Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flinders for her question, and I say that we acknowledge that there are cost-of-living pressures on Australian families at the moment, which is why we don't sit back and do nothing about it. It is why we don't vote against it. It is why we come in here and we take action in the short term and in the long term. It is why we introduced the legislation and brought parliament back last December. I don't understand why those opposite came in here and voted against that change, including the member for Flinders, because, as the New South Wales Premier said at the time:

This is focused … on putting downward pressure on household bills right across New South Wales.

He said this:

We know it's a difficult time, and I think the country coming together to deal with this across party political lines shows the maturity that we have to make sure we're putting people first, not playing politics and getting to a point where households and businesses across our state are in a much better position in what will be a difficult time with rising electricity prices.

Those opposite used to acknowledge that there was an issue with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the pressure that that was placing on energy prices. But now they don't seem to acknowledge that at all. But the business community certainly get it. The business community absolutely get it, which is why Manufacturing Australia, the peak organisation—

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