Stronger foundations for a better future

09 May 2023

The Albanese Government’s 2023‑24 Budget addresses the immediate challenges Australians are facing, better shares the opportunities in our society and builds a stronger and more secure economy.

Australians have shown resilience in the face of heightened global uncertainty, persistent inflation and higher interest rates, which are combining to slow our economy.

The best response to these challenges is a responsible budget that strikes the right balance between easing cost of living pressures, securing the essential services people rely on and laying the foundations for future growth.

It does this while strengthening our fiscal position, with a budget surplus now forecast in 2022‑23, and lower deficits and debt compared to recent budgets.

The Budget lays stronger foundations for a better future by:

Delivering cost‑of‑living relief,
Strengthening Medicare,
Investing in a stronger and more secure economy,
Broadening opportunity, and
Strengthening our nation’s finances and funding priorities.

Delivering cost‑of‑living relief

We know many Australians are feeling the strain of high inflation. The Budget provides cost‑of‑living relief that is affordable and prioritises those most in need, including:

Providing energy bill relief to over 5 million households and 1 million small businesses
Helping 170,000 households save on energy bills by financing energy saving home upgrades
Cutting the cost of medicine by up to half for at least 6 million Australians
Supporting 57,000 single parents by expanding eligibility for Parenting Payment (Single)
Responsibly increasing the base rate for eligible recipients of JobSeeker and other payments for 1.1 million people
Increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance for 1.1 million households
Encouraging investment in more housing including tax breaks to boost investment in build‑to‑rent projects
Delivering a 15 per cent pay rise on award wages for aged care workers and getting wages moving again

Strengthening Medicare

Medicare is the foundation of Australia’s primary health care system and in this Budget we’re making it stronger.

Investing an historic $5.7 billion to strengthen Medicare.
Making it cheaper and easier to see a doctor by tripling bulk billing incentives, with immediate benefits for more than 11 million Australians.
Funding for more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics; and after hours primary care.
Improving access through digital health and expansion of general practice.

Stronger and more secure economy

The Budget lays the foundations for a stronger economy and delivers a plan for how Australia can maximise our economic advantages by:

Committing a further $4 billion to our renewable energy superpower plan
A plan to make Australia a world leading hydrogen producer
$500 million to modernise and grow Australia’s industrial capabilities
New tax breaks for small business
Building up our defence industry
Supporting quality training and addressing skills needs

Broadening opportunity

This Budget and this Government is committed to economic growth that puts equality and equal opportunity at the centre, including through:

Advancing women's economic opportunity
Supporting women and children’s safety
Targeting entrenched disadvantage
Investing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Strengthening the Budget and funding national priorities

Making the nation’s finances stronger and more sustainable and funding the programs Australians need and deserve.

Lower deficits and debt, and a surplus forecast in 2022‑23
Better quality spending, and a fairer tax and superannuation system
Continuing support for programs Australians need and depend on
Building a sustainable aged care system
Getting the NDIS back on track
Looking after our veterans
Strengthening our engagement in the region

The Albanese Government is delivering a responsible Budget that builds stronger foundations for a better future. It is designed to see Australians through hard times and set our economy and our country up for lasting success.