NSW Country Labor Conference

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Thank you, Janelle, for your kind introduction.

And thank you for being such an outstanding example of how when Labor wins in the regions, the regions win with Labor.

Thank you all for that very warm Country Labor welcome, here in the beautiful Central West.

I acknowledge all my state and federal Labor colleagues.

I thank the mighty trade union movement of Australia for everything you do to advance the cause of working people.

And I pay tribute to all the true believers, our rank-and-file members.

You are Labor's heart and soul.

And I am so grateful for how hard each and every one of you worked to help our Federal Government secure an historic victory last year.

Including 24 seats in rural and regional Australia, one of our strongest ever results in the regions.

And I know you will bring that same energy and enthusiasm to helping Chris Minns and his team win the State Election next March.

Friends, what drives you to volunteer and hand out and knock on doors is the same belief and determination that drives every member of the Parliamentary Labor party.

Because we all know the power and the value of positive, reforming, long-term Labor Governments.

And we understand that the opportunity - and responsibility - of Government is to serve all Australians, in every part of our great country.

Because for Australia to fulfil our potential, every Australian must have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

For our nation to be its best, every Australian must have the chance to be their best.

To fulfil our Australian values, we must value every Australian.

That's why we are building new early education centres across regional Australia.

And partnering with the Minns Government to fully fund every government school.

So every child in the regions gets the best start in life.

It is why we build the local infrastructure that connects communities.

And the national infrastructure that boosts productivity and creates jobs.

The roads and rail that enable our farmers and producers and exporters to take their high-quality products to consumers in our cities, our region and the world.

It's why we are upgrading - and finishing - the NBN, with fibre not copper, and keeping it in public hands.

So small businesses, students, telehealth consultations and people working from home can count on fast, reliable internet.

It's why we stepped up to back Rex Airlines.

And have ensured that the new operator will keep flying from Orange to Sydney - and across regional Australia.

And it is why we strengthen Medicare for all Australians.

We have cut the price of medicines on the PBS to no more than $25, the lowest it has been since 2004.

In co-operation with the state government, we are delivering an historic boost to public hospitals.

We have already opened 40 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in regional Australia.

Including eight here in New South Wales - and another coming soon to Nowra.

On the 1st of January, 1800 Medicare was up and running.

So now, wherever you live in Australia, free, expert health advice is just a phone call away.

And after we made the biggest investment in bulk-billing in Australian history, last November.

This week saw the biggest quarterly jump in the bulk-billing rate in 20 years.

Millions of Australians able to see a doctor, with just their Medicare card.

We've been focused on the work of delivery - and our opponents have also been busy.

If any of you have found the last fortnight hard to follow, don't worry you were not alone.

There were Nationals fighting Nationals.

Liberals fighting Nationals.

And Liberals fighting Liberals.

At this point, there is nothing I can say about them today that they haven't already said about each other on Sky News.

But I will make two points.

First, none of this drama and conflict and betrayal had anything to do serving the Australian people.

Second, none of their disagreements were about policy.

Because that's the bit they actually agree on - the Conservatives and Moderates, the Liberals and Nationals, the right and the far right, and the far, far right.

They all say that helping people with the cost of living is 'wasteful spending'.

They all want to cut Medicare, just as we are getting bulk-billing back above 80%.

They all want to cut Free TAFE, just as we pass 725,000 enrolments.

They all want to make it harder for first home buyers, even though our plan for 5 per cent deposits has already helped 15,000 people in regional New South Wales into a home of their own.

The Liberals and Nationals cannot stand each other - but they all stand for cutting wages.

In fact, the only piece of legislation that they disagreed on in the last fortnight was our Government's bill to freeze the excise on draft beer.

They have spent so long supporting nothing and saying no to everything that they are now opposed to cheaper beer.

And if you want proof that our opponents have not learned and will never change, then you only need to look at who they have chosen as their Leader.

Paul Keating famously said of Andrew Peacock:

'The question is can a souffle rise twice?'

Angus Taylor presents us with a new question:

"Can a souffle rise once?"

Angus Taylor is the fourth Liberal leader in my time leading the Labor Party.

And while the Liberals keep changing their leader - they never change their agenda.

He is just another Liberal.

Just a different name pushing the same cuts to Medicare.

The same tax increases, the same denial and delay on climate and energy, the same fixation with talking Australia down.

To quote Angus Taylor:

"The best indicator of future performance is past performance"

And his past performance tells us everything.

He opposed the tax cuts we delivered for every Australian taxpayer in 2024.

And he is against the top-up tax cuts we are delivering for every Australian taxpayer this year - and next year.

In fact, he actually went to the last election promising to increase taxes for 14 million Australian taxpayers.

Scrapping our cost-of-living measures, to spend $600 billion on nuclear reactors.

As well as sacking tens of thousands of public servants.

Though to be fair, his new Deputy Leader came up with that one - and the ban on working from home.

And somehow they made this add-up to higher taxes and bigger deficits.

And - if anything - his record as Energy Minister makes his time as Shadow Treasurer look good.

Because every challenge Australia faces in energy can be traced back to the wreckage he left behind.

When the Coalition were in Government, 24 out of 28 coal fired power stations announced they were closing.

And all Angus Taylor did was close his eyes.

The only decisive action he took as Energy Minister was to change the law to cover up his nearly 20 per cent increase in energy bills until after the election.

When it comes to energy it is this simple: Angus Taylor created the problem, he is not the solution.

He is just another Liberal.

Friends, we all know that we live in a world that is less certain and more polarised.

That global volatility affects our economy, our security - and our politics, our democracy.

The way people get their news, engage with issues and follow debates is fundamentally different, compared to even a decade ago.

That fragmentation is changing the political landscape, everywhere - including Australia.

It presents us with new challenges in reaching people, in organising, in campaigning.

It also offers us new opportunities - particularly in regional areas.

It is clear that communities which have been represented by the Nationals or the Liberals for decades on end are looking for change.

Part of that is because these places have been taken for granted.

Because while the Nats like to talk about being from the regions, they do not act for the regions.

It is also because in regional communities - as in our cities and suburbs - we know there are people under financial pressure.

We know there are people working hard but struggling to save for a home.

And we know every Australian parent looks to the future wondering what it will hold for their child.

Determined for them to have a better life, with greater opportunity.

We don't dismiss any of these concerns, or downplay them.

But nor do we seek to harvest them for our political benefit.

We don't go looking for grievances, just so we can find someone else to blame.

When we see a problem, we focus on action - not outrage.

That's why we are delivering real help with cost of living.

That's why we are strengthening Medicare.

That's why we are building new homes and helping more people buy a first home.

Some people go into politics to get angry - we are in Government to get things done.

That is the Labor way.

Of course, global economic change brings challenges, it always has.

But it also presents profound opportunities, especially for Australia.

Because we have everything we need to compete and succeed in a world powered by clean energy.

We have the traditional resources, the critical minerals, the sunlight and space - and best of all we have the skills and smarts of the Australian people.

That is why, unlike those who pretend that they can somehow turn back the clock.

We take responsibility for anticipating change and making it work for people.

Investing in the technology and energy and infrastructure and manufacturing that means we shape the future, rather than waiting for the future to shape us.

That is the Labor way - and it is the Australian way.

Because our prosperity and our unity has always depended on people having a stake in our economy.

At the same time as that great son of Orange, Banjo Patterson, was writing The Man from Snowy River and Waltzing Matilda, our movement was leading the world in the fight for a fair's day work for a fair day's wage.

The same determination has driven our movement since 1891.

We built for the best with Medicare, not just a source of security for families, a source of pride for our nation.

And we did the same with universal superannuation - ensuring the right of every worker to security in retirement.

Those are the foundations we strengthen and build on today.

Not claiming the system is perfect - working together to make it better.

To deepen the meaning of the fair go.

To give new life to our enduring values.

To give more people a place in the opportunities of our nation.

That is the choice our predecessors made, 135 years ago.

When we chose to be a movement for change - and a party of government.

We chose meaningful progress, not empty protest.

And that choice defines us still.

We build national unity, for national success.

We deal in purpose and optimism.

We take the hard road of delivery, not the dead-end of division.

Friends, that is the message you can take from this conference to your communities.

Say with pride that Labor is the party for the regions.

Because we are the party of jobs - 1.2 million new jobs.

We are the party that has delivered four consecutive increases in the minimum wage.

We are the party protecting penalty rates, your right to disconnect - and your right to work from home.

We are the party that has brought the gender pay gap to an all-time low.

And we are the party of Same Job, Same Pay.

Labor is the party for the regions because we are the party of education and aspiration.

Cutting student debt by 20 per cent.

Opening 56 new Regional University Study Hubs, including 14 right here in New South Wales.

Boosting funding for regional campuses, including Charles Sturt University here in Orange.

And helping over 113,000 people from regional New South Wales access the life-changing opportunity of Free TAFE.

Labor is the party for the regions because we are the ones acting on the environmental challenge of climate change.

And seizing the economic opportunities of renewable energy.

And friends, Labor is the party of the regions because we are the party of Medicare.

From the cities to the suburbs, to the proud regions of this country we love.

Labor governs for all Australians.

We are delivering for all Australians.

And we are building a better, stronger and fairer future - for all Australians.

Have a great conference.