Albo has promised Aussies plenty of changes after 2025 election win

Anthony Albanese will lead a majority Labor government in a second term, after a huge win in Saturday’s federal election. Opposite Leader Peter Dutton lost his own Queensland seat of Dickson to Labor’s Ali France in the national swing to the Labor Party.

The campaign was hard fought, with both parties making a slew* of promises on cost of living, energy, health, housing and national security in a bid to woo voters.

Now Australia has decided, here’s some of the things Aussies can expect, based on Labor’s proposals.

COST OF LIVING
HECS cuts: Effective from June 1, 2025, the government will implement a 20 per cent reduction on all student loan debts, including HELP, VET Student Loans, and Australian Apprenticeship* Support Loans.

It is expected to eliminate approximately $16 billion in student debt, benefiting around three million Australians. A graduate with an average HELP debt of $27,600 will see about $5,520 wiped from their outstanding loan.

Increased HELP repayment thresholds: Starting in the 2025-26 financial year, the minimum income threshold for compulsory student loan repayments will rise from approximately $54,000 to $67,000.

Tax Cuts: In the 2025 federal budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced two new tax cuts to the lowest bracket, with the rate to drop from 16 per cent to 15 per cent from July 1, 2026, and to 14 per cent in 2027-28. The cut, legislated one day after the budget was handed down, would be permanent and equate to a saving of about $10 a week for the average earner once both cuts have flowed through.

These cuts aim to help with cost-of-living pressures while helping to avoid bracket creep.

Fee-Free TAFE: Labor will make fee-free TAFE courses permanent, with 100,000 places to be offered per year from 2027.

Boost to urgent care clinics: A re-elected Labor government has pledged $644 million to increase the number of Medicare urgent care clinics from 87 to 137. The new clinics have been slated for every state and territory.

Home Guarantee Scheme: All first homebuyers will be eligible for 5 per cent deposits, without needing to pay mortgage insurance.

Power bills: $75 rebate for household and small business electricity bills will be extended for another six months.

Solar batteries: Labor will provide up to $4000 in savings per household on solar battery installations. This program will not be means tested.

HEALTH
$8.5 billion to boost bulk-billing: Labor has made an $8.5 billion Medicare pledge aimed at supercharging bulk-billing rates at GPs.

Telehealth expansion: Labor will spend $200 million to create a 24-hour telehealth service, dubbed “1800MEDICARE”.

Mental health: $1 billion boost for headspace clinics and specialist centres for youth.

Online mental health: $135.2 million for online mental health support.

ENERGY
Community energy upgrades: Labor has pledged $100 million for energy upgrades to community facilities, including more efficient lighting and battery storage at sporting fields, community halls and libraries.

Renewable energy focus: Labor will aim to source 82 per cent of the electricity grid from renewables* by 2030, which will be firmed by battery storage and gas. It’s currently at about 35 per cent.

National emission reduction target: The government has committed to reducing carbon emissions* by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. Labor also supports the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires participating countries to reach net zero by 2050.

HOUSING
New home builds: Labor will expand its Homes for Australia plan to build an extra 100,000 homes specifically for first-time buyers. The party has also vowed $54 million to boost construction of prefabricated and modular homes.

Help to Buy: The government committed another $800 million in the 2025 federal budget to lift property price and income caps on its Help to Buy scheme, which contributes equity of up to 40 per cent to support eligible homebuyers.

Tradies: In a bid to boost supply, the government is offering construction apprentices a $10,000 cash bonus, while employers of various key trades can get $5000 under the Priority Hiring Incentive. Tradies can also get means-tested concessional loans to help with living expenses, learning a trade and doing an apprenticeship.

Infrastructure boost: Labor has committed $1.5 billion to fast-track roads, sewerage and water connections, aimed to speed up construction of new housing.

Rental investment: Investors will receive tax breaks as part of the build-to-rent program, which is estimated to deliver an extra 80,000 units over the next 10 years.

NATIONAL SECURITY
Defence spending: Labor has pledged to pump at least $50.3 billion into defence over the next decade, with the Prime Minister leaving the door open to further increases.

Peacekeeping in Ukraine: Mr Albanese has said he is open to discussing Australian troops in Ukraine as part of a European-led peacekeeping mission.

DeepSeek AI ban: In February 2025, the government banned DeepSeek – a Chinese artificial intelligence model – from all government systems and devices. This decision aligns with actions taken by other nations and is based on intelligence assessments on potential risks.

Development of a National Food Security Strategy: Recognising the importance of safeguarding* food supply chains, the government announced a $3.5 million investment to create the “Feeding Australia” plan. This strategy aims to grow the security, resilience and stability of Australia’s agriculture and food production systems.

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GLOSSARY

• slew: a large amount or number
• apprenticeship: period of training in a skilled trade, such as building and construction, hairdressing, cooking, electrical and automotive
• renewables: types of energy such as wind power and power from the sun that can be replaced as quickly as they are used
• carbon emissions: emissions into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels like carbon dioxide and methane and the manufacture of cement
• safeguarding: protecting, looking after someone or something via appropriate measures

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QUICK QUIZ

1. Which party won the 2025 federal election?
2. Who lost the Queensland seat of Dickson?
3. Student debts will be reduced by what percentage?
4. What is Labor’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions?
5. What is the government doing to protect Australia’s food security?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Your representative
Find out who has been elected to represent the community in the electorate where you live. Research to discover the following details about them:

Are they a member of a political party or are they independent? What does this mean?

What were the key policies of their campaign? Does this align with what you believe is true or important?

What will their job as a member of federal parliament involve?

How can they be contacted if you wish to inform them of, or speak to them about, a matter that is important to you?

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; HASS (Civics and Citizenship)

2. Extension
Write a letter to your new (or returning) federal member of parliament, urging them to take action about an issue that you believe needs to be addressed.

OR

Write a short speech as though you are running for election, briefly detailing three key policies that you believe could improve society or win votes.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; HASS (Civics and Citizenship)

VCOP ACTIVITY
The power of your voice in an election
Write a short piece about why voting and having your say in an election is important, just like Australians did this weekend when they voted for our new prime minister and government.

Use facts or quotes from the article to explain what an election is and how it works. Then reflect on why having a voice matters, even for kids. Think about times when you’ve had a choice or helped make a decision — at school, home, or in your community.

Optional starter for support:
“Elections are important because they give everyone a say in what happens in our country .”

Optional activity:
Imagine you are the new Prime Minister. Write a speech to the country about what your first goals will be and how you want to help the people of Australia.

VCOP edit and uplevel section
After writing, read over your work to make sure it makes sense, then challenge yourself to uplevel it using at least one of the VCOP strategies:

VCOP Element
Check and challenge
Vocabulary
Highlight one overused word (e.g., “important”, “good”). Replace it with something stronger (e.g., “essential”, “helpful”, “fair”).

Connectives
Add at least one linking word or phrase. (e.g., “for example”, “on the other hand”, “because of this”)

Openers
Rewrite one sentence to start with a question, a feeling, or a time phrase. (e.g., “Last weekend,” or “Have you ever voted before?”)

Punctuation
Can you add punctuation for impact — like a question, exclamation, or ellipsis? Check full stops, commas, and capitals too.