Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question. Our No. 1 priority is easing cost-of-living pressures. There are three vital ways we are tackling the cost of living: getting costs down for families; getting wages up for workers; and getting the budget onto a stronger foundation. We're taking pressure off inflation and pressure off interest rates.

The Leader of the Opposition has opposed every action we have taken. He has nothing positive to offer the country—he just says 'no' and opposes any changes put forward. In spite of this opposition, we've delivered $23 billion in cost-of-living relief to Australians to help get costs down; cheaper child care; increased rent assistance; more Medicare bulk-billing; cheaper medicines; boosting income support payments; electricity bill relief; fee-free TAFE; building more affordable homes; and the expansion of paid parental leave. We're acting on wages as well. But those opposite oppose all of it, just like they opposed our actions to get wages growing. Even the pay rise for aged-care workers and the increase in the minimum wage. They opposed an increase in the minimum wage. We have created 550,000 jobs since we came to office—a record for any new government.

We did something else those opposite never achieved in their decade in office: we produced a budget surplus, turning a $78 billion deficit into a $22 billion surplus. They vote against all of this. We prioritise growth, but one area where we've never seen any growth is in the Leader of the Opposition! Fifteen years after he walked out on the apology, he hasn't grown a bit.

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