CANBERRA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The leader of Australia's opposition party has promised to overhaul childcare and pump more renewable energy into the electricity grid if victorious at the next federal election.
Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese on Thursday night used his budget reply speech to launch major policies in childcare, energy and manufacturing, declaring that the coronavirus crisis has created a "once in a generation chance to rebuild our economy and our country for the better."
"The budget reflects the government's character of being guided by short-term politics, not long-term vision. This budget leaves people behind," he told Parliament, referring to the federal budget for 2020/21 handed down by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday night.
Albanese announced a 6.2-billion-Australian dollar (4.4-billion-U.S. dollar) plan to raise the maximum child care subsidy rate from 85 to 90 percent, meaning families that earn less than 80,000 AUD (57,390 USD) per year would pay only 10 percent of their childcare costs.
He said the current system discourages mothers from working full-time with families who earn more paying more for their childcare.
"The current system of caps and subsidies and thresholds isn't just confusing and costly; it actually penalises the families it's meant to help ... It's working mums who cop the worst of it," Albanese said.
"For millions of working women, it's simply not worth working more than three days a week. This derails careers, it deprives working women of opportunities they've earned.
"Building a childcare system that works for families will turbocharge productivity in workplaces.
"This is real reform. It will boost women's workforce participation, boost productivity and get Australians working again."
The budget reply, Albanese's first since becoming Labor leader, also set out a 20-billion-AUD (14.3-billion-USD), six-year plan to make Australia a "renewable energy superpower" by rebuilding and modernizing the national electricity grid.
"Australia's electricity network was designed for a different century," Albanese said.
"The current network takes no account of the rise of renewables as the cheapest new energy source, and doesn't help link these new sources up to the national grid ... By using the commonwealth's ability to borrow at lower interest rates, it will be done at the lowest possible cost."
Under the plan to boost manufacturing Albanese promised that a Labor government would develop a national rail manufacturing plan and impose a guarantee that 10 percent of jobs on government-funded infrastructure projects would be given to apprentices, trainees and cadets.
He said that "Labor's values of fairness, security and the power of government to change lives for the better" were best-suited to guide Australia through crisis, pledging that the party would pursue a recovery that "delivers a stronger, fairer and more secure future for all Australians."
Earlier on Thursday Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for the Labor leader to detail how he would reduce spending to pay for his new policies while also reducing the record-high budget deficit.
"Those opposite are saying here today that the debt is too high, the deficit is too big. That is what they're saying. But they are also saying that the debt should be greater, and we should spend more," Morrison said in Parliament.
"If he wishes to spend more, he needs to say what in the budget he wants to spend less on.
"He needs to say what he needs to cut, which roads, which dams, which hospitals, which schools." Enditem
