The Albanese Labor government has been steadfast in delivering for Newcastle. Creating more than 20,000 new jobs, easing cost-of-living pressures for families, investing in skills and training, and addressing key infrastructure needs, Labor's commitment to our region today and into the future has never been more evident. Our government's most significant achievements have been our focus on creating jobs, driving the transition to net zero in a methodical and orderly manner and providing economic stability. Through major investments in clean energy, Newcastle has become a hub of innovation in the transition to renewable energy. Labor know the pivotal role that Newcastle, as Australia's largest regional economy, will play in our plans to build Australia's future.

Labor's ambition for a future made in Australia is clear. We want Australian workers to make more things here. To do that, we need to train Australians for that future, and that's why we're investing in education, research and development, and opening the doors to university and TAFE to ensure our country has the skills we need to reach net zero and build our future here in Australia. Labor's free TAFE has already given 600,000 Australians the chance to learn new skills for new jobs at no cost. As we move to a net zero global economy, Newcastle is leading the charge in transitioning to a cleaner, more sustainable economy and ensuring that workers are not left behind. That's why we're locking in a further 100,000 free TAFE places each and every year.

But we aren't stopping there. Labor is also establishing a $65 million net zero manufacturing centre of excellence at Tighes Hill TAFE—a game changer for our region. This TAFE centre of excellence will play a pivotal role in building new net zero manufacturing skills for workers in our region. With this new facility we will be able to grow the workforce to support the renewable energy industry of tomorrow; build on the partnerships between TAFE, universities and local industry; and drive down power bills, because we know that renewables are the cheapest form of energy and getting more into the system sooner will bring down prices.
We've also just delivered almost $21 million for a new future industries facility at the University of Newcastle, which will bring together students, small and medium enterprises and the community to test and scale up new technology and to upskill people in Australia's energy, resources and manufacturing sectors for this net zero economy.

These investments in Tighes Hill TAFE and the University of Newcastle's Future Industries Facility, coupled with our investment in renewable energy projects like offshore wind, solar, green hydrogen, ammonia and aluminium, pave the way for a bright future for Novocastrians and position us as a leader in the industries of today and tomorrow. Work is underway on the clean energy precinct at the Port of Newcastle, which is backed by a $100 million upfront investment by the Albanese Labor government. Significantly, this precinct will repurpose a 220-hectare industrial site on Kooragang Island that was once destined to become another coal-loading terminal. Instead, it will now be used to facilitate clean energy—its production, storage, transmission, domestic distribution and international export. The clean energy precinct reached a major milestone in October last year, signing agreements for key design work and environmental impact studies covering electrical infrastructure, water services, general infrastructure, storage, berth infrastructure and pipelines to the berth. A formal advisory agreement has now also been signed with global leader Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The clean energy precinct is a major economic boost for our region. The exciting potential of new industries like offshore wind and green hydrogen and ammonia to shift our region's economy to net zero and position us as a global leader in new energy cannot be overstated. Newcastle and the Hunter have powered Australia for generations, and this project ensures that we'll continue to do so for many generations to come. Decarbonising our economy is the greatest economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution, and establishing the clean energy precinct at our port will ensure good local jobs are created and protected into the future.

Labor is also making great progress on high-speed rail, which represents the next chapter in the economic story of Newcastle. The Newcastle to Sydney route will open a host of housing, employment and business opportunities for our region, as well as providing sustainable low-emissions transport. Ahead of the 2022 election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched plans for a high-speed rail in Newcastle, committing $500 million. Since then, we've established the High Speed Rail Authority, with an office and community information hub in Newcastle. We've completed the necessary geotechnical drilling, and now we're in receipt of the highly anticipated business case. It's an exciting time for Newcastle, which will be the birthplace of high-speed rail in Australia. This is what building Australia's future looks like in Newcastle, and only a Labor government will deliver it.

While we work to create a future made in Australia, we remain focused on easing the cost of living for Australians. Our economic plan is all about helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. It's not a 'mission accomplished', because people are still under pressure, but we've made some welcome and encouraging progress on the cost of living in the past couple of years. Under a Labor government, inflation is low, wages are up, and employment is also up, with more than one million new jobs created under this government. Just last week we celebrated a major jobs boom in the Newcastle region. Since coming to government, almost 20,000 jobs have been created in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, highlighting a nine per cent increase. This surge in new jobs is great for Newcastle and our region. We've got more Novocastrians working, which is great for workers, families, business and industry alike. By investing in infrastructure, innovation, training and skills, Labor's building Australia's future with good, secure, well-paid jobs at its heart.
We've also made good on our promise to save GP access after hours, having restored the clinics at the John Hunter and Mater hospitals to their full capacity, as well as opening a new Medicare urgent care clinic at Charlestown. This new urgent care clinic offers walk-in care seven days a week across extended hours, and, importantly, it is completely bulk-billed. This means you can access high-quality health care, and the only card you'll need will be your Medicare card. More than 2½ thousand people have received bulk-billing care through that clinic since it opened its doors just two months ago. We've also announced an 11 per cent increase in funding to public hospitals in New South Wales and Labor's historic boost to women's health to deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for the tens of thousands of women in Newcastle.
Women have asked government to take their health care seriously, and Australia's first-ever majority female government has listened. Labor's investment of more than half a billion dollars will save women and families thousands of dollars across their lifetimes. These changes include new PBS listings for oral contraceptive pills, lower costs for and better access to long-term contraceptives and more support for women experiencing menopause, as well as PBS listings for more new menopausal hormone treatments, and more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, including one in the Hunter and Central Coast region. It's about time that women in Newcastle had more choice, lower costs and better healthcare. Only Labor can be trusted to protect and strengthen Medicare. We know there's more work to do and we're working hard to improve our system each and every day.

The Albanese Labor government's also easing cost-of-living pressures for students. We've already fixed the student-loan indexation formula, which cut $3 billion in student debt, with most students receiving that credit or refund in December last year. But we're going a step further. A re-elected Labor government will cut a further 20 per cent off all student loan debts, wiping around $16 billion in student debt for around three million Australians. In Newcastle, that means the average deduction of around $5,700 for more than 25,000 students. Along with these record investments in our region, Labor's primary focus has been around cost of living. That's why our government made sure that every taxpayer got a tax cut, that every household got energy bill relief and that people have access to cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, a stronger Medicare, free TAFE and student debt relief.

The biggest threat to household budgets and to Newcastle's future is indeed a coalition government. We know this because we know people would be at least $7,200 worse off under the coalition government based on their approaches to wages, tax cuts and energy bill relief alone. It's time that we gave up on giving tax breaks for bosses' long lunches and focused on the needs of everyday Australians.