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

It sounds like they don't support energy bill rebates for every Australian household. If that's the case—from that question, the question before and questions earlier on—it sounds like they don't support easing the cost of living for people doing it tough. Thankfully, the Leader of the Opposition has the opportunity in a few hours time to get to the dispatch box and tell the Australian people why he thinks Australians don't deserve some help with the cost of living, because we do. We believe that Australians who are doing it tough need help with the cost of living, and that's why there's a tax cut for every taxpayer. That's why there's energy bill relief for every household. That's why there's cheaper medicines. That's why there's rent assistance.

Unlike those opposite, we are here to represent the interests of Middle Australia, and we know that Middle Australia is doing it tough. We know that when we came to office inflation had a six in front of it, and now it has a three in front of it. To those opposite who are talking about inflation with a three in front of it as still too high, I'd love to hear how they describe inflation with a six in front of it, which is what they left behind when they stacked up in the budget bigger deficits and more debt and all of these stupendous wastes and rorts, which meant that this country had almost nothing to show from a trillion dollars in Liberal debt. If they describe the situation now, which is a couple of hundred billion dollars better and where we've turned Liberal deficits into Labor surpluses, I'd love to hear how they describe the situation that they left—the mess that they left behind that we have spent a big chunk of our two years in office cleaning up on behalf of the good people, the working people of Middle Australia, the people on pensions and, indeed, all Australians.

The honourable member asked me about the Reserve Bank and the view that the job, when it comes to fighting inflation, isn't over yet. We agree with that. It's not mission accomplished on inflation, which is why the budget is focused on easing the cost of living and fighting inflation to clean up the mess they left behind. (Time expired)

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