Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

It is 12 months since Labor won government, and, while their hubris is on full display and they're very happy, hardworking Australians are the ones who are paying the price. Take Darren Pilcher, for instance, a small business owner and a family man who I popped in to see last week, together with the shadow Treasurer and the shadow employment and workplace relations minister. Darren has been running the Beach Street Deli cafe now for over eight years.

Since Labor came to government, when it comes to Darren, do you think his life is easier or harder? It's harder. It's a lot harder. Electricity bills have gone up by over 60 per cent for Darren and gas over 50 per cent. I tell you, Mr Speaker, as a cafe that makes a fantastic eggs benny, when the price of eggs goes up by 30 per cent it also hits them hard. But Darren doesn't pass these costs on to his consumers, because he knows his consumers are also doing it tough. They shop less, and they spend less when they do shop. Darren's story is the story of middle Australia. It is why Labor's legacy has already been cast. It's a legacy of working poor.

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