Mrs SALLY QUINNELL (Camden) (19:49): It has been a little over three weeks since the Treasurer handed down the first budget of the new Minns Labor Government. In that budget the Government sought to deliver on its key election promises made to the people of our State and has done so by investing in public services all without the privatisation of essential services. We all know that the former Government was obsessed with privatisation. It did not understand then, and still does not understand now, that people rely on public services every day. Whether it be public transport, public schools or public venues, public services are vital to the everyday functioning of our society in New South Wales. I am proud that this Government is committed to investing in public services and not selling them off.
Today I speak about the impacts of the budget on my electorate of Camden. The people of Camden were previously neglected under 12 years of Coalition governments in our State. The recent budget invests in our essential services that are so vital to the people of Camden. The public service wage cap was the legacy of the former Government, a legacy of suppressing wages for our teachers and nurses. Camden has the second highest number of teachers in the State behind Blue Mountains. Camden also has one of the highest number of nurses in the State. It is those essential workers that keep our society functioning every day, staffing our essential services like schools and hospitals that are integral for everyday people.
Nurses and teachers are prime examples of workers who were ignored and neglected by former governments, with their wage cap limiting pay and undervaluing the tireless work of nurses and teachers for our State. Those workers sent a message to the former Government in March and that message was loud and clear: Essential workers will not tolerate low wages and governments that refuse to listen to them. Under the Minns Labor Government, New South Wales teachers are now the highest paid in the country, making a real difference to the over 2,000 teachers that live in my electorate while also eating into the teacher shortage that has plagued our classrooms for years. All other public sector workers have received a 4 per cent pay increase, the largest in over a decade.
The budget is delivering for Camden. By providing responsible cost-of-living relief to those doing it tough, the Government is supporting the people of Camden. That is why 6,370 households in Camden are eligible for energy bill relief to help people pay soaring electricity bills. It is also why the budget provides $500 of fee relief per child for three-year-olds in long day care centres, supporting families across Camden. The budget also provides funding for much-needed high schools in Gregory Hills and Gledswood Hills, easing the overcrowding that has become the norm for fast-growing parts of my electorate. In addition, Gledswood Hills will be upgraded and a new public school will be built in Gregory Hills.
The Minns Labor Government's first budget is delivering for the people of Camden and the people of New South Wales. By investing in essential services and infrastructure that people in my electorate rely on, we can ensure that people are receiving the quality services they demand from government all without selling off publicly owned assets. The budget is the start of a new government that delivers for the people who need it most. Schools like Spring Farm Public School and Camden South Public School will have access to safer crossings, allowing students to walk easily and safely to school. Camden will no longer be left behind because a Labor government delivers. While there is still an enormous amount of work to do to address some of the most pressing challenges in my electorate and around the State, this budget gives us a great start and ultimately delivers for the people of Camden more than any other budget from the past decade.
