Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to use this parochial phrase from this Victorian, but those opposite clearly have more front than Myer in this debate. I guess we should welcome the more courageous attitude from the member for Hume this week. At least he stayed for the start of the MPI today, although I know he is no longer in the chamber.

On this side of the House we do know that people are under pressure, and we do take the cost-of-living issue really seriously. I do want to pause and reflect on this. I would have hoped that when we talk about issues as serious as suicide, they wouldn't be weaponised for cheap political shots. I want to say that in this chamber because I do think it is a really serious issue. We had World Suicide Prevention Day yesterday. I am quite concerned at the way suicide sometimes does get bandied around in political debates in ways that I don't think actually show genuine compassion about people's mental health.

Moving on from that, let's look at the facts, as the member for Parramatta and the member for Perth began to do in this chamber, unlike those opposite. We know that people are doing things tough, but the reality is, despite the fact that those opposite might not want to admit this, since we came to office, we've seen wages increase while inflation has fallen. That's a fact. Treasury analysis shows earnings for the average full-time worker increased 3.9 per cent in the first year of our government. In dollar terms, the average full-time worker is earning around $3,700 extra per year since we came into office. Under our government, wages are growing at their fastest pace in a decade, and we have the first budget surplus in 15 years, which took pressure of inflation when inflation was most acute.

It is completely disingenuous of those opposite to feign concern about the real wages of Australians when wage stagnation was at the heart of their economic policies. It was a deliberate design feature of their plan. In their last two budgets they planned for real wages to fall. In this place just last week, when those opposite were given the opportunity to help lift wages, they voted to delay the closing the loopholes bill and they failed Australians once again by saying no.

They voted to delay pay increases for mine and aviation workers. They voted to trap permanent casuals in insecure work for longer. They voted to delay the criminalisation of wage theft. They spent their entire time in government keeping wages low and holding workers back, and they're still doing it in opposition. For 10 long years those opposite had a deliberate policy of keeping Australian wages low. If they were serious about real wage growth, they would have done something about it. And of course they didn't because they're not serious.

This tells you everything you need to know about the Liberal-National coalition. They're not concerned about the people they represent. They're concerned about making cheap political points. I wish they cared about the welfare of Australian people. I wish that we could take this motion seriously. Australians can see through this charade. We have learned over the last few months that those opposite would rather stand in the way than help when it comes to easing pressures on the household budget.

We remember what life was like when those opposite were in government. We remember the decade of stagnating wages. We remember the costs of child care, health care, energy and education all increasing. In my own electorate of Chisholm, the cost to see a GP went up by 38 per cent. We know Australians are under pressure. That's why we are doing something about it. We're rolling out responsible cost-of-living relief without adding to inflation. It's not just that we're getting wages moving again, it's also about doing what good governments do to support Australians with cost-of-living relief. Cheaper child care benefits 1.2 million families. Cheaper medicines—we're boosting bulk-billing. We've achieved a pay rise for aged-care workers. We worked to make sure that we could deliver energy price relief. We're a responsible government. Those opposite are being disingenuous in everything that they say, and this is just another example. (Time expired)

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