Australia’s federal election has just concluded, with the Labor Party winning the vote. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has replaced Liberal leader Scott Morrison to become Australia’s 31st Prime Minister. Before this, the Liberal-National Coalition had been in government for nine years. Labor made many commitments during the campaign, including increasing budgets for childcare, aged care, housing, healthcare, infrastructure and education, raising the minimum wage, reducing workplace discrimination and sexual harassment, and protecting the climate and environment, among others. This article will walk through and summarise the commitments Labor made during the election.

I

Child Care

During the pandemic, the costs associated with sending children to childcare became a challenge faced by many families. As a result, childcare fee subsidies also became a major focus for the main parties during the election. Earlier this year, the Morrison government introduced additional childcare fee subsidies for families with two or more children, increasing the subsidy per household by 30% – 95% compared to before.

Labor was not to be outdone in this election. Labor committed to spending AUD 5.4 billion on childcare, making it the largest spending measure among Labor’s pledges. The specific measures are to increase the amount of the childcare fee subsidy, lower the eligibility threshold, and extend the subsidy to cover time children spend outside school campuses. If this measure is implemented, an estimated 96% of families are expected to benefit from increased childcare fee subsidies. For the lowest-income families, the subsidy will cover 90% of their childcare costs. Compared with the Morrison government’s additional subsidies earlier this year aimed at families with two or more children, Labor has committed to providing additional subsidies to single-child families as well as relatively well-off families.

II

Aged Care

Labor has committed to spending AUD 2.5 billion on aged care. The specific measures include improving the relevant laws and regulations over the next four years, increasing the amount of care residents receive (currently averaging 200 minutes per person per day), and establishing 24/7 registered nurse rostering by July 2023. In addition, Labor has committed to raising the wages of aged care sector workers.

III

Housing

In the face of Australia’s growing housing issues, addressing the housing problem is also a central point of Labor’s campaign.

Labor has committed to providing housing subsidies to eligible home buyers (up to 10,000 households).

Labor has committed to investing AUD 392 million to establish the “Help to Buy” scheme, providing up to 40% subsidies for those purchasing land to build new homes and up to 30% subsidies for those buying existing homes. It is estimated that 10,000 people will benefit from this scheme. The eligibility criteria are: the applicant’s income must be less than AUD 90,000 (individual) or AUD 120,000 (couple combined), they must be able to pay a 2% deposit, and they must qualify for a standard home loan.

IV

Wages

Labor has committed to maintaining a minimum wage growth rate of at least 5.1% to keep pace with inflation, and to narrow the gender pay gap. To achieve this goal, Labor has committed to raising wage levels in some female-dominated industries (such as the aged care sector) and requiring large companies to publicly disclose their gender pay gaps.

V

Climate and Environment

Labor has committed to cutting carbon emissions by 43% within 10 years and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The specific measures include capping carbon emissions from Australia’s 215 largest polluting industrial enterprises, investing AUD 20 billion in the electricity sector to promote the use of renewable energy, investing AUD 500 million to promote the purchase and use of electric vehicles, and establishing a national-level electric vehicle charging network.

VI

Healthcare

Healthcare was also a central point of contention between the Liberal-National Coalition and Labor in this election. Both parties committed to lowering medication costs.

Labor has committed to investing an additional AUD 1 billion in Medicare, to improve citizens’ access to GP medical services and to lower the cost of seeing a GP. The specific measures include investing AUD 750 million in Medicare; investing AUD 220 million to help GPs train staff, purchase medical equipment and upgrade telehealth services; lowering the price of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (a 29% reduction in medicine prices for general patients); improving newborn health screening; and establishing an Australian Centre for Disease Control.

Earlier in the campaign, Labor also committed to investing AUD 135 million to open 50 Urgent Care Clinics, to relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments. Some existing healthcare facilities will receive more funding to extend service hours and broaden their scope of care, becoming Urgent Care Clinics.

In addition, Labor announced an investment of AUD 100 million to safeguard the health of Indigenous community residents, including training 500 Indigenous healthcare workers and upgrading emergency equipment.

VII

Infrastructure

On public transport, Labor has committed to investing AUD 500 million to build a high-speed rail line between Sydney and the Hunter. Once completed, the travel time between the two locations will be reduced from 2.5 hours to 45 minutes. Labor has also committed to partnering with the Victorian government to invest AUD 2.2 billion to build the Suburban Rail Loop between Cheltenham and Box Hill in Melbourne.

In addition, Labor has also committed to upgrading major highways nationwide, including investing AUD 586.4 million in Queensland’s Bruce Highway, AUD 400 million for works on the Richmond Bridge in Sydney’s Hawkesbury region, AUD 22.5 million for Loganlea Road in Brisbane, and AUD 5 million for the Nowra Bypass on the NSW South Coast. For local roads, Labor has committed to expanding the coverage of the “Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program” to support local road construction.

VIII

Education

Labor has committed to investing AUD 146.5 million over four years to address teacher shortages and improve teaching quality. In addition, Labor has committed to investing AUD 440 million to improve school ventilation systems, upgrade school buildings, and provide better mental health support. Labor has also committed to adding 465,000 TAFE places and 20,000 university places.

IX

Gender Discrimination

Labor has committed to working to end workplace gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Specific measures include providing AUD 8 million to establish a Workplace Women’s Centre, which will mainly provide free and confidential advice on workplace issues faced by women. This measure is intended to provide a one-stop resource centre for women who experience workplace sexual harassment and discrimination.

In Closing

Parties making promises during elections is commonplace; whether they can deliver on those promises is what voters truly care about. We hope Labor, under the watchful eye of the Australian public, can fulfil these commitments, ease the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, and improve people’s living standards.