Key policy announcements

Coalition and Labor policy announcements for the 2019 federal election.

The following provides more detail on selected election promises.

Coalition
  • The Coalition will lift the Medicare rebate freeze by July 1, 2019, matching the ALP's promise. This would end the hold on increasing payments to GPs and medical specialists, which haven't been raised since 2013.
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    • Labor
  • Labor has promised to lift the Medicare rebate freeze within 50 days of election. This ends the hold on increasing payments to GPs and medical specialists, which haven't been raised since 2013.
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  • Labor's big-ticket election promise is a $2.3 billion cancer care package. This would entitle cancer patients to free medical scans and bulk-billed specialist appointments, and would see new cancer treatments automatically listed on the PBS.
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  • A Labor government would cap private health insurance rate rises at 2% for two years, and initiate a Productivity Commission inquiry into value of private health insurance.
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  • Bill Shorten has committed $2.4 billion towards dental care for older Australians. Aged pensioners and those who hold a senior's health care card will receive $1000 worth of dental care every two years.
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  • Labor has promised a $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund. This would restore the 50/50 funding arrangement between the Commonwealth and states.
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    • Coalition
  • The Coalition has promised $453 million to guarantee another year's funding of preschool for four-year-olds.
    • Labor
  • Labor has pledged $1.7 billion for universal preschool access, extending it to three-years-olds who will be subsidised 15 hours of early childhood education. Labor will also extend the current arrangement for four-year-olds accessing preschool.
  • Labor has promised $4 billion to make childcare free for most low-income households (income under $69,527). The ALP plan will benefit 887,000 families, with some being up to $2,100 better off. Labor will also provide higher subsidies for families earning under $174,527.
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    • Coalition
  • The Coalition has promised a $4.6 billion package for Catholic and independent schools, on top of the $23.5 billion committed to schools over ten years by the Turnbull government, under Gonski 2.0 in 2017. There will be $3.2 billion from 2020 to 2029 for the proposed transition to the new measure for assessing a school’s funding entitlement based on parental income.
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    • Labor
  • Labor has promised an additional $14 billion to public schools over ten years. This funding is additional to the $23.5 billion increase for all schools that was legislated in 2017.
    • Coalition
  • The Coalition has pledged a $525 million skills package to fund up to 80,000 apprenticeships and assist the vocational education and training sector.
    • Labor
  • Labor has pledged $1 billion for TAFE places and incentives for 150,000 apprenticeships. The package will also waive the up-front fees for 100,000 TAFE places in high priority courses including 20,000 for aged care workers in the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
  • Labor will provide $10 billion over 10 years to restore the demand-driven system at universities. This would end the freeze on university course subsidies imposed at the end of 2017 and allow universities to get government funding for an unlimited number of undergraduate students.
    • Coalition
  • The Coalition will commit $1.38 billion in an equity investment for Snowy 2.0, which would support Snowy Hydro Limited's plans to expand generation capacity and storage at the Snowy Dam. The Coalition claims Snowy 2.0 will increase generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts and provide 175 hours of energy storage.
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    • Labor
  • Labor will fund solar panels for up to 4,000 schools to create 'virtual power plants' that generate more than the needs of the school and feed into the grid.
  • Labor will revive the National Energy Guarantee with 45% emissions reduction and 50% renewable energy targets by 2030. The policy was designed by the current (Coalition) Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Labor has admitted it is not the party's preferred option.
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  • Labor will provide $10 billion extra funding for Clean Energy Finance Corporation, $5 billion to update transmission infrastructure, and a further $200 million to subsidise battery technology for 100,000 homes.
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    • Coalition
  • The Coalition has promised $2 billion ($50m to 2023) for a fast rail from Melbourne to Geelong, which would cut travel time to about 32 minutes.
  • The Coalition will provide a total of $7.1 billion for infrastructure projects in Western Sydney. $3.6 billion will go to the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan for road and transport connections to the new airport at Badgerys Creek. $3.5 billion (including $900 million to 2023) will go to the north-south rail link, a new train line from St Marys to the Badgerys Creek airport.
  • The Coalition will provide a total of $6.7 billion towards programs to upgrade regional road corridors and new road safety packages. Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) program will receive $4.5 billion to upgrade regional road corridors, and $2.2 billion will be allocated for new road safety packages, including $800 million over next four years for programs like Black Spot Program, Roads to Recovery, and Bridges Renewal.
  • The Coalition will provide $1.6 billion over the next four years (for a projected total of $4 billion) to the Urban Congestion Fund, which aims to reduce congestion in urban areas.
  • The Coalition have committed $9.3 billion to Inland Rail Project, a 1,700km freight rail line from Melbourne to Brisbane.
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  • The Coalition will provide $4 billion in funding for Melbourne's East West Link. The project will connect Eastern Freeway to Citylink in Parkville via a road tunnel. The Andrews government scrapped the project after the 2014 state election.
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  • The Coalition will provide $1.75 billion in funding to Northeast Link Melbourne, which will connect the M80 with an upgraded Eastern Freeway. Labor have committed $2 billion to the project.
    • Labor
  • Labor will wind down the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, honouring its existing commitments but redirecting the remaining $4bn in the fund to a new Northern Australia Development Fund. The new fund would provide $1bn for tourism and up to $1.5bn for a gas pipeline linking basins in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
  • Labor will provide $2 billion for the Melbourne Metro tunnel project. The $11 billion project will create a new rail line from Sunbury to Cranbourne/Pakenham, with five new underground stations.
  • Labor has promised $10b over 15 years for the Melbourne suburban rail loop, a proposed new rail network forming a 90-kilometre circle around Melbourne’s suburbs.
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  • Labor will provide $5 billion towards the Melbourne airport rail link. This matches the Coalition's funding allocated in the 2018 federal budget. The project will connect Melbourne airport with the rail service via Sunshine. The Victorian government has given the green light to a feasibility study for the project.
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  • Labor has promised to spend $1 billion buying land between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane to build a future high-speed rail link. This would be the biggest financial investment ever made towards the concept.
  • Labor has promised $6 billion towards rail projects in Sydney. $3 billion will go to Sydney Metro West line and $3 billion will go to Western Sydney Rail, which will connect to the new Western Sydney Airport.
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  • Labor will give $2.24 billion towards Brisbane Cross River Rail project, a 10.2km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills.
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  • Labor has promised more than $8 billion towards road projects in various states. $2.7 billion will go to South Road upgrade in Adelaide and over $1 billion will be spent upgrading and extending the Tonkin and Roe Highways in Perth. A further $850m will go to upgrading congested roads in South East Melbourne, and $800 million to build Rockhampton Ring Road.
  • Labor has promised $2 billion in funding to Northeast Link Melbourne, which will connect the M80 with an upgraded Eastern Freeway. The Coalition have committed $1.75 billion.
    • Coalition
  • The Coalition plan to continue the current rollout of the $50 billion network.
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    • Labor
  • Labor have made no immediate commitments, but will conduct a review, fund service reliability fixes and service guarantees plus focus on a digital inclusion drive.
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    • Coalition
  • The Coalition will provide first home buyers, who have saved at least a 5% deposit, a guarantee to help them bridge the deposit gap for their first home loan. The plan, which would start on January 1, would be directed to first home buyers earning up to A$125,000 a year, or $200,000 for couples. Labor immediately matched the initiative.
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    • Labor
  • Labor proposes to subsidise investors in affordable rental housing. Labor will offer an $8,500-a-year subsidy to investors who build new homes for low-income and middle-income households to rent at an “affordable” rate – 20% below market rent. The scheme is expected to cost $6.6 billion over 10 years.
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  • Labor immediately matched the Coalition's promise to provide first home buyers, who have saved at least a 5% deposit, a guarantee to help them bridge the deposit gap for their first home loan.
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    • Coalition
  • The Coalition have committed to introducing criminal sanctions for employers who seriously exploit workers, as well as a national registry scheme to crack down on unscrupulous labour hire firms.
    • Labor
  • Labor has promised to restore the Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in its first 100 days. The rates were cut by the Fair Work Commission in July 2017.
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  • Labor has promised to ask the Fair Work Commission to substantially increase the minimum wage, at present pegged at A$18.93 per hour (or $719.20 per week), to a 'living wage' amount determined by the Commission. It will only apply to the minimum wage, not to other award wages.
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    • Coalition
  • The Morrison government has maintained its predecessors' opposition to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, referring to it as a 'third chamber of parliament'. Despite this, the Coalition has included $7.3 million in this year's budget to determine a model for an Indigenous Voice to then be put to the public in a referendum.
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    • Labor
  • Labor has committed to putting the question of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, proposed by the Uluru Statement from the Heart, to the public in its first term, with the goal of enshrining it in the constitution.
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  • Labor has committed to a plebiscite on whether Australia should be a republic with an Australian head of state within its first term.
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