What three more years of Scott Morrison means for you
Scott Morrison acknowledges he hasn’t got everything right but he wants another three years in government. This is what he’s promising.
Federal Election
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Scott Morrison acknowledges he hasn’t got everything right but the Prime Minister hopes Australians will give him another term in government to “put the pandemic behind us” and “make things truly better”.
Mr Morrison wants to keep the economy strong, with a focus on creating jobs and lower taxes.
“If you can’t manage money, you just push up the cost of living and you push up interest rates,” he told Liberals at his campaign launch in Brisbane on Sunday.
He said more than $100 billion in permanent tax cuts would be delivered over the next four years, which would help Australians manage cost of living pressures, encourage workforce participation, reward hard work and deliver a stronger economy.
He said creating jobs, growing the economy, and improving what businesses can earn, would create the conditions for sustainable increases in wages because businesses “pay the wages”.
The Coalition has also promised no new taxes, including no carbon tax or mining tax.
Mr Morrison acknowledged “you don’t get everything right”, echoing his comments on Friday that he knew he needed to change, but he was seeking a second term “to ensure we can take this to the next level — to those better days” on the other side of the pandemic.
“We stand on the edge of a new era of opportunity,” he said.
“Better days are now ahead but we cannot take them for granted.
“As a government we have the higher gears to secure that opportunity.
“And I know our economic plan is working, because Australians are working, and we’re heading in the right direction.”
This is what another three years under a Coalition government would mean.
New toys for the military
The Coalition says it is investing a record $270 billion in the defence and security of Australia to 2030.
This includes buying 12 new Romeo maritime helicopters and 29 new Apache armed reconnaissance helicopters to be delivered from 2025.
There will also be $1 billion funding for Project Greyfin for specialised communications and intelligence equipment, new water and land vehicles, tactical equipment and weapons and new facilities.
Western Australia will also get two new patrol boats at a cost of $124 million, and there will be $454 million to accelerate the Loyal Wingman drone project.
There’ll be no new taxes
The Coalition has provided an “ironclad guarantee” that its planned $100 billion in tax relief will be delivered, including the Stage 3 tax cuts that will benefit higher income earners in particular.
However, it won’t continue funding the temporary low-to-middle-income tax offset (LMITO), also known as “the lamington” next year.
The Coalition says it will keep taxes below 23.9 per cent of GDP.
First home buyers allowed to dip into their super
First home buyers will be able to invest up to 40 per cent of their superannuation (to a maximum of $50,000) to help with purchasing a property under the Coalition’s new Super Home Buyer Scheme.
An extra 25,000 first home buyers will also be able to access the Coalition’s popular Home Guarantee Scheme that allows people to buy with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent.
Extra places will be set aside for regional home buyers and single parents. Price caps will also be bumped up, to enable people to buy properties worth up to $900,000 in Sydney (instead of $800,000).
Incentives to downsize earlier
The Coalition will lower the age that Aussies can downsize their properties (and invest up to $300,000 into their super fund from the proceeds) to 55 years old.
Proceeds from the sale of a property will also be exempt from the pension assets test for two years (up from one year) from January 1.
Many new hydrogen hubs everywhere
The Coalition says it will invest $464 million in up to seven new hydrogen hubs, with facilities announced in Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.
The hubs will likely use gas to make fuel, rather than renewables.
It’s also putting money into demonstration projects for carbon capture and concentrated solar thermal power in South Australia, and an aluminium smelter waste recycling facility in Tasmania.
Protections for religious freedom
Scott Morrison wasn’t able to deliver on his promise from last election to pass a religious discrimination bill but the PM says he hasn’t given up on it.
He says passing the bill would be a priority for his government, after it was blocked in parliament this year due to five MPs crossing the floor over concerns about gay and transgender students being expelled from faith-based schools.
If re-elected, the PM says he wants the religious discrimination bill and separate sexual discrimination amendments dealt with “sequentially”, instead of together.
Money poured into wine industry
The Coalition will invest $15 million in the wine, spirits and craft breweries sector, providing up to $100,000 in matched funding for small to medium-sized wineries, distilleries and beer producers for the construction or upgrade of cellar door or tourism-associated facilities (excluding accommodation), such as restaurants, tour facilities and viewing platforms.
It will also put $4 million into helping small and medium wine producers showcase their drops around the world via $25,000 grants.
Bridges, wharves and roads to be built
The Coalition will fund the $220 million upgrade to Sydney’s Epping Bridge on a 50:50 basis with the NSW Government, and will put $200 million towards Barwon Heads Road upgrade in Victoria.
It also plans to put $12 million into a new wharf at East Devonport, Tasmania, $14 million towards upgrading Adelaide’s Glenelg Reef tourism precinct, $40 million for roads on the NSW’s Central Coast, and $1.5 billion for new port facilities in Darwin.
Great Barrier reef tourism
Tourism at the Great Barrier Reef has been hit hard thanks to the pandemic and the Coalition will put millions towards supporting local businesses.
Around $60 million will be spend on marketing to draw international tourism and backpackers to the reef.
There will also be $75 million provided to support travel agents and tour service providers working at the reef, $15m to support marine tourism operators undertaking water conservation and environmental and monitoring activities, and $12.4 million in “fee relief” for local tourism businesses.
More training positions
The Coalition will provide up to 800,000 new training positions in the VET sector and boost regional apprentices, giving them an extra 5 per cent wage subsidy in their first year, above that of subsidies in the rest of the country.
An extra 1500 Aussies will be trained for jobs in defence manufacturing and technology industry as part of an expansion of the Defence Industry Pathways Program.
Millions will also be put towards encouraging women to undertake non-traditional trade apprenticeships, enter the manufacturing industry or digitally skilled roles.
The Coalition will invest in up to 300 training places for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in carer professions, and will establish ReBoot, a pre-employment program for young people to build life and work skills.
University collaborations with businesses
The Coalition will support university innovation and industry collaborations through the $362 million Trailblazer Universities program. This includes linking Deakin University with industry partners to accelerate ideas into innovative, sustainable manufacturing solutions in the hydrogen and recycling industries.
A $50 million program to develop solar, hydrogen and other technology solutions between businesses and the universities of NSW and Newcastle, has also been announced.
Help for manufacturers
The Coalition is funding projects through its Modern Manufacturing Initiative including four businesses in Tasmania.
Lark distillery, Wesley Vale milk factory, Alcore aluminium smelter waste recycler, Marinova biotechnology company, as well as Nyrstar zinc manufacturer, will all get funding to help them increase production of their products.
Pensioners will be protected
The Coalition will expand access to the seniors health care card to an extra 50,000 Aussies by increasing the income threshold.
It will bring down the costs of prescriptions listed on the PBS by $10 from January 1, and will also lower the PBS Safety Net threshold from 1 July so patients have to pay for fewer scripts.
Deeming rates for aged pensioners will be frozen so the level of income payments for around 450,000 pensioners will be guaranteed.
Cheaper medications
The cost of prescriptions listed on the PBS by $10 from January 1 will be lowered by $10, and the Coalition will also lower the PBS Safety Net threshold from July 1, so patients pay for fewer scripts.
It will cut the cost of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) to support an additional 71,000 Aussies with diabetes, and will also make it cheaper to access treatments for breast cancer, spinal muscular atrophy and eosinophilic oesophagitis.
Help with IVF costs
Patients with cancer or people at risk of passing on genetic diseases will have their egg, sperm or embryo storage subsidised for the first time.
Investment in mental health
Around $55 million will be invested in mental health services in Tasmania over five years, and the Coalition will provide $61.5 million for mental health and suicide prevention support and services in Western Australia.
Mental health company batyr will receive an extra $1.7 million for its OurHerd free app that provides young people with a safe digital space to view and learn from positive mental health stories shared by their peers.
More childcare centres
The Coalition will fund a further 20 child care services in remote settings, and address service gaps in regional areas. It will also deliver greater accountability on preschool participation and outcomes.
Flexibility on parental leave
New mums and dads will be able to make their own decisions on how they allocate the government’s 20-week parental leave between them.
Previously “dads and partners” would only get two weeks leave but the changes mean they could chose to take the entire 20 weeks (instead of the mum or primary carer) if they want to.
Crackdown on online trolls
The Coalition will ensure smartphones and tablet devices have strong parental controls installed that are easier to find and activate, and harder for kids to bypass, through a binding industry code under the Online Safety Act.
Anti-trolling laws will be introduced to ensure social media companies are held accountable as publishers, and Australians will be given more power to deal with harmful defamatory comments from anonymous trolls.
It will raise awareness of the eSafety Commissioner’s support across every school thanks to $23 million in funding.
More aged care workers
The Coalition’s five-year $19.1 billion plan includes the roll-out this year of 40,000 home care packages, over 48,000 extra training places, 7000 new personal care workers, and 8400 respite services.
There will also be retention bonuses and infrastructure upgrades for aged care facilities.
Pharmacy services will also be embedded within residential aged care facilities to improve medication management for the elderly.
Royal flying doctor base in Tasmania
Funding of $15 million will bring services at the Royal Flying Doctor Service base in Launceston, Tasmania under one roof including aeromedical, dental and mental health.
Forestry hubs around Australia
The Coalition says it won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry and will work to create permanent production areas.
It will invest $106.6 million to establish a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation, with a central hub in Launceston and up to five centres of excellence around Australia.
It will provide grants worth $112.9 million to accelerate adoption of new wood processing technologies, invest $86.2 million in a new Plantation Establishment Program, and invest $4.4 million to fight against illegal logging.
Funding for dams, water and rivers
The Coalition will put $7.4 billion into dams and other water projects including building the Hells Gates dam ($5.4 billion) and Urannah dam ($500 million) in Queensland.
Around $22 million will also be provided to support new environmental, river restoration and recreational projects across the iconic Swan and Canning Rivers in Perth.
Cancer centre in Queensland
Up to $375 million will be invested to establish a comprehensive cancer centre in Queensland, similar to the successful Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney.
The facility, expected to be located in Brisbane at a location to be determined, will be designed and delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government, and the experts in the Queensland Statewide Cancer Clinical Network.
Free sport in school
The Coalition will expand the popular Sporting Schools program to high school students in years 9 and 10.
The program partners with 35 national sporting organisations such as Netball Australia, AFL, Cricket Australia, Hockey Australia and Surfing Australia, to provide free sport-based activities to students of all abilities.
Reducing crime in Alice Springs
Around $14 million will be provided to reduce youth crime and anti-social behaviour in Alice Springs, as well as more mental health and support services, in response to a request from the Alice Springs Town Council.
The money will fund more local support and training activities ($3.9 million), provide additional CCTV capability for Alice Springs ($600,000), support more community patrols ($4 million), and work with the council to develop more safe and secure places for young people ($2 million).
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