Today marks seven years of Liberal Government. Seven wasted years. Seven years of neglect, of buck-passing, of people being left behind.

I could rattle off hundreds of Coalition failures. I could tell you about the devastating personal stories I've heard over the last seven years.  

But let me focus in on this year alone, which has been particularly bad for millions of Australians. 

It started with the biggest bushfires we've ever seen in this country. Thousands of hectares of our country burned. Wildlife and homes were destroyed. Smoke choked our eastern cities. 

And what was the Morrison Government's response? They promised $200 million to rebuild after the bushfires, but in six months not a single dollar was spent. 

It's because this Government is all promise, no delivery. Always there for the photo opp, never there for the follow up. 

When the pandemic hit, they promised Australians we were all it together. Then they deliberately excluded millions of low paid workers from wage subsidies.

They promised to end cruise ship arrivals during coronavirus. Then they let the Ruby Princess dock, causing 663 infections and 28 deaths.

They said HomeBuilder would create "hundreds of thousands" of jobs, but we found out it was less than 10,000. 

And here's the worst one.

They said they had a coronavirus plan for aged care. They didn't.

It took the Royal Commission to tell us the truth: there was no plan, and the Government left aged care homes vulnerable. 

Aged care was in crisis even before the pandemic.

We've heard horrific stories of older Australians starving. People with maggots in their mouths, or ants crawling over their open wounds. Thousands of residents sexually or violently assaulted.

Now, more than 600 people have died from the coronavirus in aged care homes. And their families have had to say goodbye to them over FaceTime.

Australians deserve so much better than this.

After seven long years of cuts and neglect, people are yearning for a better future. 

A better future for older Australians. 

A better future for working people. 

A better future for women. 

A better future for our environment.

A better future for the generations to come. 

A future where nobody is held back, and nobody is left behind. 

I'll spend every day fighting to make that happen. 

Anthony Albanese