Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

The definition of a plan is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something, and we all came in this morning—there was great anticipation from those opposite—and sat here and waited for the Treasurer's plan. But it ended up being all anticipation, no substance, despite the fact that this is a serious issue impacting every Australians—so serious that inflation has gone up to its highest levels in 21 years, so serious that building things and buying things in this country costs more. Australians deserve more. They deserve better from this Treasurer. The warnings are dire. Yet, despite all the tough talk during the election, all the promises, the government, those opposite—it must have been such a tough election—are now asleep at the wheel.

Before the election, those opposite were so big on talk. The current Prime Minister promised to make things here in our country, and there is nothing better than Australian made, yet now the government is looking to gut Australian manufacturing grants. The current Prime Minister promised to reduce household electricity bills. We all heard that today—$275. But could he commit to that today? Could he look Australian people in the eyes and say that their electricity bills will be $275 cheaper? He couldn't. The current Prime Minister promised to have an economic plan to help households and businesses, but today the Treasurer couldn't commit to that. He couldn't give us details of that plan.

Being in government is all about making those tough decisions in tough circumstances, something that those opposite should learn something about—something that we knew during the pandemic, when we had to make those tough decisions that ensured the security and safety of the Australian people. But what the government is good at now is casting blame about what we did for Australia during the pandemic, despite the fact—and we all remember this, and the Australian people won't forget this; I think the Treasurer is in COVID denial—that those opposite wanted to pay people $300 to get vaccinated when we had world-leading vaccination numbers. You may think that Australians forget these things, but we don't. As we heard today, Labor is yet to deliver on the plan to ensure that Australians can manage those cost-of-living pressures.

In seeking to cast blame today, which the Treasurer has proven he is quite good at, he held three tests for himself. The first was: what happens to power prices? Well, we heard from the Prime Minister today: he doesn't know. The second was: what happens with apprentices? There are crickets there. The third was: what happens with wages? How about they add: what happens when the lights go out, costs go up and Aussies can no longer afford to pay their bills? This is what people in my community of Lindsay are concerned about, and it's what Australians deserve to know from the government.

The Prime Minister is telling Australians they need to wait till October. Well, Prime Minister, Australians need their government to act now. They need to hear your plan.

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