House debates

Monday, 26 February 2024

Statements by Members

Cost of Living

1:49 pm

Photo of Carina GarlandCarina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm so pleased to be part of a government that is taking real action to relieve cost-of-living pressures. I note that our terrific Treasurer is in the chamber right now, and he absolutely knows that a lot of Australians are under the pump at the moment. And that's why we're doing a number of things to make life easier for Australians right around the country. We've commissioned an ACCC review of supermarket pricing, and this review will examine the competitiveness of retail prices for everyday groceries, as well as look closer at the difference between farm gate and supermarket prices. That is in addition to the $23 billion of targeted relief. That's targeted relief relieving electricity bill costs, making medicines cheaper—and note that that includes patients accessing almost 25,000 60-day scripts in my own electorate of Chisholm. We're making it easier and cheaper for people to see a doctor. We're making early childhood education cheaper and expanding parental leave. We're building more social and affordable homes and increasing rent assistance. We're delivering fee-free TAFE. And we know that wages are rising at the fastest rate in a decade, including for minimum wage and aged care workers. Of course, this is all before we consider our recently announced tax plan which will benefit every single taxpayer in the country. I'm so proud to be part of a government who takes our responsibility seriously.

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