Hello Armidale! It has been quite a few years since I last visited this lovely place and I didn't have the opportunity last election, but I am here now and ready to make my first speech in this lovely place and while I am here, my speech will focus on several items, namely Energy, Education, Health and First Nations.

Let's start with Energy, the Australian Labour Party will not start any new Coal or Gas projects and that is our first promise, the ALP will instead, refocus our Energy sector around Green and Renewable Energies that will provide sustainable and well paying jobs for Working Australians while powering our nation for decades to come. The ALP Also plans to help drive down energy prices with the Solar Mortgage Scheme, which in essence means that the Government pays for your panel, the government will collect the money put into the grid until the mortgage is payed for. The ALP also plans to issue BOOT contracts for geothermal, wave and mass solar projects. Bringing jobs to Australia to employ Australian Workers.

The ALP has many plans for Education as well! We recognise that value of public education and we believe that the expansion and funding of the institution is one of the best things a Government worth their salt can do. Not only are the policies in our manifesto created with cost of living in mind for the average Aussie, but to also foster a forward thinking and highly skilled Australian Work Force that can meet the challenges of the modern world with determination and resourcefulness. To achieve this, the ALP will reinstitute the Trask Australian Education Act, we will implement Universal Childcare and Free TAFE along with Free University degrees for select professions such as Teachers. Speaking of Teachers, we will introduce a policy to allow for teachers to start their degree right away so long as they have the necessary double degree. This will help shore up teaching as a profession to deal with work force shortages. Now, people of Cowper, our policies do not stop there, the ALP has the most extensive list of reforms for Education then any other party because we recognise the flaws in the current system and we also have the ambition and spine to face them as challenges facing Australia. We will also work with the States to coordinate and further synchronise our Education System, bringing much needed reforms to the ATAR and HSC systems. We will also make targeted investments into late Primary education, introduce a 100% Literacy Campaign and bring Comprehensive Sex/Consent Education into our school system. And finally, the last policy I will mention on education, the ALP seeks to establish Public Service Academies to strengthen the APS as a work force to help fast track people seeking to be part of the Public Service to receive a 1 year long fast track programme after their time at University.

Now, onto Health. This part of the ALP Manifesto has been developed with recent history in mind while also wanting to strengthen our Health system into a world class and highly respected institution. In order to do this, the ALP will reverse the trend for GPs becoming Mixed-Billed and make sure more and more GP clinics remain or transition back to Bulk-Billing as it is a primary mechanism in our Medicare system that needs to be strengthened and to continue the policy of strengthening Bulk-Billing, the ALP will also make clinical and diagnosis appointments bulk-billable and we will also expand Mental Health Acute Coverage nationwide and we will Nationalise Pathology since it is simply too vital to our Health system to leave for the market to handle, it needs the direction of the State to make sure our Health system remains strong and ready. We will select certain government assets and make sure they can be mobilised into excess health capacity during times of crisis such as when COVID came to our shores. The ALP will also pass legislation to establish the Australian Biosecurity Agency which will act as a subset of the Department of Health running the Emergency Medical Stockpile and will also be responsible for the overseeing of national logistics during crisis situations, we have crafted this policy so Australia can be better prepared of another epidemic or pandemic, we need to learn from the lessons of COVID and implement the proper policies to counter act any new diseases.

And finally, I would like to talk about our policies for First Nations people and communities. The Australian Labour Party believes that Government needs to and if we become elected, we will persue treaties with our Indigenous Communities. On top of that, we will implement Closing the Gap and Bringing Them Home in full, we will not do half measures or make vague gestures of wanting to address the issues plaguing Indigenous Communities, we will walk along side them and help them to tackle the issues head on and with all resources we have, this isn't some vague promise that the ALP will never touch on again, we will commit to these policies in full and implement them because it is high time that Government takes a serious look at the issues and addresses them!

Now, I would like to thank everyone for coming to my speech, the ALP has the most extensive Manifesto out of all the Parties that are campaigning and that is because we believe in a better Australia. We are aware of the flaws and have the ambition and determination to take on the challenges of addressing so I say to the people of Cowper, vote for the ALP and with us, let us build a Great Society, a Wondrous Society!

Thank you! Have a good day!