ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I want to thank you all for gathering for our final National Cabinet meeting for 2023. I do want to acknowledge that for members of my team in particular, today's a difficult day. We've just had the condolence motion moved for Peta Murphy, who is very much a beloved colleague lost to cancer at the very young age of 50. So it's been quite a difficult day.
I do want to thank everyone for coming together and for coming to the Lodge last night, for the pre-meeting discussion. And to get together in the really positive spirit that has characterised the way that this group has worked throughout the year.
We've got a lot done in 2023. We had the housing policy reforms about supply, as well as rental reforms and we've seen state and territories act as a result of that. And we're starting to see the work that we've done on issues like the Social Housing Accelerator, meaning that construction's beginning right around the country.
We've got the new five-year Skills Agreement, the first Skills Agreement in 10 years. And already we've had 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE places this year making an enormous difference when it comes to supply chains and that, of course, is delivered through TAFE, which is your responsibility. And it's made an enormous difference. I've been in TAFEs in every one of your jurisdictions, I think over over recent times, and we're seeing more plumbers and carpenters, but also more people in the care sector, in particular in aged care and early learning, and other tasks as well.
We've got the health reform that we've been implementing, Strengthening Medicare, Urgent Care Clinics open in every jurisdiction by the end of the year, there'll be 58 up and running. And what that's doing is taking pressure off emergency departments and taking pressure off the state-run hospital system. And we have NDIS reform, as well, that will have the report released in coming days.
Today, we've got a lot of more important things to discuss as well about what we're continuing to do in health, in the NDIS, in other areas of cooperation. And firstly, we'll hear from the heads of the Australian Border Force and the AFP about Operation AEGIS and what is happening there that's being done in cooperation with states and territories.
So I look forward to another constructive discussion today and welcome you all here.