Helping with the cost of living

Tax cuts for every taxpayer

We’ve given every Australian taxpayer a tax cut to help with the cost of living.

The former government's tax cuts left out people earning $45,000 or less. We’ve made sure no one gets left behind.

That means more money in your pocket, every pay day.

Energy bill relief

Energy prices have spiked around the world.

We’ve taken action to protect Australians from the worst of it, rolling out $300 off energy bills for every household and $325 for small businesses.

Free TAFE

Free TAFE is changing lives. There have been around 600,000 enrolments so far.

And we’re making free TAFE permanent.

Whether it’s child care or cybersecurity, accounting or aged care – with free TAFE, you can train for the job you want without worrying about the cost.

Medicare

When you’re sick, seeing a doctor shouldn’t be a struggle.

That’s why we’ll make the biggest boost to Medicare ever, so you’ll be able to see the GP for free.

Our massive investments in health are already helping 11 million pensioners, concession card holders and families get bulk billed.

We’ve opened 87 free Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, and we’ll open 50 more. They open early and close late, so you can get the care you need, when you need it.

Cheaper medicine

You should be able to get the medicine you need, without worrying about the cost.

That’s why we reduced the maximum amount you’ll pay to $31.60 and made sure that concession card holders pay no more than $7.70. And many Australians can now get twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription.

We’ve also added many new medicines to the PBS for conditions like breast, prostate and lung cancer, so you pay less at the pharmacy. Without subsidy, a course of treatment could cost more than $100,000 – now it will cost no more than $31.60 per script.

Uni students

Going to uni should open up opportunities, not leave you with a lifetime of debt.

That’s why we cut $3 billion in student debt for 3 million Australians, and made sure loans never grow faster than wages into the future. Next, we’ll wipe a further 20% off student debt.

We’ve also set up the new Commonwealth Prac Payment to help students with the cost of living. That means if you’re studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social worker, you can get paid while doing your placement.

Pay rises for workers

Real wages are growing again. And with our tax cuts, Australians are keeping more of what they earn.

We’ve delivered historic pay rises for child care and aged care workers, helping bring the gender pay gap to its lowest level on record.

And we’ve backed 3 pay rises in a row for 2.6 million minimum and award wage workers.

Child care

We want every child to get the best start in life, without costs getting in the way.

That’s why we made child care cheaper, saving families thousands of dollars a year. And we will also guarantee 3 days of child care subsidy.

Supporting parents

More support, more financial security and more flexibility for parents.

That’s what we’re delivering by extending paid parental leave to 6 months.

And starting this year, we’ll add super to government paid parental leave – because it’s the fair thing to do.

Single parents make sacrifices and work so hard to give their kids a better life.

We've expanded access to the single parent payment, boosting support for around 97,000 single parents by hundreds of dollars a fortnight.