HECS and childcare Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's first order of business as parliament returns

7NEWS

4 days ago

Through church services, smoking ceremonies and ceremonial dragging of MPs, the 48th federal parliament has been opened in a flurry of pomp and ceremony.
Veteran MPs and fresh-faced senators gathered in Canberra on Tuesday for the formal opening of parliament before official business could get under way.
The day began with an ecumenical service at a Wesley Uniting Church, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promising to get down to business quickly.
'Every day is an opportunity to deliver for Australians and this week we will have legislation to do that,' he told reporters outside the church.
'We'll continue to work hard each and every day in the interest of Australians.'
Albanese will command a large majority in his second term as leader, with Labor holding 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives.
The size of the majority was on display on the floor of parliament for the first time since the election, with Labor MPs now sitting on both sides of the aisle in the lower house.
Across the chamber, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley will preside over just 43 lower-house MPs after an election wipeout for the coalition.
'We got smashed at the last election and the number of seats that we now hold is a demonstration that we are at a low point,' Ley said.
'But we're here to work hard, we're here to put the interests of the Australian people that we come here to represent front and centre.
'And we know that aspiration connects every single threat of Australian society.'
After a ceremonial Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony on the forecourt of Parliament House, MPs and senators were one-by-one sworn in at their respective chambers.
Business soon turned to the election of a speaker for the House of Representatives.
Labor MP Milton Dick was re-elected to the role with bipartisan support before he was ceremonially dragged to the speaker's chair by MPs.
The prime minister said Dick would continue to conduct the role with 'fairness, with humour and with intellect'.
The returning speaker said it was a 'profound honour' to carry on in the position.
'My view is the role of speaker is not one of partisanship, but of stewardship, and it's my solemn responsibility to ensure that democracy is not only practiced here, but it's strengthened here,' Dick said.
In the Senate, Sue Lines was re-elected as president of the chamber, but not before One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's surprise nomination of political rival David Pocock for the position.
The independent ACT senator declined the nomination.
Later, Governor-General Sam Mostyn will deliver a speech in the Senate outlining the priorities of the term, followed by a ceremonial 19-gun salute.
Legislation due to be introduced in the first week of parliament includes a 20 per cent reduction in HECS debt for university students, penalty rate protections and increased safety measures at childcare centres.
The coalition is still reviewing many of the policies it took to the election, but the opposition has flagged it is likely to support the student debt reduction measures, along with childcare protection laws.
The Greens, who hold the balance of power in the upper house, are set to introduce a private senators bill to reform Australia's main environment laws.
Labor's main policies
The Albanese government will look to implement a long list of promises it made at the election when parliament resumes.
COST OF LIVING:
$1,000 tax deductions from 2026-27 for work-related expenses.
Cap prescription medication at $25 and $7.70 for concession cardholders.
HOUSING:
Five per cent deposits and 100,000 new homes for first-home buyers.
Electricity bill rebates of $75 per household for the final quarters of 2025.
HEALTH:
$8.5 billion over four years for Medicare to expand bulk-billing and create 50 extra urgent care clinics.
Free mental health services, new training facilities for professionals, upgrading mental health centres and improvements to mental health organisation Headspace.
GENDER:
$573 million in funding for women's health, including spending on long-term contraceptives and expanding endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.
Men's mental health support measures, which will include training for primary health care workers and support programs.
CHILDCARE:
Three days of subsidised child care for every family.
A $1 billion fund to build new childcare centres.
EDUCATION:
20 per cent off HECS debt for university students and graduates.
100,000 fee-free TAFE placements.
DEFENCE:
Grow defence spending by $50.3 billion over the next decade, expanding spending from 2 per cent of GDP to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34.