ADJOURNMENT

Ms RYAN (Lalor—Chief Government Whip) (19:55): I always want to be able to point to the difference our government is making in the lives of people in my community, because, for people in communities like mine, what we do here really matters. It is about whether your family can see a doctor when you need one, whether you can afford your power bill, whether you can get into your first home and whether your children can access quality child care and education, and this government is delivering real change to deliver for people in my community and across Australia every day.

Bulk-billing is the beating heart of Medicare. We understand that Australians have the right to access health care—that's what drives this government—and to access it when they need it close to home without cost being a barrier. We are committed to universal health care.

We want to see the investment translate into real results, and that's exactly what we're seeing across the country. The latest figures show the national GP bulk-billing rate has reached 81.9 per cent. That's up 4.6 percentage points in just a year.

Lalor has 43 GP practices that are now bulk billing, and we've reached a 97 per cent bulk-billing rate. That's the highest rate in Victoria. It's something I'm really proud of.

I've had the pleasure of meeting with local bulk-billing GP clinics over the past few months—out and about meeting with doctors. It's a really nice way to spend the day. They've told me first-hand about the difference these changes are making.

When I meet with them, they thank me for the government's investment in bulk-billing, and I thank them. I thank them for continuing to put their patients ahead of their bottom line. Now these practices have greater confidence to continue bulk-billing their patients.

That is what Medicare is for. It's what it provides—primary, preventive health care. We're also helping families take control of their energy bills.

The government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program has now supported hundreds and thousands of households, small businesses and community organisations to install batteries. More than 500,000, in fact, have installed discounted home batteries. In Lalor, more than 3,000 solar batteries have now been installed, and, as we heard from Minister Bowen last week, we've also got the highest uptake of EVs across the country.

These households are reducing their energy bills whilst helping build a cleaner, more reliable energy system, and they're transforming our roads as well. We're now home to over 2,000 electric vehicles. The suburbs of Tarneit and Werribee rank first and second nationally for electric vehicle uptake through the electric car discount.

We're also helping more Australians achieve the dream of homeownership. For too many young Australians, saving a 20 per cent deposit has meant years of renting and paying someone else's mortgage. Our expanded 5 per cent deposit scheme is changing that.

More than 230,000 Australians have already bought their first home with the support of this scheme, and in my community that scheme has benefited almost 6½ thousand first home buyers already. This has cut years off the time needed to save a deposit and avoided tens of thousands of dollars in lender's mortgage insurance. For a young family in Melbourne's west, that can be the difference between continuing to rent and finally having a place to call home and begin paying off their own mortgage.

We're also continuing to invest in the infrastructure our community needs. Melbourne's west is one of the fastest growing parts of Australia, and our infrastructure needs to support those fast-growing communities. That's why I'm particularly pleased that the Ison Road Project will open in September.

That's three months ahead of schedule. It's a bridge that goes across the railway line and links the freeway into Wyndham Vale, Mambourin and Werribee. It's a joint project with funds from federal and state Labor governments that is going to get that overpass running along Ison Road to Geelong Road and the Princes Freeway interchange at Werribee.

It will improve journey reliability, it'll reduce congestion and it'll take traffic off local roads. For the people of Werribee, Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Mambourin, this is the kind of infrastructure that makes a real difference to everyday life. It will have people home sooner and more safely.

I look forward to working with Minister Catherine King on delivering the bridge across the Werribee River to join Tarneit and Wyndham Vale in the coming years. We need to continue to deliver for Australians and deliver the change that they need.