Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): The Andrews Labor government is working hard every day to ease cost-of-living pressures and help hardworking families to get ahead. We have expanded the $250 power saving bonus to all Victorians, and my office has now helped hundreds of locals to access this saving on their energy bills. We have put in place flagship reforms, like free kinder and free TAFE, which not only remove fees but remove barriers to workforce participation and education too. We have capped rental bonds and council rates and given sick pay to casuals and are helping homes to become energy efficient. And from this week we are making it free to get your drivers licence too. We know how empowering having a licence is. It is not just being about being able to take your friends up the coast on a road trip. For so many it means access to job opportunities across town and being able to get to classes at TAFE or uni.
Labor takes easing cost-of-living pressures seriously because it is part of a movement that has at its core the mission to build a better and fairer future for every Victorian. And we do not just talk about this, we get on and do it. Right now we are building thousands of new homes through our Big Housing Build—another way we are helping those who need it most. It is the largest single investment in social and affordable housing by any state or territory government in Australia’s history, and we are doing it—Labor is doing it—because we know that having a safe and secure place to call home, having education and job opportunities and having support when you need it means that Victorians can get on with living their best lives. That is what Victorians deserve, and that is what we are delivering.
