Carol Berry MP

The Australian Parliament House Artist-in-Residence program is now open for expressions of interest.

The program is open to visual artists at any stage of their career and offers a unique opportunity to spend time at Parliament House, developing your practice and creating work that brings a fresh perspective to this iconic building.
Expressions of interest close 16 June 2026.

If you know a visual artist in our community who should apply, please share this opportunity with them.

For more information, visit the Parliament House website at https://www.aph.gov.au/Visit_Parliament/Art/Parliament_House_Artist-in-Residence.

Today I hosted a visit from Employment Pathways participants from The Disability Trust at Parliament House.

Employment Pathways is a Job Ready initiative for young people, focusing on employment pathways, skill-building, and workplace experience.

It was great to have this group visit Parliament today, to watch Question Time, and learn how the Federal Parliament works.

Big thanks also to Alison Byrnes MP for stopping by to say hello! 😊

Tonight’s Budget delivers more tax cuts for workers, helps with fuel costs, helps more Australians achieve home ownership, provides more funding for public hospitals, delivers cheaper medicines and supports higher wages.

Key announcements include:

• Tax cuts for 13 million Australian workers.

• $20,000 instant asset write off for small businesses will be made permanent.

• We’ll reduce compliance costs for businesses by $540 million a year.

• We will limit negative gearing for residential property to new builds from 2027-28. Arrangements will remain unchanged for all existing investments made before 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2026.

• We’ll replace the 50 per cent capital gains tax (CGT) discount with inflation-adjusted indexation from 1 July 2027 to restore the taxation of real gains with a minimum tax rate of 30 per cent on realised gains. This will apply to all assets except new builds, It will be prospective, with gains accrued on existing investments prior to the start date to retain the 50 per cent discount.

• We’ll apply a minimum 30 per cent tax rate on discretionary trusts from 2028-29, to create a more equal and sustainable treatment between workers and families who earn a living from wages and people with income from assets held in trusts.

• Changes to the tax system will help around 75,000 homeowners into the market over the next decade, equivalent to reversing around a decade of declines in Australia’s home ownership rate, and when combined with our other housing reforms in the Budget, will support another 30,000 new homes over 10 years. Together, these changes are all about making our tax system better and fairer for all Australians.

For Whitlam, we have delivered more bulk billing, and we now have 28 fully bulk billed GP practices across the electorate.

There have been over 3 million cheaper scripts delivered in the Whitlam electorate under our cheaper medicines policy.

There have been over 28,000 visits to the Dapto Urgent Care Clinic since it opened in July 2024.

There have been over 2000 visits to the Shellharbour Urgent Care Clinic since it opened in February this year.

Federal Labor has also delivered $50 million in investment for the Sydney to Canberra Rail Corridor Upgrade.

I’m proud of this Budget - well done to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.

I just spoke in Parliament about the wonderful women of the Shellharbour Hospital Auxiliary, known as the Pink Ladies, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary.

Here is what I said:

I rise today to congratulate the Shellharbour Hospital Auxiliary on its 40th anniversary and to thank this dedicated group of volunteers, affectionately known as the Pink Ladies, for their extremely valuable contribution to our community.

Shellharbour Hospital Auxiliary was established in 1986 – the same year that Shellharbour Hospital opened – and they have raised more than $1.3 million over the past four decades to purchase vital medical equipment for that hospital.

In its first year, the Auxiliary donated a television set worth $530 while more recent purchases have included a $38,000 portable ventilator for the Emergency Department.

In the 2025 financial year, Shellharbour Hospital Auxiliary donated eight items worth over $50,000 to the Shellharbour Hospital.

This wonderful organisation conducts a range of fundraising activities – including stalls selling cakes and craft items baked and created by the Pink Ladies themselves, events, morning teas and Mother’s Day lunches.

I have had the great pleasure of attending several of these events and meeting a number of these amazing women, who are so dedicated to families in our region.

At the beginning of 2026, the Pink Ladies were named Community Group of the Year by Shellharbour City Council. The award recognised the 32 active members who contributed more than 13,000 volunteer hours last year.

On behalf of the people of Shellharbour and the broader Illawarra, I sincerely thank the dedicated Pink Ladies for their amazing work and wish them the very best as they celebrate their 40th anniversary.

The Treasurer will deliver the 2026–27 Budget at approximately 7:30 pm (AEST) tonight. Don’t forget to watch via ABC TV, ABC iView or the Australian Parliament House YouTube channel.

Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal Official recordings of parliamentary proceedings from the Australian Parliament! Live streaming and past recordings, of the House of Representatives, the Senate, Committees and more. This channel is administered by the Department of Parliamentary Services. The Department uses YouTube to host videos....

Bowral has been named the #1 country town in Australia, and ranked #5 overall, in Australian Traveller's 100 Best Aussie Towns to Visit in 2026!

A well-deserved acknowledgement of everything that makes Bowral so special!!

Congratulations to No. 52 Bowral and The Swallow's Nest, who both earned a special mention in the article, and to all the local businesses, tourism operators, and community members who work so hard to make the Southern Highlands an amazing place to visit.

See the full list here: https://www.australiantraveller.com/australia/all-100-best-aussie-towns/

And the country towns ranking: https://www.australiantraveller.com/australia/top-country-towns/

The Best Country Towns In Australia For A Charming Rural Escape Defined by a unique character and simple pleasures they do so well, discover the best country towns our expert panel ranked highest.

Last week I met with members of the Illawarra Women's Pain Support Group at the Illawarra Women's Health Centre.

Chronic Pain Australia runs a range of peer-led support groups right here in our community, including an online pain support group, the Illawarra women's in-person pain support group, and the Shellharbour men's in-person pain support group.

3.6 million Australians live with chronic pain. For many, peer support is the first place they feel genuinely heard. These are spaces where people living with chronic pain can connect, share experiences, learn practical strategies, and find genuine understanding.

Thank you to Kimmi Grima and the team at Chronic Pain Australia for the vital work you do, and to every participant who shared their story.

Find more information about local support groups here: www.chronicpainaustralia.org.au/painsupportgroups

The Albanese Government will provide $50 million to upgrade rail infrastructure between Sydney and Canberra as part of the 2026-27 Federal Budget.

The funding will be matched by $25 million from both the NSW and ACT Governments - securing a total of $100 million for this project, which includes the Southern Line through the Southern Highlands.

The upgrades are expected to commence this year and be ongoing for up to five years.

This significant investment will increase capacity, reliability and efficiency on this major rail corridor.

For more information, visit: https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/funding-boost-improve-sydney-canberra-rail-link

Last week I attended an Aged Care Workshop to discuss solutions to the Illawarra’s bed blocking challenges.

It was great to join Alison Byrnes MP, NSW Minister for Planning Paul Scully MP, NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park MP, Margot Mains, CEO of Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and representatives City of Wollongong and Shellharbour City Council, as well as many key aged care providers and stakeholders from across the region at this workshop.

The Illawarra has been identified by the Albanese Labor Government as a priority region to address Australia's growing aged care shortfall.

The conversations around planning pathways, partnership opportunities, and priority development sites were a clear sign that the Illawarra is ready to meet this challenge head on.

Delivering the next generation of aged care infrastructure for our community is a priority, and I look forward to continuing to work with all those involved to make it happen.

Thank you to CEO Selena Stevens from RDA Illawarra Shoalhaven and for hosting this important workshop.