GRIEVANCE DEBATE
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle—Deputy Speaker) (13:12): Last year, I stood in this place to talk about how the Albanese Labor government was delivering for the people of Newcastle. I spoke about the investments we were making, the promises we were keeping and the future we were building together. Twelve months later, I rise again to provide an update.
In Newcastle, delivery hasn't slowed. Indeed, it has accelerated. Over the past year, we've continued investing in the things that matter most: strengthening Medicare, building the infrastructure our growing city needs, supporting local industry, creating good, secure jobs, protecting our environment, backing our schools, TAFE and university, and investing in the community organisations that make our city thrive.
That is what good government looks like. It's about showing up, listening to communities and getting on with the job, and that's exactly what this Labor government continues to do for Newcastle. Health care remains one of the clearest examples of the difference Labor makes.
Every Australian deserves access to quality health care, regardless of what they earn or where they live. Over the past year, six fully bulk-billed clinics have been announced for our region, making it easier for thousands of families to see a doctor without having to worry about the cost. Our Medicare urgent care clinic in Charlestown is gearing up to celebrate its third birthday later this year.
In that time, it has seen more than 31,000 locals—people who have received free and timely treatment closer to home without the need to go visit a busy hospital emergency department. We're also strengthening the future healthcare workforce. Our expansion of paid prac payments means students studying clinical psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, paramedicine, radiography, pharmacy, rehabilitation therapies, audiology and podiatry will all have access to payments while on prac.
This builds on the paid prac that we've already delivered for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students. For students in Newcastle, that means more opportunities to finish their qualifications and begin serving the communities they already call home. Newcastle has always been a city that embraces change.
From steelmaking to advanced manufacturing, from coal exports to clean energy, our city has never been afraid to evolve. Today, Labor is helping Newcastle lead Australia's clean energy transition. We're backing innovative companies like MCi Carbon, whose world-leading technology is turning industrial emissions into valuable building materials, creating highly skilled local jobs while reducing emissions.
We're investing in 12 community batteries, helping the city of Newcastle store and make better use of the renewable energy generated at the Summerhill Solar Farm, rather than letting that good clean energy go to waste. Families are also benefiting from our cheaper home batteries, with more than 3,000 Newcastle homes now storing clean energy and lowering their household power bills.
But they're also helping all of us that don't have solar because they help stabilise that grid system for us. The Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub continues to gather momentum, helping ensure our region remains an industrial powerhouse well into the future. At the University of Newcastle, construction has started on the future skills hub, preparing the next generation of workers for advanced manufacturing, clean energy and emerging industries.
We're also supporting solar manufacturing at Black Hill and backing innovative Newcastle companies like Kardinia Energy to develop cutting-edge patented solar technology. I also want to acknowledge the new Steel River Estate battery in Mayfield West. While not federally funded, projects like this demonstrate the confidence that industry has in Newcastle's future as Australia's renewable energy capital.
Importantly, we're also protecting the natural environment while building this cleaner future. Labor honoured our commitment to permanently stop the destructive PEP 11 offshore gas permit, protecting our coastline, tourism industry and the marine environment. Now we're getting on with protecting even more of Australia's precious oceans, expanding marine protections to preserve biodiversity and ensure future generations inherit healthy oceans.
Infrastructure is more than roads and bridges. It's about getting people home sooner, supporting economic growth and ensuring that our city can continue to grow for decades to come. This year, we've celebrated the completion of the Hexham Straight upgrade, improving safety and traffic flows for the tens of thousands of motorists who use it every day.
The M1 to Raymond Terrace extension is on track for completion this year, the Newcastle Inner City Bypass is nearing completion, and upgrades to Old Maitland Road in Hexham are about to kick off. Together, these projects represent a transformational investment stretching from Rankin Park through Jesmond, Sandgate, Hexham all the way through to Tarro, Beresfield and Raymond Terrace.
The Albanese Labor government is investing more than $1.5 billion to make road journeys safer, smoother and faster across our city. We're also progressing upgrades to Ironbark Creek, to improve flood resilience and water flow in and around the Wallsend CBD. Planning continues for high-speed rail, as we work towards connecting Newcastle to Sydney with fast, reliable rail.
Earlier this year we announced the development phase and last month appointed Bechtel as the delivery partner. This is nation building infrastructure taking place in Newcastle, the birthplace of Australia's high-speed rail. The replacement of the Hunter Street bridge over Cottage Creek is also progressing, while upgrades to Parkway Avenue are making it safer and easier to choose active transport.
Strong communities don't happen by accident. They happen because governments invest in local organisations, volunteers and local facilities that bring our people together. Over the past year, we've continued supporting projects right across Newcastle.
The magnificent Newcastle Art Gallery redevelopment is helping to cement our city's reputation as a cultural destination. We backed the Howlin' Country Music Festival, supported accessibility improvements at the Hunter wetlands and helped Ronald McDonald House deliver new floors at their John Hunter Hospital accommodation. We've celebrated irrigation upgrades at Wallsend oval, supported a new yarning circle at Adamstown Public School, delivered new commercial fridges for BaptistCare HopeStreet, backed a community garden at Blue Gum Hills Mens Shed and invested in an accessibility upgrade at Young People's Theatre Newcastle.
These may not be projects that grab headlines, but they're important community investments. They're the sorts of investments that quietly improve lives every single day. Education has always been Labor's great nation-building mission, because no child's future should depend on their postcode.
I'm proud that every one of Newcastle's 43 public schools is now on a pathway to full and fair funding. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 13:21 to 15:59