Easing the Pressure on Australian Families

I understand the constant stress and anxiety that cost of living pressures can cause. Many families across Australia, including in our community, are feeling the pinch of rising costs.

That’s why our government is delivering a comprehensive suite of cost of living relief measures, designed to ease financial pressure and support those doing it tough.

There’s more work to do, but Labor’s number one priority remains clear: delivering real relief to everyday Australians.

A Tax Cut for Every Taxpayer

From July 1, every taxpayer will benefit from a tax cut. Unlike the previous government’s policies, which excluded those earning $45,000 or less, Labor’s tax cuts ensure everyone who pays income tax gets a fair go.

This is about rewarding hardworking Australians and ensuring the system works for everyone.

Energy Bill Relief

Rising global energy prices have put pressure on households and small businesses. That’s why we’re providing direct relief:

• $300 rebate for Australian households on power bills.
• $325 rebate for 1 million small businesses to help with rising energy costs.

These rebates not only help with bills but also put downward pressure on inflation, ensuring Australians get some breathing room.

Getting Wages Moving Again

After years of stagnation, we’re taking action to deliver fairer wages:

• Supporting three consecutive increases in the minimum wage.
• Delivering an historic 15% pay rise for aged care workers.
• Banning pay secrecy clauses and making deliberate wage theft a crime.
• Legislating ‘same job, same pay’ protections for casual workers.
• Taking the gender pay gap to a record low.

For the first time in years, wages are growing faster than inflation, giving Australians the pay rise they deserve.

Cheaper Medicines

Labor built Medicare, and we’re committed to making healthcare more affordable:

• Freezing the maximum cost of PBS prescriptions at $31.60 for a year.
• Freezing prices for pensioners and concession cardholders at $7.70 for five years.
• Allocating $3 billion to keep medicine costs down and support pharmacies.
• Adding life-changing medications to the PBS to ensure Australians get the care they need.

We've also Introduced 60-day prescriptions for 300 common medicines which you can view here.

Relief for Students

Education changes lives, and we’re making it more affordable:

• Wiping $3 billion in student debt by changing the way HELP loans are indexed, benefiting over 3 million Australians.
• Providing prac payments for nursing, midwifery, teaching, and social work students, ensuring financial support during compulsory placements.

These measures reduce financial barriers and open opportunities for more Australians to succeed.

A Fair Go for Consumers

We’re working to make everyday essentials more affordable:

• Strengthening the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct to hold supermarkets accountable.
• Empowering the competition watchdog to ensure fairer prices for Australian families at the checkout.

More Support for Parents

We want new parents to have the flexibility, support and choice they need. That’s why we’re delivering the biggest boost to government Paid Parental Leave since Labor created it in 2011:

• Extending Paid Parental Leave to six months, with flexibility to split it between parents.
• Introducing paid superannuation on government Paid Parental Leave, boosting long-term financial security for families.

These changes promote equality, enabling more dads to take time off and creating greater opportunities for mums to return to the workforce.

Help for Renters

We’re providing much-needed support for renters through:

• A 15% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance in the last Budget.
• A further 10% increase this year—the first back-to-back rise in over 30 years.

This assistance is vital for renters across the country struggling to keep up with rising costs.