I Became Premier To Fight For Working People

Transcript of the Premier’s remarks at Tullamarine Community Hall

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we are gathered – the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation – and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.

Thank you for that introduction, Gab.

Let’s have a round of applause for my Deputy Premier.

I’m very proud to have you by my side.

And thank you to Rachel Halse – a hardworking nurse and Labor’s Candidate for Ringwood.

Friends, welcome to my part of the world.

Kmart Airport West – where I started working when I was 14 – is five minutes away.

Drive another four minutes and you’ll be at St Christopher’s – where I went to school.

Right near the home where I grew up.

Right under the flight path.

I love this place.

I love it because Victoria has been good to me and my family.

It was good to Dad – who was a tradie, who started GBK Electrics named after Greg, Ben and Kaye.

It was good to Mum – who was an education support worker, just up the road at Glenroy West.

And it’s been good to me – ever since I started out behind the cash registers at Kmart Airport West.

That's why I got into politics.

Because I wanted to repay the good that my family and I have received.

That’s why I became Premier, too.

I became Premier to fight for working people.

And right now, there’s so much to fight for.

I’m here to fight for the nurses that look after Victorians on their worst day.

I’m here to fight for the teachers that give our kids the best start.

And I’m here to fight for the jobs that working people deserve.

I’ve been clear since day one:

This Government is taking a new direction.

A new direction that is all about integrity, keeping communities safe, and making every dollar count.

But I’ve also been very clear, that this is a Labor Government.

Focused on the schools and hospitals that working people need.

And the priorities working people deserve.

Gab has already spoken about what we’re doing – in health and education, integrity and the economy.

She warned us about the real risks of a Liberal-One Nation coalition government.

Today, I want to talk to you about something that will make a real difference to working people right across Victoria.

Friends, nothing is more Labor than healthcare.

You can’t have a strong community – and a strong economy – without healthy families.

Today, I am announcing the first new policy Labor will take to the election in November.

A commitment that is all about the cost of living and all about health.

Medicare is a great Labor reform.

From the Prime Minister down, we’re all so proud as Labor people to have a Medicare card.

But Medicare doesn’t cover dental work.

As a result, tens of thousands of Victorians can’t afford to go to a dentist.

And so many of them are in pain, every single day.

Almost 10,000 Victorians a year raid their superannuation just to pay for dental work.

The average withdrawal is $25,000.

Victorians shouldn’t be raiding one great Labor reform to fill the gaps left in another.

So we are going to fix that problem.

Friends – today I can announce that a re-elected Carroll Labor Government will deliver free dental.

That’s right.

I am talking about free dental services – for all Victorians.

We will deliver it by opening free Public Dental Clinics across the state.

Starting with 10.

And they will be open to every Victorian.

Adults and children.

This is a structural cost-of-living commitment.

It’s not a one-off.

It’s a new, statewide service that won’t go away.

And 10 free dental clinics is just the start.

Friends, this Labor reform will change lives.

It will give thousands of Victorians access to preventative dental care.

It’ll save them real pain – and real money.

And it’s a national first.

No other state government has established universal free dental like this.

Our clinics will operate like Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

They will be open to everyone.

They will be open every day.

And every Victorian resident will be able to go to a free Public Dental Clinic for a checkup every year.

This investment has a cost.

And you know what?

It’s worth every single cent.

Because families need it.

And in the long run, it will save everyone money.

When they are up and running, these free Public Dental Clinics will treat more than 100,000 Victorians a year.

And it’s a great Labor reform – because it’s all about working people.

It’s the first new policy Labor will take to the election.

And it’s just the start.

There is so much more to do.

Friends, I’ve told you why I got into politics.

I wanted to repay the good Victoria gave me and my family.

Now, let me spell out what that means between now and election day.

It means I am here to listen and to serve the public, like I did at Kmart.

I am here to fix their problems – and remove every barrier to their safety and prosperity.

And I am here to make every dollar count.

No shortcuts.

No excuses.

Just knuckling down and taking action – to make our streets safer, our roads better, our people healthier, our kids smarter, and our economy stronger.

You could call this a new direction.

You could also call it plain common sense.

Victorians want real action from their Government, on their priorities.

And that’s what my Labor Government will do.

Unlike the Liberals, I’m not here to cut $40 billion out of frontline services.

And unlike One Nation, I’m not here to end paid parental leave.

Or get rid of penalty rates.

I’m here to fight for working people.

Victorians decide this November.

They have a choice.

Between Labor’s plan to help working people and the Liberal-One Nation plan to hurt working people.

And every day, I’ll be saying to them:

Only Labor will deliver free dental.

Only Labor will deliver better local roads.

Only Labor will support your teachers – the highest paid in the country, delivering the best NAPLAN results.

Only Labor will support your nurses – including the 17,000 extra that we’ve employed.

Only Labor backs our police force – the biggest in the nation.

Only Labor will support your family.

Your health.

Your cost of living.

Because only our Labor Government will fight for working people.