Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor have won a second term — and they enter it with billions of dollars in promises made.
Here’s some of what has been pledged:
Health
– Expanding to all Australians, and introducing a new incentive for practices in a bid to boost bulk billing rates
– A 24-hour ‘1800MEDICARE’ service will be launched to allow patients access to free after-hours general practice telehealth consultations
– An additional 50 urgent care clinics by June 2026, on top of the 87 already operating
– Women , pelvic pain or menopause will have access to more specialised clinics as well as cheaper medicines
– Certain oral contraceptives, endometriosis medication and IVF medication will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
– Most PBS prescriptions to be capped at $25 (currently $31.60). The $7.70 cap for concession card holders will remain frozen until 31 June, 2029
– Labor , and upgrade or establish more than 100 mental health clinics with varying specialities
– Funding to support the training of more than 1,2000 mental health professionals, and to train more doctors and nurses
Industrial relations
– Labor has vowed to , saying it will enshrine them in law
– It says it will ban non-compete clauses, enabling workers earning under $175,000 to more easily switch jobs to a competing employer or to start a competing business
Housing
– Labor will expand its 5 per cent deposit scheme so that every first home buyer is eligible. There will be no income limits or caps on places
– It has pledged to build 100,000 new affordable homes exclusively for first home buyers, with construction to start in 2026/27
– More first home buyers will be able to access the , which allows them to buy with a deposit of 2 per cent if they give the government a 30-40 per cent stake. Income caps will be increased from $90,000 to $100,000 for individuals, and property caps will also be increased
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First-home buyers will get more support under the 2025 federal budget.
Women’s safety
– Funding for initiatives including electronic monitoring and ankle bracelets for high-risk perpetrators
– Examining making perpetrators liable for social security debts incurred by a victim-survivor due to coercion or financial abuse and stop
– Intensive behaviour change programs for men and young boys will get a funding boost
– Has pledged to refurbish and build more crisis and transitional housing for women -leaving domestic violence or at risk of homelessness
Cost of living
– Australian households and businesses will receive an . The money will appear as a credit on people’s power bills in two $75 instalments over the last six months of 2025
– Every taxpayer would also be eligible to claim for work expenses from 2026/27, without filling out paperwork or receipts
– Labor has , meaning anyone earning more than $45,000 will save $268 in 2026/27 and $536 the year after
– Price gouging to be outlawed, with supermarkets
Source: SBS News
Education
– Roughly three million Australians will have
– Labor has pledged to make fee-free TAFE permanent
– From July next year, students will not begin to repay their Higher Education Loan Program debts (such as HECS) until they are earning at least $67,000
– Apprenticeship incentives for construction workers including a $10,000 payment at intervals, with the first payment at six months and the last when they complete their training
– Investments in to help students learn a language other than English, particularly Asian languages
Childcare
– Labor says it will provide
– Activity tests will be scrapped, meaning parents won’t have to work or study to be eligible for childcare subsidies
Immigration
– Labor has pledged to from $1,600 to $2,000
– Small decrease in the permanent migration intake — from 190,000 places to 185,000 in 2024/25
Environment and energy
– Labor has vowed to establish a federal Environmental Protection Agency
– National Vehicle Emissions Scheme to come into effect on 1 July. It penalises high-polluting vehicles by setting an emissions ceiling for each manufacturer’s fleet, incentivising consumers to buy low-emission vehicles, including hybrids and electric vehicles
– Labor has promised to , which could save households thousands a year in energy bills
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