for aged care homes, better food and safer conditions for residents and higher pay for workers.
He argued that neglect of the industry had happened under the Coalition's watch.
"The simple truth of it is this: The Liberals have had a decade to do something about aged care," he said.
"Even an interim royal commission report — with the searing title “Neglect” — wasn’t enough to spur them into action.
"If they are left in power, nothing will change — and the bleak present they have created will be the bleak future awaiting so many more Australians."
On Tuesday, the Coalition released its budget and vowed to halve the tax on fuel and offer one-off cost-of-living payments as it seeks to secure a fourth term in power.
Surging commodity prices on products Australia exports, and falls in unemployment, have bolstered government coffers over the past six months.
That's led to an improved budget bottom line. However, the Coalition is not forecasting a budget surplus for the next decade.
"Australians know that the cost of everything is going up – food, petrol, rent, child care, doctor’s bills – and their pay has fallen behind," Mr Albanese said.
"So let’s be really clear about this: You can’t put the worst-ever decade of wages growth down to a long run of bad luck.
"And it’s not due to COVID. It’s not an accident at all. This government wants to keep your wages low."
Mr Albanese's speech outlined five pillars that will govern Labor's plan to cut costs and boost wages:
- a plan to drive investment and jobs in cheap, renewable energy
- a plan to manufacture more in Australia
- greater investment in infrastructure
- more opportunities in training
- cheaper childcare.
"After all the challenges and the sacrifices made during the pandemic, floods, and bushfires, Australians need and deserve a better Budget for a better future," Mr Albanese said.
What the Coalition pledges
The Coalition's budget had four key priorities:
- offering cost-of-living relief
- a long-term plan to create jobs
- investment in essential services
- stronger defence and national security.
The Treasurer cut the fuel excise to 22 cents a litre, which the government expects drivers will start to see within weeks.
About six million pensioners and concession card holders will also receive a $250 tax-free payment paid automatically into their accounts in April.
The budget also included an an expansion of a tax offset for low- and middle-income earners, which goes to people earning up to $126,000.
Labor has largely backed the cost-of-living policies and all-but-said it would adopt the Coalition's plan to simplify paid parental leave, allowing couples to share 20 weeks, regardless of their gender.
Labor keeping commitments for election campaign
The Opposition insists it will have more commitments to announce between now and election day.
In his budget reply speech ahead of the 2019 election, then Labor leader Bill Shorten promised to deliver what he called 'the greatest investment in Medicare in a generation', with a $2.3 billion cancer plan.
Mr Albanese has offered a different approach to leading Labor, so far deliberately offering a smaller agenda than at the 2019 election.
Government says Labor's plan lacks detail
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham criticised Labor's aged care commitments as lacking detail and suggested they would be more difficult to implement than Mr Albanese suggests.
"Our comprehensive response to the aged care royal commission, including an investment in the workforce, in training places [recognises] the fact that you couldn't just make those sorts of promises without creating the additional workforce to deliver them," he said.
"And this is part of the false promise Anthony Albanese is offering — pretending none of this costs anything and pretending it's all just easily done."
Mr Albanese reiterated a pledge to back a union case at the Fair Work Commission seeking a pay rise for aged care workers, and fund whatever the commission decided.
Asked if the Coalition would also fund any pay rise, Mr Birmingham was non-committal.
"We'll deal with those issues if and when they come," he said.
