For people in Indi, we have a much higher proportion of older people compared to the national average, and many people move to our beautiful towns to retire.

Students studying allied health courses like physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy also undertake long unpaid placements, and they deserve these payments too.

The government’s aged care reforms include changes to home-care support, but people in rural areas of my electorate of Indi are concerned their packages will continue to be chewed up by provider travel costs, reducing the services they actually receive.

So while this Bill isn’t perfect, it is a significant step towards fixing our aged care system.

Energy bills are one of the biggest costs in a household budget and we need to support people to reduce their energy costs. 

In a cost-of-living crisis, students should not be expected to work for free.

The basis of anyone’s life is our health, and in rural and farming communities we suffer a severe lack of access to healthcare.  

Fixing our roads, building critical infrastructure to support more new homes and providing childcare, aged care, disability and local health services are all so important to people in Indi – that’s why this committee’s work is important.

People are likely to be shaking their heads into their supermarket trollies at this news, but at the same time are probably not really surprised.

I warmly congratulate Tony Mahar in his new role as the new Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.