I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet. Before entering Parliament, I worked for most of my life on minimum wage in Woolworths stores across Melbourne’s outer south-east. I understand the pressures local families are under—that’s why I’m working hard to deliver real cost-of-living relief.

💰 $1,320 in Tax Cuts for Every Worker in Holt

Under the Coalition, billions of dollars would have gone to the wealthiest households. Instead, Labor redesigned the tax cuts so that 90% of families in Holt are better off, with the average taxpayer saving $1,320 a year.

⚡ $300 Energy Rebate – Cutting Bills by 17.9%

The global energy crisis has made it harder for families to keep up with rising power bills. That’s why Labor introduced a $300 energy rebate for every household and $325 for small businesses. These rebates have driven energy prices down by 17.9%.

👩‍🎓 $3 Billion in Student Debt Relief – Helping 19,689 Holt Residents

The surge in student debt in recent years was unfair and unsustainable. No young Australian should be forced to decide their future based on the cost of study. That’s why we changed the HECS-HELP indexation system, wiping $3 billion in student debt and ensuring that future debts will never grow faster than wages.

For a graduate with an average HECS debt of $26,500, this change means a saving of  $1,200. 

💊 Making Medicines Cheaper

We’ve frozen the cost of PBS medicines for three years—and for concession card holders, five years—to help families manage rising costs. We’ve also halved the price of PBS medicines by introducing 60-day prescriptions, saving Australian households over $1 billion.

🏡 Increasing Rental Assistance by 43%

Labor has delivered the largest increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance in history—a 43% boost to help people on the Age Pension, JobSeeker, Carer Payment, and Disability Support Pension afford a roof over their heads.

👴 Expanding Access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

More than 50,000 additional older Australians and veterans now have access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, thanks to Labor’s increase to the income threshold.

• Singles: Income limit raised to $90,000 (from $61,284)
• Couples: Income limit raised to $144,000 (from $98,054)

This means more seniors can access cheaper medicines, bulk-billed GP visits, discounted council rates, and lower utility costs—helping them manage cost-of-living.

Improving mobile reception in Clyde, Clyde North, and Cranbourne East has been one of my top priority since being elected as your Federal MP two years ago.

In November, I issued a survey to over 10,000 homes in these suburbs and received over 5,000 responses with your stories and complaints. Many of you shared your struggles with running home businesses, difficulties in contacting family members overseas, and having to drive to McDonald's to call triple zero in emergencies.

Unfortunately, there was no leadership at the Federal level for nine years under the previous Liberal-National Government, leading to delays and finger-pointing between the council and telecom companies over land acquisition and planning. I have used my survey results to work with these bodies and demonstrate the community's frustration with the widespread poor reception.

New Towers Announced

In November I was proud to announce that two new mobile towers for Clyde have been fast-tracked under the Albanese Labor Government’s Peri-Urban Mobile Program.

One tower will be on corner of Bells Rd and Bellavita Ave, boosting coverage for Evergreen, Riverfield, Bella, One Bells, and Lilium estates, while the second will be northwest of Tooradin.

These towers are expected to be operational early next year, improving coverage for you and thousands of your neighbours.

This is on top of 12 additional towers approved by the City of Casey that will be constructed through to 2027.

Thank you to the 5,000 residents who completed my survey last year. These 14 towers are proof of what can be achieved with strong local advocacy. Unfortunately, this isn’t something we saw for nine years under the previous Liberal Government, with delays and blame-shifting instead of action.

There’s still more to be done, and I’ll keep pushing until every home in our community has reliable mobile coverage—because in 2024, mobile access is as essential as running water.

Read More: Cranbourne Star Reception Calls Answered 

In October we celebrated the completion of major works on the Southeastern section of the Suburban Roads Upgrades at Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road.

The $1.6 billion dollar South Eastern Roads Upgrade has delivered 34 kilometres of new lanes – reducing congestion, improving safety, and cutting travel times for nearly 130,000 motorists each day.

As someone who drives on Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road daily, I know how essential this road is to our community, and I want to thank the Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King for her work.

The Albanese Labor Government recognises that our rapidly growing outer-suburbs need significant investment to stay connected and move forward.

This investment isn’t just about roads, though.

Addressing major bottlenecks like Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road is essential to tackling the housing crisis.

The City of Casey, which Holt covers, has the highest number of housing approvals nationwide.

As development expands in Clyde and Cranbourne East, these road upgrades are critical to support continued growth.

The upgrade of Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road is just one way the Albanese Labor Government is investing in our growing Southeastern suburbs.

Since my election, I have advocated for upgrades to our community's schools.

Even though studying can be exhausting at times, I always remember my mother saying, 'Material goods can be stolen, but knowledge cannot.' I have held onto that saying all my life, and it is my message to every young Australian.

As our community continues to grow I will continue to work my hardest to ensure that students in our electorate have the resources they need to excel at their education.

St Peter's College, Cranbourne East

$2 million to deliver the St Martha Building.

Kilberry Valley Primary School

$1 million to upgrade outdated facilities.

Cranbourne Primary School

$499,251 to upgrade outdated facilities.

Cranbourne Carlisle Primary School

$25,000 to build new STEM learning spaces.

Cranbourne Park Primary School

$25,000 to refurbish classrooms.

Devon Meadows Primary School

$25,000 to upgrade IT equipment.

Lyndhurst Primary School

$25,000 to refurbish classrooms.