Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I know the member for Parramatta loves his numbers. He obviously likes talking about them. I really hope—

Accurate? Okay, we're going to talk about accurate numbers, because I really hope he speaks to the Treasurer and everyone opposite who talks about the trillion dollars of debt that doesn't exist—it is $517 billion. Go and have a look at ABC Fact Check. They're very happy to sit there and talk about those numbers. Are you going to talk to the Prime Minister and the Treasurer? I know the member for Hawke likes to use the $1 trillion debt misinformation line from those opposite. It's very easy to get up and talk about numbers—we can all talk about numbers. The real wages growth number to June this year is -2.4 per cent, and the member for Parramatta talks a lot about insider stuff when we talk about these numbers. But let's actually go back to what we're talking about, which is families. Australian families know they're doing it harder than ever. Anyone that speaks to people in their community knows that it's tough to pay the rent, to pay the mortgage, to put food on the table. Just today the latest Westpac sentiment report said that Australian families are more worried about the state of their finances than at any other time in the last 30 years.

The member for Parramatta and those opposite can laugh about whether it's 9.6 per cent or whether it's -2.4 per cent for real wages growth, but the reality is the Australian people are doing it harder than ever. This government has no answers. It has no nothing. The Treasurer gives us lectures, the member for Parramatta gives us lectures. They do not give the Australian people the solutions they're looking for.

As a candidate I had the unfortunate need to listen to the then opposition leader, now Prime Minister, and to listen to the shadow Treasurer at the time. They spoke a lot about real wages. On 24 June last year, when they had just got into government so were not quite across the numbers, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke, said:

We're fighting for real wage growth from day one …

He said Labor would fight for real wage growth in its first term and had been pushing for growth from day one. That was on 24 July last year. Every time he stands at the dispatch box now, every time the Treasurer stands at that dispatch box, every time the Prime Minister stands at that dispatch box, they will talk about wage growth. They will never use the term 'real wages growth'. The reason they don't is that they know it is going backwards, and Australians are worse off today than they were on 21 May last year. That is a fact that those opposite know, and Australians know it. They know it every time they go to the petrol browser. They know it when they get their mortgage bill. They know it when their electricity bill comes in.

The member for Hawke thinks those in the community are doing better than ever, and they've never had it better. It must be a little different over in Melbourne because I know in my community they are struggling. People are having to make choices about whether they can eat or heat. That is the reality of winter for many families. It is a reality that my family went through over 30 years ago. And that is what we're talking about. The economy is in a worse place for families than 30 years, but we have a prime minister and a Treasurer that don't offer solutions. They offered plenty of criticism about this when they were in opposition, but they are not providing any solutions for the Australian people. And it is even worse than that. This Prime Minister doesn't even want to get across the detail of the economy. Since he has been Prime Minister, seriously, this Prime Minister has not got one briefing from Steven Kennedy, the Secretary of the Treasury, and that was said in Senate estimates. That is not misinformation. In Senate estimates the Secretary of the Treasury said he has not given him one briefing. The Prime Minister has spent more time at the Australian Open tennis than he has getting a private briefing from Steven Kennedy, the Secretary of the Treasury. You don't have to listen to what they say, you look at what they do. This Prime Minister doesn't have a plan to improve and bring real wages up. We all know they are going backwards, which means every dollar you are earning is worth less. Inflation is still well above the target of two per cent to three per cent. This government has no plan for the Australian people. (Time expired)

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