A tax cut for every taxpayer

From 1 July 2024, every Australian taxpayer will get a tax cut.

All 13.6 million taxpayers, not just some. Everyone who works and pays tax will benefit.

Because we want people to earn more – and we want them to keep more of what they earn.

Cheaper child care

We've made child care cheaper for over a million families. 

In July 2023, we lifted the maximum childcare subsidy for the first child in child care to 90%.

It's good for families, good for kids and good for our economy.

Cheaper medicine

We’ve made the biggest reduction to PBS medicine prices since the scheme was introduced.

Thousands of Australians have been putting off getting the medicine they need because they can’t afford it.

That's why on 1 January 2023, we cut the maximum cost of medicines on the PBS by $12.50, or almost 30 per cent. 

And we cut medicine prices even further with 60 day prescriptions. Since 1 September 2023, Australians with eligible prescriptions have been able to collect twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription.

That means if you take a few medications a month, you could save hundreds of dollars a year.

Six months paid parental leave

We want new parents to have the flexibility, support and choice they need. That’s why we’ll deliver the biggest boost to government paid parental leave since Labor created it in 2011.

We’re extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks of paid time off - and the flexibility to choose how to split it between parents.

It’ll mean more dads can take time off work, so caring responsibilities can be shared more equally. And it’ll mean more opportunity for mums, boosting workforce participation across the economy.

More affordable housing

I was raised in public housing by a single mum on a disability pension. I know the security that comes from having a roof over your head. Every Australian should have that.

We’re working with state governments, investors and the construction sector on our ambitious goal of 1.2 million new homes across Australia. We’re building more affordable and social rental homes, with an additional $2 billion in financing for community housing providers in the budget, on top of the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator.

Our Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord will build 40,000 social and affordable homes. This will include 4,000 homes for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and older women at risk of homelessness.

And we’re making it easier for people to buy their own home, with the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme and the Help to Buy Scheme.

Getting wages moving again

After a decade of Liberal National government that deliberately kept wages low, we're getting wages moving again.

We’ve supported back to back increases in the minimum wage and we’ve delivered an historic 15 per cent pay rise for aged care workers.

We’ve taken the gender pay gap to a record low.

And wages are growing at their fastest rate in almost 15 years – including three consecutive quarters of real wages growth.

Our Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill has banned pay secrecy clauses, helps close the gender pay gap and supports those in low-paid care work - mostly women - advocating for better pay and conditions.

And our Closing the Loopholes Bill will mean more Australian workers are paid fairly, by making wage theft a crime and preventing underpayment of labour hire workers.

More people are earning more under Labor, and from 1 July they'll be keeping more of what they earn as well.

Energy bill relief

We’re shielding Australians from the worst impacts of energy price increases.

We’re working with state and territory governments to provide up to $500 of energy bill relief for more than 5 million households, and up to $650 for eligible small businesses.

Income support

On 20 September 2023, we increased income support for more than 1 million Australians receiving JobSeeker, Austudy, Youth Allowance and other income support payments.

Small business

We’re supporting small businesses with our energy relief plan that provides up to $3 billion in electricity relief to eligible small businesses.

And we've also introduced a Small Business Energy Incentive to support small businesses to upgrade their facilities and save on their energy bills.