Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro—Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories and Minister for Emergency Management) (15:08): I want to thank the member for his question and for the work he does in the community, but I also want to congratulate him on being appointed Special Envoy for Men's Health, a really important subject, particularly across rural and regional Australia, and I look forward to welcoming him to the mighty Eden-Monaro next week.

As the minister for regional development, I engage with communities right across the country, and I love seeing the diversity in our regions, the opportunities and the challenges that are unique to each of them. The Albanese Labor government is focused on dealing with the cost-of-living pressures for people right across the country, particularly in our regions—no matter your postcode—because regional communities benefited from the tax cut we delivered in our first term, with another two tax cuts to follow. It puts more money back in our community's pockets. That's a tax cut for every taxpayer up and down the income scale. We know regional people work hard for their money, and we want to support them to earn more and to keep more of what they earn.

At the recent election, Australians had a clear choice: the Albanese government, who had legislated tax cuts and a range of other cost-of-living supports versus those opposite, who committed to raising taxes. If they'd won, those opposite would be in here right now raising taxes for hardworking regional Australians, they'd be weakening the PBS, they'd be continuing to stall on investment in housing and they'd be putting a nuclear reactor in the backyards of Aussies across the country. Instead, regional Australia voted for a strong Labor team, which includes the member for Leichhardt, the member for Gilmore, the member for Lingiari, the members for Ballarat, Bendigo, Braddon, Bass, Bullwinkel and many, many more.

We have made medicines cheaper, we've made the largest investment in bulk-billing and we've got 31 urgent care clinics open in our regions, as part of our 87 that we've already opened across the country.

Ms Ley interjecting—

Ms McBAIN: Yes, Leader of the Opposition, all you need at an urgent care clinic as a Medicare card. There's one open in the member for Hunter's electorate in Cessnock, which has seen more than 20,000 presentations.

We've helped more than 30,000 people in regional Australia into home ownership, through our regional home buyers guarantee. And I personally know that, as a small-business owner, when you're an apprentice, every dollar counts—which is why we are delivering a $10,000 incentive payment to construction apprentices across the country.

In the first week of this new term, we've introduced bills to cut student debt by 20 per cent, and we're protecting the penalty rates of regional workers across the country. We have a lot to be proud of in cost-of-living relief that we've delivered for regional Australia, and we'll continue to do that in the next three years. Let's hope those opposite have learned a lesson and don't get in the way this time round.