Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Leader of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

or registration taxes, indeed. It is more money in government coffers and more money out of the pockets of the consumers feeding into inflation. Wasn’t it the Treasurer that said inflation is our No. 1 priority—amongst a number of No. 1 priorities, I would admit? And what do they do? We hear the rhetoric. We see what they are doing. They are pushing up the cost of motoring; they are pushing up the cost of the inputs to the grocery industry.

This increase in fuel prices is not only going to have an impact on road transport. Increased fuel prices are having an effect right across the production chain, as it were, and that is flowing through as rising grocery prices to consumers. So really it is up to the government to take the lead by not increasing fuel prices. I call on the Assistant Treasurer to reverse this ridiculous decision. You cannot stand at the dispatch box and say that you are serious about pushing down the price of groceries to consumers and then push up the cost of the inputs. It is just not credible. The people of Australia will not believe you; certainly no-one on this side of the House is going to believe you. You are an absolute disgrace to the people of Australia—that you should push up those taxes and that you should push up the cost of groceries—because people are struggling out there.

We only recently had the issue of carers, a very deserving group in our society looking after their loved ones. What do the government members do? They propose to cut the carer bonus. How are they helping a struggling household by cutting the carer bonus? How is cutting payments to seniors going to take pressure off struggling families?

There is an incredible hypocrisy with those opposite. They talk the talk but they do not walk the walk. They feign concern for families, and all they can come up with is a petrol commissioner and another inquiry. That is all they can do. The people of Australia are looking for real leadership and real policies in this area—not hot air, not rhetoric and not excuses. We have had the Treasurer, as I said, talking up interest rates. We have the Assistant Treasurer pushing up the price of excise on fuel for trucks. Their rhetoric is not being matched by action and the Australian people are demanding more.

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