Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week marked 18 months since the Labor Party was elected on the slogan of 'a better future'. Australians were told that, under the leadership of Anthony Albanese, they could expect a $275 reduction in power bills, cheaper mortgages and that families would be better off. He said that life would be cheaper. But, as we know, since that time Australians have overwhelmingly been going backwards. Instead of saving that $275 a year that they were promised off their power bills, the cost of electricity has increased by 18 per cent, and the cost of gas has increased by a whopping 28 per cent. We've seen 12 interest rate rises, significantly raising mortgage repayments for Australian families and contributing to the highest rent increases since 2009. We saw in the Australian newspaper today that 50 per cent of Australians polled consider themselves worse off under Labor than they were two years ago. Across every age group, the feedback was the same: more people are struggling.

Sadly, the Australian dream of homeownership is slipping away. Millions of Aussies are battling increased mortgage repayments and those higher rents, while at the same time dealing with the higher cost of everyday necessities such as food, electricity and insurance. Yet addressing these concerns has not been the government's priority. The Prime Minister has spent months focused on the Voice to Parliament rather than addressing the rising cost of living. And for what? The proposal was rejected comprehensively in every state and territory, apart from the ACT, and has delivered nothing but division.

But it wasn't just the economy that Labor made grand promises on before the election in May 2022; they also promised to maintain Australia's national security and strong border protection policies. They told the Australian people, 'You can trust us.'

The chaotic release of hundreds of criminal detainees is just the latest example of the Prime Minister's feeble leadership. On the Monday of the last sitting period, after the High Court made its ruling, releasing murderers, child rapists and perpetrators of domestic violence from detention, those opposite assured everyone in Australia that no legislation was needed to keep Australians safe. We then found out that detainees in Perth were simply left alone at a Willetton motel with no supervision or security. They were free to roam and come and go as they pleased. In what world is that taking the safety of Western Australians seriously? The Prime Minister then left the country, and the mess was left to be cleaned up by the hapless responsible ministers. Even with coalition amendments to the legislation the government introduced, there were still gaps that needed to be closed. We should never have got to this point. Labor should have had legislation ready to go instead of making policy on the run. As has been reported, Labor has already lost one of the released detainees.

For months now, we've had the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs coming into this place constantly criticising the Leader of the Opposition for his time in his various ministerial roles. Seriously? They are not in opposition anymore. Have you not noticed you are now in government? You need to get on with the job. This is a serious job you've got. You need to move on from opposition to being in government. This is serious business that you've got. You should stop obsessing about our record and start focusing on good policy to keep Australians safe. That is your job. That's what your paid to do. That's what Australians expect you to do. Of course, this applies to our Prime Minister as well. The Prime Minister needs to stop worrying about getting more evidence from his dirt unit focused on us. What he needs to do is think about the priorities. Australians need him to focus on keeping us safe. Australians want him to reduce the cost of living. We have families where mum and dad are both working and they cannot put food on the table for their families. This must be heartbreaking for these families, so we need a government to take the Australian people's needs seriously. Stop worrying about us; you are now in government. The Australian people said to you in May 2022, 'You're in charge now,' so it's time you took that responsibility seriously.

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