CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (09:57): There's a lot happening in my electorate of Solomon—Darwin and Palmerston in the Northern Territory—when it comes to health and housing as our government delivers on its election commitments. The government released an expression of interest, an EOI, this month to identify a provider to use a $60 million grant for a new 120-bed residential care home in greater Darwin.

That's more accommodation support for our senior Territorians. Getting our elders out of hospitals has been a major priority for me, providing dignity to our elders but also freeing up hospital beds at Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital. The Albanese government is also delivering on its commitment for a Darwin Medicare urgent care clinic, with the tender processes underway to identify a provider to operate the new Medicare urgent care clinic in Darwin.

The one in Palmerston has had 30,000 presentations already and is making a big difference. This tender will be open to general practices, community health centres and Aboriginal community-controlled health services, and it is open until 23 October. The Darwin Medicare urgent care clinic will be open over extended hours seven days a week, with no appointment needed, and all patients will be fully bulk-billed.

The clinic will service Darwin and will help take the pressure off the emergency department at Royal Darwin Hospital, which will fill an important gap for Territorians and Territory families after hours and over the weekend. This follows on from the Palmerston urgent care clinic, which, as I mentioned, is really successful. This is on top of the 30 per cent increase in funding to the NT government for health services in this financial year.

I'm also proud that we're providing an opportunity for first home buyers to get into the market sooner, as they will need only a five per cent deposit under our scheme, while single parents will need only a two per cent deposit. Housing Australia provides a guarantee to the buyer's bank to enable the homebuyer to borrow up to 95 per cent, or 98 per cent for single parents, of the property value.

That's about half of the available properties on the weekend in Darwin and Palmerston. Five per cent deposits will cut years off the time Territorians need to save for a deposit, saving them thousands in lenders mortgage insurance and rental payments, and getting homebuyers into their first home sooner. Almost 1,200 people in Solomon, Darwin and Palmerston have already been able to buy their first home, thanks to Labor's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme.

This number will only increase now that all first home buyers are eligible. We're also addressing the labour shortage, through 175 construction trade apprentices in Solomon benefiting from the $10,000 incentive payment.