Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I know that it's Thursday afternoon and that some people might not be very happy vegemites on the other side of the chamber. However, I would say that this is a government that fundamentally cares about people. I would agree with one thing that the member for Sturt said: the cost of living is an issue that families are grappling with. That's something that we fundamentally understand. But what we're talking about today is who the better economic managers are. Who is it? I know that we on this side are that. That's not an opinion; that's fact.

Those opposite said that government spending would result in increased inflation. They were wrong. Inflation has moderated. They said that the budget was out of control. They were wrong. The Albanese Labor government delivered a surplus budget. Who was trying to do that for how long? And who printed the mugs? All coffee, no mugs. They said that government spending would lift wages and that wage increases would reduce the rate of employment. They were wrong. Unemployment is at historic lows. Yesterday I announced to the House that in my local regional alone there has been an increase in jobs since June last year. In real terms, that means 9,000 more jobs in my local region.

Unlike the Liberals, our economic plan is working. It's not an opinion. The figures show that. The Liberals cannot put inflation first when they keep saying no to Australians. The Prime Minister calls them the 'no-alition', the 'nasty party' and the 'naysayers'. They say no to everything. With the items that we've put forward to tackle inflation, they have said no. On energy relief they've said no. On a real increase to minimum wage they said no—to our lowest-paid workers that have done so much heavy lifting during the pandemic. On the Housing Australia Future Fund they said no. On fee-free TAFE places to address our skills shortage they said no. The National Reconstruction Fund has a productivity benefit. When we found out that media reports said that they were going to vote no for this, the Prime Minister needed to fact-check it. He was like: 'Really? Really? Are they going to say no to this?' We fact-checked it and, yes, they've said no!

Instead, the Albanese Labor government moves forward and is making smart and responsible decisions to balance the demands of the economy. The Albanese Labor government is in tune with what's going on in the country. We understand the cost-of-living pressures that are affecting Australians. I know that many families are doing it tough right now. I've spent lots of time in my community talking to families about this. But I also know that the Albanese Labor government is indeed tackling the inflation dragon first. Unlike those on the other side, I've taken time to understand what it means to my community.

Ours is an economic plan that has been carefully calibrated and constructed, and we're putting it together with the aim of easing cost-of-living pressures in a targeted way and not making it worse. It's a plan that's driven by the need to fight inflation first. Our plan is reducing inflation comparatively. Our plan is a long-term strategy to balance the priorities of the nation, because the truth is that we on this side see a future for our nation. We are looking not just at that short-term things that we need to do but at the medium term and the long term. I see that those opposite aren't looking to this side because I think they agree that our plan is indeed actually working.

Our plan includes assistance to Australians where they need it first: relief to energy bills, cheaper child care for Australian families, cheaper medicine for people who need it, and rental assistance for those that are struggling to meet payments. Lower inflation will ultimately lead to comparatively lower interest rates. This is good news to homeowners. We know that we need to keep working hard on helping Australians cope with cost-of-living pressure. I know that I like my Vegemite on Turkish bread with butter, and I want to make sure that all Australians can continue to afford their Vegemite.

The inflation levels are more consistent than we would like them to be. We know that we must continue to moderate and help the inflation dragon die. We're working hard to ensure that we do the investment that we need in Australia's future as well. The measures I have outlined are fighting inflation first. Labor's is correcting the decade of Liberal mismanagement. Labor is economically credible. We will fight inflation.

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