Sunday Territorian

Labor has plan for better future

- LUKE GOSLING LUKE GOSLING IS THE MEMBER FOR SOLOMON AND IS SEEKING RE-ELECTION IN THE MAY 21 FEDERAL ELECTION

TERRITORIA­NS have a real choice on May 21: a choice between a tired, decadeold government with no vision, whose inaction has led to skyrocketi­ng cost of living and shrinking wages, or a fresh government with a clear plan for a better, fairer future for Australian­s.

I’m so proud to stand with federal Labor, the only party with a plan for an economy with stronger wages and more secure jobs.

Right now, too many people aren’t earning enough to pay the bills or to plan for their future. Too many businesses can’t find skilled staff. And too many industries are at the end of global supply chains, at the mercy of an uncertain world.

Federal Labor will invest in training Australian­s right now for the emerging industries of the future, with 465,000 feefree TAFE and VET places, and 20,000 more university places.

After a decade of neglect from the Coalition government, and the severe shortages of basic items that we experience­d during the pandemic, Territoria­ns know how important it is to make things here.

Federal Labor’s $15bn National Reconstruc­tion Fund will kickstart this process, providing loans, guarantees and equity to the agricultur­e, resources and defence technology industries.

We’ll make planes, solar panels and batteries right here in the Top End. And we’ll create 600,000 new jobs, most of which will be in the regions.

Federal Labor has committed $1.5bn to the Middle Arm precinct – but we want to ensure that any works are done to the most rigorous environmen­tal standards, because we treasure our Darwin

Harbour and natural surrounds, and want to be able to enjoy them for generation­s to come.

We’ll invest properly in renewables and take advantage of our abundant natural resources right here at home to become the renewable energy superpower Australia should already be.

We’ll invest in 10,000 new energy apprentice­ships to make sure our young people are skilled up and ready to take full advantage of the opportunit­ies on our doorstep.

Our Powering Australia Plan will reduce Australia’s emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, keeping us on track to achieve net zero by 2050.

We’ll take the pressure off parents by making childcare cheaper, saving families thousands of dollars per year, and helping parents get back to work.

Labor built Medicare. We will always support it and ensure it is fully funded, because every Australian should be able to access free, quality healthcare.

We’ll fix the appalling crisis in aged care, ensuring there are more nurses and carers with more time to care.

We’ll end this government’s attacks on the National Disability Insurance

Scheme and get it back on track, so that it works for people with disability and their families.

We’ll also build more affordable housing for frontline workers, veterans, First Nations people and women and children fleeing domestic violence, creating 30,000 new social and affordable homes while supporting thousands of constructi­on jobs.

We believe in building an economy that works for people, not the other way around.

The Top End is Australia’s spearhead into the Indo-Pacific, something underlined by the large number of Defence personnel and their families who call Darwin and Palmerston home.

As a veteran who has served overseas but also worked in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, I know how important our strategic location is and how that will drive investment.

Federal Labor will spend at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence, but we’ll spend it on the right things. We won’t waste

$5.5bn of your money on submarines you’ll never see.

Our Defence Industry Developmen­t Strategy will put Australian companies first, which will have a big impact on many local businesses here in Solomon.

I’ve been fighting a long time to ensure that small and medium enterprise­s get their fair share of Defence dollars, and this will deliver.

We’ll ensure that our businesses have the skilled workforce they need to grow, and our kids have all the opportunit­ies they need to build happy and successful lives right here in the Territory.

These are just some of our plans for the future. They’re robust and costed, and ready to go.

We want to get Australia back on track after a decade of missed opportunit­ies, and to help boost the Territory economy so we can all keep enjoying the best place in the country to call home.

The Territory has always done better with federal Labor because we actually deliver the infrastruc­ture and funding we promise.

A better Territory is possible.

With your support, we can make it happen.

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