On Saturday Australians can choose between a tired Liberal government that is out of puff and out of ideas, or a Labor government with a clear plan for a better future for our nation.

Labor's plan is about more jobs, greater job security, higher wages, more opportunities, and better ser-vices for families.

Scott Morrison offers more of the same: a deliberate policy of low wage growth, a crisis in aged care and the collapse in skills training. He offers more rorts, more pork barrelling and more broken promises.

We can do better.

A Labor government will cut the cost of medicines, strengthen Medicare and improve access to the NDIS.

We will make it easier to see a doctor, regardless of where people live or how much they earn.

We will fix Scott Morrison's national broadband mess and back new businesses in areas such as value-adding manufacturing through our National Reconstruction Fund.

The fund will support businesses to develop new industries, creating jobs and strengthening our national supply chain.

Importantly, $500m of the fund will be reserved for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and fibre.

Natural disasters disproportionately impact regional areas. While Scott Morrison has failed to invest in disaster mitigation, Labor's Disaster Ready Fund will provide up to $200m for mitigation projects such as evacuation centres, fire breaks and flood levees.

After a decade, this government's legacy in agriculture is a severe workforce shortage, an under-resourced biosecurity system and a timber shortage. It has also failed to act on climate change.

Labor will bolster Australia's biosecurity system, address the serious agriculture workforce shortage and give the sector access to up to $500m for innovation through the National Reconstruction Fund.

We also continue to support the National Farmers' Federation's ambitious goal to grow the value of Australia's agriculture industry to $100bn by 2030.

We'll support our hard-working producers to prosper by backing regional trade events including Casino Beef Week, LambEx, Beef Week, horticultural conferences and agritech industry events.

To meet timber demand for housing materials and other needs, Labor has committed funding to deliver the one billion trees goal by 2030. The government has managed to meet just over 1 per cent of this target so far.

Labor's plans are practical and achievable. They will make a difference and build a better future for all Australians.
 
This opinion piece was first published in The Weekly Times on Wednesday, 18 May 2022.