Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

as does the whole government, that Australians are under substantial cost-of-living pressure, and that's why dealing with these pressures has been and will continue to be the primary focus of this government. Now, we understand that inflation and interest rates were on the rise before we came to government, that the war in Ukraine has caused havoc on energy prices and that recent tensions in the Middle East have added to the uncertainty as well. Australians are not immune from these global factors. They feel the pinch every time they fill up at the bowser.

We know that inflation is moderating overall, but global challenges mean that it has become more persistent around the world, and it will unfortunately be more persistent here as well. That's why our No. 1 priority remains and has been helping to deal with these cost-of-living pressures.

Opposition members interjecting—

For those opposite who are interjecting, I will tell them at least 10 different ways that we are helping to address the cost-of-living pressures in our economy. We are rolling out $23 billion in cost-of-living support targeted to where it's needed most—electricity bill relief, cheaper child care, increasing rent assistance, more Medicare bulk billing, cheaper medicines, boosting income support, fee-free TAFE training, building more affordable homes, expanding paid parental leave and getting wages moving again after a decade of wage stagnation.

We've done all of this at the same time as we've delivered the first budget surplus in 15 years. We've seen wages grow at their fastest rate in a decade and we've seen more than half a million jobs created in our economy, which is a record for a new government in this country. We are making vital investments in our people and in our economy. We are laying the foundations for the future, and our efforts to repair the budget are taking pressure off inflation when inflation is most problematic. We are working for Australia to help people with cost-of-living pressures, to get wages moving again, and our plan for $23 billion of cost-of-living relief makes that clear.

If those opposite really cared about cost-of-living pressures, they wouldn't have voted against our energy bill relief. If they really cared about cost-of-living pressures, they wouldn't have voted against more homes being built in our economy and our communities. If they really cared about cost-of-living pressures, they wouldn't have opposed the health minister's plans for cheaper medicines in our communities. As I said before, they are long on nasty negativity, but they are short on anything that even remotely resembles a positive plan for the future. We are getting on with the job of rolling out billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief and cleaning up the mess they left behind.

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