Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Do you know what else we'll oppose, Member for Macquarie? We will oppose and fight all the way to the ballot box the truckie tax—the 10 per cent hike that Labor is going to introduce on our truckies. If there was one industry that kept this country going and kept goods moving throughout the COVID pandemic—and I know it hasn't gone away yet—it was the trucking industry. And what does Labor want to do? They want to slug it an extra 10 per cent. Do you know what happens when you whack the trucking industry with an extra 10 per cent in heavy vehicle user charges and fuel taxes? It makes every good that goes to every supermarket in this country cost more. The bread-and-butter issues for Australians right across this nation just become that much harder to pay for.

But don't take my word for it. Let's hear from a couple of constituents who phoned my office today. There was a Commonwealth Bank owner occupied mortgage entered into by a constituent in 2018 on a $435,000 loan. The interest rate rose from 3.32 per cent to 3.57 per cent in May 2022. From there, the principal and interest payments rose from $1,975 at 3.32 per cent to $2,628 at 6.82 per cent earlier this month. What do we say to that person? What do we say? We can't just say: 'Labor will fix it with higher wages. Labor will fix it because Labor fixes everything.' No. The fact remains that that person has to find that money. They have to tighten their belt that much more. They have to go without the things that they shouldn't have to go without.

Another constituent, Drew Davis, rang my office this morning from Henty. Henty is in the neighbouring electorate of Farrer. He called the Wagga Wagga office today to say that his power bill has gone up $750 since last year. What did we hear the Prime Minister on 97 occasions say that he was going to do? Reduce power bills. How much did he say he was going to do it by?

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