Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to highlight the extreme cost-of-living pressures so many in my electorate of Cowper are facing and the very real needs of middle Australia and those men and women who are now becoming Australia's working poor. I've listened to those opposite congratulate themselves for increasing payments to those who are already on some form of payment or welfare—and credit where credit is due, so they should have; they are struggling just as much. But recently I conducted a survey throughout my electorate, and it was a cost-of-living survey to understand why pensioners, single parents and those with disabilities are finding it tough. People are being forced to choose between eating and heating or medicine and groceries or limiting their time at home because the cost of fuel has rocketed. Given those examples, sitting here listening to speakers on the other side, where are the solutions? Where are the policies? It's not just about handing out money. There are so many holes in Labor's cost-of-living strategy bucket. We're pouring money into the top, and it's flowing out of the bottom. Where are the strategies to plug those holes at the bottom of the bucket?

We talk about reducing electricity prices. The last speaker said electricity prices are going down. He needs to visit my electorate, where prices have gone through the roof, over 30 per cent. Some may say, 'You need to go to renewables.' In my survey I asked, 'Do you have solar?' Over 65 per cent of those who responded said, 'Yes, we have solar.' That included rental properties. Only two per cent had batteries. I'll give you this idea for free: how about some subsidies for batteries for people in the regions—or even it in the cities, to make it fair. For policies and strategies to plug that bucket, instead of trampling all over our agricultural land, look at different ideas. Regions like mine don't want to spend that money. But they understand that this is where we're going, and they will try anything to push down those skyrocketing prices.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17 : 56 to 18 : 07

Returning to the cost-of-living crisis in the regions and policies by Labor, many of them in fact impact negatively on people in regional and rural areas. One of those policy areas is cheaper child care. While I accept that it may assist people in metropolitan areas, I've just spent two days in Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie meeting with childcare educators who are operating at 60 per cent capacity because they can't find the staff. Because of that they have waiting lists of 200 to 300 children even in the smaller townships such as Kempsey. So while Labor might say, 'We are making cheaper childcare', what they should doing is putting policy out there to create areas where we get more workers, more educators into the regions.

In addition, they talk about cheaper medicines. By bringing in the 60-day dispensing rules, what we've seen as a direct result is services that were previously provided free by community pharmacies, such as Webster dispensing and delivery, people in my electorate are now being charged $5 a week for the Webster-paks and $5 a week for delivery. That's $520 a year in addition to what those people were paying, over and above.

Finally, in terms the skyrocketing cost of fuel, not too long ago Anthony Albanese, before he was Prime Minister, tweeted to the Morrison government 'Fuel is at $2.15. What's the Prime Minister going to do about it?' Well, fuel is now at $2.30. Prime Minister, what are you going to do about it?

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