KEVIN RUDD S QUEENSLAND PLAN FOR. A New Way.

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1 KEVIN RUDD S PLAN FOR QUEENSLAND A New Way. 1

2 A message from the Prime Minister Jobs Not Cuts Labor s Plan for Queensland Labor has a clear vision for the future of Queensland. It s a vision for a prosperous economy growing the jobs of the future with a national government that provides proper funding for services that are fundamental to people s lives and well-being. We ll grow the jobs for the future with our $1 billion Jobs Plan, new apprenticeship incentives and a Jobs, Training and Apprenticeships Guarantee. We ll keep building an education system for the future with our $15 billion Better Schools Plan. We ll keep building the health system of the future with further investments in hospitals, Medicare Locals and aged care. We ll keep building DisabilityCare - just like Labor built Medicare - to give people with disability the support they need and their carers the peace of mind they deserve. And we ll build the infrastructure of the future, including finishing the National Broadband Network, which will wire Australia into the world, providing new opportunities for health, education and business. At a time of economic transition because of the end of the China mining boom, only Labor offers the proven experience to take Queensland through the next three years. We ll return our budget to surplus, but, unlike Mr Abbott, we won t do it in a way that will destroy schools, hospitals and jobs. Labor has a positive plan for Queensland, a plan that will protect jobs, provide services and put people first. Kevin Rudd Prime Minister 2

3 KEVIN RUDD s POSITIVE plan for QUEENSLAND 1. Grow jobs and the build the new industries of the future A $1 billion plan for jobs beyond the mining boom so all our eggs aren t in one basket. A Jobs, Training and Apprenticeships Guarantee to make sure jobseekers are linked to jobs and the training they need. Help for Australian firms win at least an extra $1.8 billion a year in work on big projects, and new opportunities for apprentices. Tax breaks for 3.2 million Australian small businesses. Keep Australia s AAA credit rating and stop Mr Abbott s $70 billion of Budget cuts that would hurt services and families. 2. Better schools with more one-on-one attention for our kids An extra $1.6 million on average for every school across the nation. Extra individual literacy assistance for up to 1.1 million students. The Schoolkids Bonus to parents of $410 per primary and $820 per secondary student helping more than 280,000 Queensland families with back-to-school costs. Boost skills with 510 Trades Training Centres already announced around the country, 263 are already up and running, including 26 new Trade Training Centres that will benefit 47 schools in Queensland. 3. World class infrastructure to build the businesses of tomorrow An NBN to connect Australian homes and businesses to world-class high speed internet. Continue delivering our $60 billion of investments in new road, rail and public transport infrastructure around Australia, including major projects in Queensland. 4. A world class health and hospital system Continue investing in health and hospitals we have already invested $17.1 billion in health and hospitals infrastructure in Queensland since $10 million for an additional 50 chemotherapy chairs for Queensland hospitals. More than $268 million to tackle dementia as part of Federal Labor s historic $3.7 billion aged care reforms. 5. A stronger community and a fair go for all DisabilityCare Australia to support Queenslanders with disabilities and their carers. Protect the Penalty Rates and Overtime pay that up to 209,000 Queensland workers rely on. Cost of living relief, including terminating the carbon tax to save families $380 next year. Increasing the Superannuation Guarantee from 9 per cent to 12 per cent, boosting retirement savings for 8.4 million Australians. This plan represents just part of Labor s positive plan to build the future. For more information, visit 3

4 1. Grow new jobs and build the new industries of the future Kevin Rudd will keep the economy strong while protecting jobs, maintaining fair wages and conditions and investing in health and education. With the end of the China resources investment boom, we need to find a new way. We must work together - governments, businesses and unions - to make Australia more competitive. Federal Labor s plan includes: Delivering our $1 billion Aussie jobs program to ensure Australian companies improve their competitiveness, win new exports and get fair access to major projects. A Jobs, Training and Apprenticeships Guarantee to make sure jobseekers are linked to jobs and the training they need to get local jobs. This transforms our employment services from a safety net into a springboard to a good job. New requirements for government-funded building projects to provide training and apprenticeships, creating new opportunities for skilled jobs. $16 million to establish a new Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Innovation Partnership in Queensland to help grow Australian exports and jobs in what is one of our fastest growing sectors. Supporting Australian firms to win at least an extra $1.8 billion a year in work on big projects and make sure they aren t locked out of work through measures such as the use of unfair standards. A Plan for Northern Australia to drive growth and jobs in northern Australia with new incentives for investment and strategic development blueprints for key regional centres. New training places for 6,800 manufacturing workers and 5,800 community services workers, including early childhood educators, nurses, and disability support carers. Tackling youth unemployment through the $35 million Step into Skills program, providing targeted training to more than 8,900 disadvantaged young people across Australia. New incentives for Australia s small businesses to invest, grow and create jobs: - A Small Business Investment Boost to provide an immediate tax deduction for small businesses to purchase eligible assets costing up to $10, Allowing small business to lodge GST returns once a year rather than four times a year, benefiting 1.35 million businesses with a GST turnover under $20 million a year. - Cutting red tape by extending the free Small Business Superannuation Clearing House to businesses with less than 100 employees and having Centrelink directly pay Paid Parental Leave to eligible employees for businesses with less than 20 employees. Establish a Future Navy Taskforce to map out the next steps in modernising the navy fleet, with consideration of expansion of navy bases in Queensland to deliver significant economic and employment benefits. 4

5 Labor s record of achievement on jobs and the economy since 2007, Federal Labor has delivered: Strong growth: our economy is nearly 14 per cent larger than when Labor came to office, whereas many advanced economies are still smaller than they were prior to the GFC. AAA credit rating: Australia has received AAA credit rating with a stable outlook from all three ratings agencies. We are amongst only 8 nations in the world to have this. Low unemployment rate (5.7%): Australia s unemployment rate is less than half that of Europe s (12.1%) and is below that in most other advanced economies. Exceptional job creation record: Nearly 1 million jobs have been created since Labor came to office, while the number of unemployed worldwide has increased by 28 million over the same period. Low interest rates: Interest rates are currently sitting at 2.5% - lower than they were at any time under the former Coalition Government. This means a family with a $300,000 mortgage is paying around $6,000 less in repayments a year. Contained inflation: with underlying inflation in the middle of the RBA s target band (2.4%). Investment: There has been more than $1 trillion dollars of business investment in our economy since Labor came to office in Very low debt: Net debt as a per cent of GDP peaking around an eighth of the level across major advanced economies. 5

6 2. Better schools with more one-on-one attention for our kids Federal Labor s plan will ensure every young Australian gets the best possible education so they can secure the jobs of the future. Our plan includes: Delivering our $15 billion Better Schools Plan that will: - Ensure students get more one-on-one attention for our kids. - Provide an extra $1.6 million on average for all schools across Australia. - Help our kids compete with Asia and secure high skill, high paid jobs. If the Newman Government signs up to the Better Schools Plan, Queensland schools will benefit from $3.8 billion in extra funding over the next six years only Labor is committed to the full amount of additional investment. Continue rolling out our 10 year $2.5 billion Trades Training Centres in Schools Program, giving secondary students access to industry relevant training and skills. - In the latest round Queensland schools will benefit from 26 new Trades Training Centres, benefitting 47 Queensland schools. Investing more than $30 million to ensure our children are taught by the best and brightest because we know the biggest influence in improving educational outcomes is the teacher standing in front of the classroom. Investing $450 million to provide parents with more outside school hours places, more flexible hours and better activities for kids making it easier for parents on the daily drop off and pick up. Almost 18,000 extra Queensland students could benefit from this initiative. Investing $20 million in a new NBN: Connecting Classrooms fund to help schools across the country take full advantage of the NBN. At least 1,000 schools will benefit from grants of up to $20,000 to help schools get the equipment needed to leverage the benefits of the NBN, for example through creating virtual classrooms. Enhancing the mychild website to make it easier for parents to easily identify the child care services available in their area, along with a new service to enable parents to be notified when a place becomes available. Investing $6 million to expand access to, and enhance the quality of, community language lessons this will benefit around 500 community languages schools and approximately 90,000 students. $5.4 million to improve training for new science and mathematics teachers. Keeping access to a university education open to all Australian students through our demand driven funding system. 6

7 Labor s record of achievement on education since 2007, Federal Labor has delivered: Record investment in our schools: almost doubled investment in this year we are investing more than $14 billion in schools, compared to $9 billion in the last Howard Government budget. Revitalised school facilities right around the country: $16 billion in almost 24,000 projects in 9,500 schools, including: - More than 500 Science and Language Centres - More than 3,100 libraries - More than 4,500 classrooms - More than 2,900 Multi-Purpose Halls Provided unprecedented support for students with a disability: we have invested an extra $300 million to help students with disability and learning difficulties, giving schools greater access to classroom support and specialised equipment. Boosted investment in skills: Investing over $19 billion in funding over the past five years and introducing a national training entitlement under the $1.75 billion Skills Reform National Partnership. Built new Trades Training Centres: through our $2.5 billion Trades Training Centres in Schools Program we ve already announced 510 new Trades Training Centres benefitting 1,290 schools. - $227 million has already been invested in 93 Trades Training Centres in Queensland benefitting 229 schools. Improved the quality of early childhood education and care: we introduced the National Quality Framework - lifting the quality of early childhood education and child care with improved child to staff ratios and new qualifications standards to give children. Supporting parents with the cost of child care: in $1 billion was provided to Queensland parents through the Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Rebate. - Queensland parents benefitted from an extra $39 million last financial year because of our decision to lift the Child Care Rebate from 30% to 50%. Ensuring every Queensland child gets access to 15 hours of kindergarten: through an investment of $389 million. Opened up access to university: there are now an extra 190,000 students studying at university compared to when we came to office. University funding is projected to increase to $14 billion in $6 billion more than in Invested in cutting edge research: we ve invested over $5 billion in higher education and research infrastructure since coming to office. 7

8 3. World class infrastructure of the future Under Federal Labor Australia has made record investments in the nation s infrastructure, including safer roads, better ports and rail, and improvements to our metropolitan public transport network. We are also delivering the National Broadband Network for all families and to build the businesses of tomorrow. Our plan includes: Delivering the high speed National Broadband Network, creating the opportunity for new industries to emerge and enabling businesses - big and small - to flourish. Continuing to roll out the $60 billion Nation Building Program to build modern, well-planned road, rail and public transport infrastructure. Continuing to invest in building projects - all up, we have already increased Federal spending on the nation s transport infrastructure from $132 to $225 per Australian. Continuing to make sure regional communities get their fair share, with almost two thirds of our infrastructure funding going to projects outside our big cities. In fact we ve doubled spending in regional Australia. Continuing to support important local and regional projects, such as: - $61 million brought forward for the Bruce Highway North Queensland Flood Immunity Package. - $5.5 million for the establishment of Hummingbird House a new children s hospice for East Brisbane. - $10 million towards the upgrade of the Kin Kora Roundabout in Gladstone. - $2 million towards building a flood recovery centre for the Ipswich community and region. - $15 million towards a new sport and recreation precinct in Springfield Central the Centenary Sport Hub. - $9 million towards Philip Street Communities Precinct in Gladstone, a one stop shop community services precinct with a community centre, a child and family centre, a youth enterprise centre, an outdoor amphitheatre and an all ability playground. - $10 million to help upgrade Whitsunday Coast Airport to extend the runway to cater for larger international aircraft such as A330s. - $3 million to enhance the training and playing facilities at the Broncos Junior Rugby League Academy at Logan. - $8.9 million for the construction of the Tropical Knowledge and Innovation Centre in Townsville. - $4.8 million towards the Cairns CBD Upgrade. - $3.5 million towards a library and community hub on Mackay s northern beaches. - $1.6 million towards the Browne Park Rugby upgrade in Rockhampton. - $500,000 to support the Central Queensland NRL Bid. - $750,000 towards a state of the art Mackay Regional Gymnastics Centre. - $5 million towards the Salvation Army Multi-Purpose Centre intownsville. - $3 million towards construction of the Beenleigh Town Square. - See more local projects at 8

9 Labor s record of achievement in infrastructure since 2007, Federal Labor has: Instituted an unprecedented $60 billion Nation Building Program to build the modern, well-planned road, rail and public transport infrastructure that will make working people s lives easier, our businesses more competitive and the Australian economy more productive: - Doubled the roads budget and initiated the biggest road construction program since the creation of the national highway network almost forty years ago. - Rebuilding more than a third of the Interstate Rail Freight Network some 4,000 kilometres of track. - Committed more funding to modernising urban passenger rail infrastructure than all our predecessors since Federation combined. Established Infrastructure Australia to ensure we have a transparent, competitive and national infrastructure market. Started rolling out the National Broadband Network, with over 75,000 Australians using the NBN today. The NBN has been switched on in a number of regional and urban sites in every State and Territory in the country. Invested in local projects that make a real difference, including: - Brisbane Cross River Rail: Construction of approx. 9.8 kilometres of new underground tunnel from Yeerongpilly Station through to Victoria Park, including four new underground stations that will help increase capacity on the Brisbane Rail Network. - The Bruce Highway: the ongoing upgrade of the Bruce Highway to improve safety, productivity and flood immunity. - Moreton Bay Rail Link: delivering a 12.6 km passenger rail line between Petrie and Kippa-Ring, including six new rail stations at Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Mango Hill, Kinsellas Road, Rothwell and Kippa-Ring. - Ipswich Motorway: widening work between Dinmore to Rocklea. - Warrego Highway Upgrades: targeted safety and productivity improvements. - Upgrade of the Peak Downs Highway. - Gladstone Port Access road. - Cape York Roads Package. - Pacific Motorway upgrade. - Townsville Port Access Road. 9

10 4. A world class health and hospital system Federal Labor s plan will deliver a stronger, fairer health and aged care system for the future. Our plan includes: Delivering a $50 million national network of Stroke Care Coordinators across Medicare Local networks in every State and Territory to help stroke patients in their transition from hospital to home and get the support they need in their local community. Investing $15 million for a network of cancer care nurse coordinators to be based in regional cancer centre project across the country, including seven in Queensland. Delivering our record $2.2 billion mental health reform package, expanding the highly successful headspace initiative to 100 centres across the country, providing additional funding to support critical services delivered by BeyondBlue and Lifeline and supporting workplace mental health through innovative new programs and services, providing a major boost to people in Queensland with a mental illness, their families and carers. Providing $10 million for an additional 50 chemotherapy chairs at the Royal Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane and Prince Charles Hospitals, relieving pressure on existing cancer services and to roll out better health services for patients in south east Queensland. Investing more than $190 million in health and medical research, including a $125 million fund to help Australian researchers translate their innovative ideas into commercial success, and grants to the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology to support research in priority health areas such as ageing, mental health and chronic disease. Supporting better asthma emergency awareness and training by investing $10.5 million for improved asthma response measures in schools, general practice surgeries and disadvantaged communities across all States and Territories. Helping ensure critical health advice and support is available to people living in Brisbane by providing $3.5 million to keep the Biala Community Health Centre open for a further year and employing around 30 staff after the Newman LNP Government s decision to cut vital funding to the service. From January 2014, ensuring that for 3.4 million Aussie kids it will be as easy to go to the dentist as it now is to go to the GP under the Federal Labor Government s Grow Up Smiling program. Delivering more than $268 million to tackle dementia and provide additional care and support to patients, their families and carers as part of the Federal Labor Government s historic $3.7 billion aged care reforms. 10

11 Labor s record of achievement on health and hospitals since 2007, Federal Labor has delivered: More money - investing an extra $20 billion in our hospitals to More doctors and nurses 11,000 more doctors, 26,000 more nurses, and more doctors in regional areas. Bricks and mortar more than $8 billion in around 1,300 building projects to support local hospitals, community health services, medical research and education and training of Australian health professionals. Medicare - the biggest investment in Medicare in Australian history around $35 billion in More local health services and health workers - $1.8 billion for Medicare Locals to plan and fund extra health services in local communities across Australia - supporting more than 3,000 frontline health workers, including around 700 GPs, nurses, mental health workers, physiotherapists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health workers across Queensland. Higher bulk-billing rates - record GP bulk-billing rates of over 82%. In contrast, when Tony Abbott was health minister, GP bulkbilling rates were as low as 67%. Better regional health services more than $189 million for regional cancer centre projects in Queensland, including services in Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba, Mt Isa and Nambour. More medicines over $5 billion in new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to ensure Australians can get access to high quality medicines at a cost individuals and the community can afford. Health and medical research more than $3.5 billion through the National Health and Medical Research Council since 2008, supporting over 8,500 researchers working to improve Australia s health outcomes, and including more than $113 million to fund health and medical research into dementia. Better dental care - $1.6 billion dollars for better public dental services, taking 400,000 Australians off public dental waiting lists immediately and building a system that invests in prevention, not just treats crises. Better cancer prevention, detection, treatment and cure - over $4.1 billion committed to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, including almost $2 billion on new and amended cancer medicines. More support for youth mental health - additional Headspace mental health services, supporting young Queenslanders in Townsville, Cairns, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Brisbane, Warwick and other regional areas, and the introduction of the innovative eheadspace initiative which allows young people to get support a and advice over the phone and online, no matter where they live. 11

12 5. Stronger communities and a fair go for all Kevin Rudd has a positive plan to build fairer workplaces and stronger communities by protecting penalty rates and Australia s safety net. Our plan includes: Fair workplaces of the future: - Protect Penalty Rates and Overtime pay that up to 209,000 Queensland workers rely on. - Ensuring Australian workers continue to be protected from unfair dismissal. Taking the pressure off families: - Protecting the Schoolkids Bonus from Tony Abbott s cuts, which is helping 280,000 families in Queensland with the costs of sending their kids to school. - Keeping the economy strong to deliver lower interest rates a family with a $300,000 mortgage is now paying around $6,000 a year less in repayments than when Labor came to office. - Terminating the carbon tax while still tackling climate change to give families cost of living relief to the value of $380 next year. In contrast, Tony Abbott's Direct Action scheme would cost families an extra $1,200 when fully implemented. - $450 million to expand Out of School Hours Care, a $450 million fund that will benefit up to 500 schools over the next four years. Nationally, around 345,000 children mainly in primary school are expected to benefit from the initiative. Support for people with disabilities: - Delivering DisabilityCare to give people with disability the support they need and their carers the peace of mind they deserve. We are delivering $14.3 billion in new funding to roll out across the country by mid-2019, on top of existing Commonwealth disability funding. More income for Australians in retirement: - Increasing the Superannuation Guarantee from 9 per cent to 12 per cent, boosting retirement savings for 1.5 million Queenslanders. For a 35 year-old plumber, Labor s Superannuation Guarantee increase adds up to over $74,000 by the time they retire; for a 22 year-old hairdresser that adds up to almost $100,000 by the time they are Maintaining fair franking arrangements so that self-funded retirees do not suffer a cut to their incomes. 12

13 Our achievements in delivering a fair go and stronger communities since 2007, Federal Labor has delivered: Fairer workplaces and almost one million new jobs: - Abolished WorkChoices and delivered the Fair Work Act. - Delivered Paid Parental Leave and flexibility for working families. - Delivered the strongest protections for workers entitlements ever seen in Australia for when an employer becomes bankrupt or insolvent. Cost of living relief for families: - Lower interest rates mean an Australian family on a $300,000 mortgage will pay around $6,000 a year less in repayments than when Labor came to office. - The Schoolkids Bonus to help families with the costs of sending their kids to school, with $410 for each primary school student and $820 for each secondary school student to help cover the cost of books, stationery, computer equipment and school uniforms. - We boosted the Childcare Rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent for out-ofpocket childcare expenses, providing families with up to $7,500 per child each year towards childcare costs. Out-of-pocket child care costs for a family earning $75,000 a year have reduced from 13 per cent of disposable income in 2004, to 8 per cent under the Rudd Labor Government. - Tax cuts for working families someone earning $50,000 is now paying $2,000 l less in income tax than they were before Labor came to office in The largest pension increase in Australia s history Since September 2009, an increase in the maximum rate of pension of around $207 per fortnight for singles and $236 per fortnight for couples combined. - Household assistance package Giving families on FTB-A up to $113 a year per child and families on FTB-B up to an extra $69 a year, as well as tax cuts, to help with the modest increase in costs associated with the carbon price. Better support for people with disabilities: - Doubled existing Commonwealth funding for support services for people with disability. - Invested more than $370 million in early intervention services for children with disability. - Invested $160 million in supported accommodation for people with disability. - Increased the pension in 2009 including for around 800,000 Disability Support Pension recipients and around 200,000 Carer Payment recipients Support for rural and regional communities: - $420 million Farm Finance Package, with a commitment to making adjustments where necessary to ensure those that need help most receive it. - Delivered the Regional Development Australia Fund, which has invested more than $850 million to leverage projects worth more than $2.7 billion. Already 76 projects are underway or completed, ensuring people living in rural and regional Australia are getting the services and support they need. - Provided more than $250 million in Community Infrastructure Grants to build priority local projects such as upgrades to local sporting and recreational community infrastructure. 13

14 If Abbott wins, Queensland loses We believe we must build for the future by investing in new industries and new jobs while all Mr Abbott does is cut to the bone. Tony Abbott has already said he will make these cuts in Queensland: Compared to our Better Schools Plan, on average schools in Queensland will be worse off by around $1.2 million. Over 280,000 eligible families in Queensland will lose the Schoolkids Bonus a typical family with two kids will be $15,000 worse off over the period of their kids schooling. Over 1.5 million people in Queensland will lose years of super savings. For a 35 year-old plumber Labor s Superannuation Guarantee increase adds up to over $74,000 by the time they retire; for a 22 year-old hairdresser that adds up to almost $100,000 by the time they retire at 67. Around 727,000 people in Queensland, mostly women, would lose up to $500 every year if the Low Income Superannuation Contribution is slashed. Over 210,000 young people, single parents and the unemployed in Queensland will lose extra help (the Income Support Bonus) every year eligible singles would lose $210, eligible couples would lose $350. Abbott's proposed Direct Action scheme would cost over 1.5 million households in Queensland an extra $1,200 each when fully implemented. Abbott would cut 11 Medicare Locals in Queensland which employ 710 frontline health workers which are delivering important health services. Over 209,000 people in Queensland work in occupations that could have their penalty rates and overtime cut by Tony Abbott. There are over 65,000 Australian Government employees in Queensland whose jobs may go as part of Tony Abbott s public service cuts. There are over 7,000 automotive workers who could lose their jobs due to cuts to automotive industry assistance, as well as up to 28,000 jobs in related sectors that would be put at risk. Mr Abbott wants to cut the NBN. This means that around 690,000 homes and businesses in Queensland would not get the NBN but have to rely on last century s copper for their internet connection or pay up to $5,000 for a superfast fibre connection which Labor would have delivered for free. The Coalition needs to make $70 billion of cuts what else will Mr Abbott cut in Queensland? 14

15 What Labor is delivering for Queensland & what Tony Abbott will cut What we are delivering for Queensland What Tony Abbott will cut in Queensland JOBS We will grow the new jobs and build the new industries of the future. There are around 65,000 Australian Government employees in Queensland whose jobs could be at risk as part of Tony Abbott s public service cuts. SCHOOLS We ve delivered $3 billion for 5,733 BER projects including the building building or upgrading of 1,060 classrooms, 1,158 libraries, 730 multipurpose halls and 127 science and/or language centres. Mr Abbott would make cuts to education. Compared to our Better Schools Plan, the 1,715 schools in Queensland would be $1.2 million worse off on average if Tony Abbott wins. SCHOOLKIDS BONUS Around 280,900 families in Queensland are receiving Federal Labor s SchoolKids Bonus. Mr Abbott has said he will cut the SchoolKids Bonus - a typical family with two kids will be $15,000 worse off over the period of their kids schooling if Tony Abbott has his way. NBN There are already around 196,260 homes and businesses in and around Queensland where the NBN fibre network is already under construction or complete. Nearly 700,000 premises in our current rollout schedule for Queensland who would miss out. In total 1.8 million homes and businesses will miss out. HEALTH We are investing in health. We have already invested $17.1 billion in health and hospitals infrastructure in Queensland since Mr Abbott would make cuts to health just like he did as Health Minister. He has already said the Coalition will scrap Medicare Locals. This includes the 11 Medicare Locals in Queensland which employ around 710 frontline healthcare workers. 15

16 Printed and Authorised by A Chisholm, Australian Labor Party, 16 Peel St, South Brisbane 4101 QLD. 16