SUBJECTS: Labor’s child care policy, Ali France standing in Dickson, visit to Queensland, offshore detention.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks very much for joining us and I want to thank all the staff here and, indeed, the children who’ve shown us around the Goodstart Early Learning Centre here at Albany Creek. It’s been a good morning. It always is when you see what happens in these wonderful early learning centres. We know that human brain development occurs, 90 per cent of it, before the age of five. It’s important that we invest in early learning. And that’s why the centrepiece of my Budget Reply last year was support for cheaper child care, more affordable child care, removing the cap, lifting the subsidy rate to 90 per cent, but also making sure that it tapers off right down to $530,000 so that 97 per cent of families would benefit from the policy that we’ve put in place. This isn’t a welfare policy. It’s an economic reform. Because if you increase the support for early learning and child care what you’ll do is enable women’s participation in the workforce, you'll boost productivity, and you'll boost the national economy. It's an investment that is worthwhile. And the Government doesn't seem to get it. The costs of child care this year are expected to increase by more than four or five times the inflation rate? We have one of the most unaffordable systems in the advanced world. We need to do better. And that's why Labor, just as we move towards having universal support for affordable child care, is in the Labor tradition of reform. It’s Labor that produced universal health care through Medicare and it’s Labor that produced universal superannuation.

I'm also very pleased to be here today to announce that I've asked Ali France to be Labor's candidate for Dickson. Ali France is an outstanding candidate. She's someone of courage and tenacity. Her life story is inspirational. She's someone who would bring that life story, but more than that, to Canberra. She'd bring her advocacy skills. She'd bring her capacity to articulate a vision for the country as well as represent this local community in areas where they need it.

Ali France will be on the side of people who want cheaper child care. Ali France will be on the side of people who want good work, jobs and conditions. Ali France will be on the side of people in this community who want better infrastructure development. Ali France is someone who, of course, stood at the last election. And I'm convinced that standing again for the second time when we've already done all the name recognition issues that you have to do with a first time candidate, she has a great prospect of success. Queensland is the most important state for changing government. And we need a change of government. We have a Government in Canberra that's out of time and out of ideas. A Government in Canberra that doesn't have a plan to move the country forward. A government in Canberra that can't say to the people of Dickson and Queensland, ‘I'm on your side’, because they're too busy protecting their own back to have the backs of the people of Dickson and to have the backs of Queenslanders. We saw that during the state election campaign, whereby Scott Morrison came up to Queensland to criticise Premier Palaszczuk and to say to Queenslanders that they should just open up their borders and not worry about the consequences of that. Well Premier Palaszczuk was right. And Federal Labor stands with Premier Palaszczuk in standing up for Queenslanders. It's a pity that Queensland’s federal team from the LNP weren't prepared to do that as well but instead chose to stand up for Scott Morrison and his views on those issues.

I say also about aged care, the Government will receive the aged care Royal Commission report today. We know that the interim report was titled ‘Neglect’, because that's what the system is in, one of neglect. Whether that's the aged care residents who we know have had horrific stories about the failure to have appropriate nutrition, about a failure to look at the simple issues, like we've had maggots and ants in wounds, we've had aged care residents during the pandemic not be looked after by the Federal Government even though it was a clear Federal Government responsibility, and we saw some 685 of residents lose their lives. When it comes to homecare, there's still something like 11,000 people who'd had their homecare packages approved died on the waiting list over the last financial year. That's not good enough. And this is a direct result as well of Scott Morrison's cuts that he put in place to age care. The fact is that we need a Government that addresses the needs of Queenslanders, whether it be from the first days and years of life, right through to the last years of life. A Labor Government will deliver that and Ali France will be an important part of the team if she's successful in becoming the member for Dickson.

ALI FRANCE: Thanks, Albo. It's great to be back here at Goodstart Early Learning in Albany Creek where I've had many chats to early childhood educators over the years here about the important work that they do. And it's also wonderful to be standing next to the Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, here today. And thank you so much for your support, Albo. I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to stand for the Labor Party again in Dickson for the next Federal Election. I'm not somebody who gives up easily and, after 20 years of Peter Dutton, I am hoping to convince the people of Dickson that it's time for a change. The most enjoyable part of campaigning for me is talking to people about their hopes and their ideas for a better community and a better Australia. And that's why we're here today talking about how to make early childhood education more affordable, something that is really something that I am really passionate about. As a mum of two very big teenage boys, I remember a part of the decision making around whether I would return to work after my second son came along was the cost of child care. Would it be worth it? And the answer was no. Affordable child care is so important for women who want to get back into the workforce, who want a career and who want enough superannuation to have a comfortable retirement. That's why I am so pleased that a Labor Government will scrap the annual subsidy cap, it will increase the maximum subsidy, and 97 per cent of families will have cheaper child care. That's putting thousands of dollars back into the pockets of working families. This is great for our kids, because we know that early childhood education is the best start in life. But it also enables more women to get back into the workforce. So, again, I want to thank all the wonderful early childhood educators here at Goodstart Early Learning at Albany Creek and thank Labor Leader Albo for spending time here today in the electorate and for talking about this really important issue. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Could we ask you, Opposition Leader. This is your second visit to Queensland this year, I believe. Can we see more of you and will you be going to a coal mine?

ALBANESE: It's my third since December. And I'll be going everywhere in Queensland. Everywhere. Every workplace that I can get to, I'll be there. The fact is that Queensland is absolutely critical and today is the first of many announcements of candidates, here in Dickon. It's appropriate that this is an outer suburban area with families who are doing it tough. A child care centre is an appropriate place, particularly given our strong policy to announce, first off, our candidates in seats currently held by the LNP. And let's face it, Scott Morrison and the LNP take Queenslanders for granted. Queenslanders haven't got their share of infrastructure investment compared with other states, particularly my state of New South Wales. What we've had from Scott Morrison is him talking up New South Wales and we saw, indeed, this week, Scott Morrison approve of New South Wales sending a bill to Queenslanders. I mean, the hide of Scott Morrison in doing that was quite extraordinary. And that was rejected, of course by Stephen Miles, quite appropriately. 

JOURNALIST: Ms France, can we ask you? You lost last time. What can you do differently? How do you intend approaching this campaign, which could be this year?

FRANCE: Actually, I came away from the campaign feeling quite positive about the efforts that we put in and on the ground. We had so many fantastic volunteers that put in a huge effort. And so I actually came away feeling quite positive about the about the effort that we put in. The party has obviously done its own review. And I think we'll be working even harder this time. I'm ready to get going. I'm really ready to get on the campaign trail and start talking to people because that's actually what I really enjoy about an election campaign is getting out there and talking to community members.

JOURNALIST: What about your residential address? Are you inside or outside?

FRANCE: I've actually bought a house that's really close to my current house. But it's got a bit of work to do to it. But it's my home and I'm really excited about it.

JOURNALIST: It’s inside the electorate?

FRANCE: Yes.

JOURNALIST: And you were outspoken in your views against offshore detention, I remember, in the last campaign. Do you still hold those views?

FRANCE: We support boat turn backs but we do not support indefinite detention. 

ALBANESE: Thanks very much.
 

ENDS