Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of the motion moved by the member for Hasluck in this place on the cost of living. Usually when it's my turn to speak on the cost of living it's during an MPI and we're arguing against many an argument the opposition continues to put forward. Some of those claims are entirely debunked, yet they continue because that's what the talking point sheet says. I feel we are somewhat at a disadvantage today, coming into this debate after a question time where cost of living was on the forefront of the agenda. It's fair for the opposition to ask these questions of the government. It's telling that the Albanese Labor government is coming into parliament during question time on the front foot, leading with this government's move to take the cost-of-living pressures off everyday Australians.

Many of those on the other side of the chamber were of course part of the government that was so glacial and reactive that it literally took a global pandemic event to make any slight movements themselves to assist people who were in many cases already out of work due to pressures from the pandemic. The tail of circumstances always wagged the dog of the Morrison government.

Thankfully we now have a government at the helm that is proactive, a government that acts in a responsible way to assist families with cost-of-living pressures. Yet we have a opposition who now criticise the government for not being able to forecast the length of the illegal war that Russia still continues to wage in Ukraine. We do not blame the former government for the entire COVID-19 pandemic, but we must now, as a government who has inherited the Treasury benches they once occupied not too long ago, deal with the complications and spending that the Morrison government put in place to combat the sharp economic downturns that many countries face during that time, though it could be argued that the trajectory was moving downward for us prior to the pandemic.

But just the same, a government in theory must traverse external pressures from broad when attempting to mitigate their efforts at home. Even at home those opposite failed to mention the inflationary pressures and climate necessitating interest rate increases that existed prior to the election that saw them turfed out. They do have considerable form for employing tactics reliant on the Australian people forgetting events that were both uncontroversial and on public record too. Inflationary pressures and interest rate rises were extremely common across the world in other countries, much like the previous government spent where it could to try to avert a number of imminent effects of the pandemic on our shores.

Luckily, those opposite are now confined to backseat driving in our public discourse, confined to the sidelines, being an opposition of protest rather than one that can be an adult of the table and be a driver of economic reforms which, as they would full well know, this government foreshadowed long before they were elected. But time and time again during the life of this parliament those opposite, even when contrary to the opinions of their natural allies like the Business Council of Australia, to name one, had offered support of legislation such as the National Reconstruction Fund. They even blocked measures to give Australians cost-of-living relief with their power prices. But they will say that we are not doing enough.

We are happy to address the opposition's concerns with fact. We must enact cost-of-living relief in a measured approach, lest those opposite say that any measure enacted is inflationary—which they have also done, for what it's worth. Our government is proud of delivering not just the first budget surplus in 15 years, though we don't have the mugs to prove it. We are seeing wages on the up, swimming against the tide those opposite put in place to bake low wage growth into the foundations of our economy. We have a 10-point plan that we will, every single day that the opposition wants to talk about cost-of-living relief, combat their base political argument with facts. We have made medicines cheaper for Australians. We have boosted income support payments. We have made hundreds of thousands of fee-free TAFE placements to take that cost away from those who want to upskill themselves and increase their potential earning capacity. After a long and terse stand-off that those opposite were a large part of, we are getting on with the job of providing affordable homes for Australians.

Sooner rather than later the coalition will have to make a choice about whether to be constructive in their criticism or remain critical in their criticism. I have absolute faith that the Australian people can tell the difference. They certainly will after the effects of our policies are fully felt after many global pressures subside. We will continue to fight for Australians. We will continue to fight against those opposite complaining that we aren't doing enough, when they have fought tooth and nail in this place and the media to prevent it.

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