Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion before the House, put so eloquently by the member for Lindsay. Inflation is impacting on working families around the nation as those on tight household budgets struggle to find extra money to meet daily cost-of-living pressures. Petrol, groceries, housing prices—the basic costs of living—have been spiralling out of reach of many families for way too long. In the light of this, I welcome the leadership of the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs in establishing the national grocery prices inquiry. The ACCC inquiry will make sure that we are getting a fair deal at the supermarket. The inquiry will investigate all aspects of the supply chain, from the farm gate to the checkout, to see what more can be done to ensure that working families have access to a fair, competitive food market.

Of course, there are many causes for Australia’s current inflationary pressures. The US subprime mortgage crisis and spiralling world oil prices are certainly playing a part. However, at home we face our own challenges. A nationwide skills crisis across many industries is driving up wages and inflation, and this pressure in the labour market is simply not sustainable. The freeze on MPs’ wages sends a strong signal to the private sector that we are serious about controlling wage growth. Yesterday, this was acknowledged in the chamber by the member for Slipper.

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