Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion put by the member for Fowler. I completely understand the financial pressures that households and people under right now. I also understand the focus on petrol prices as a focus of financial pain. Fluctuating prices at the pump are a constant source of pain for motorists. I know that many people rely on their cars to get to work and that there are parts of our community that did the heavy lifting during the pandemic and need to drive significant kilometres to be able to provide important resources and essential services. People are driving their cars to get to work, to get the kids to school and to do the shopping, and often for many people there is no other choice and it's an essential tool. So I recognise that, when petrol prices rise, it affects household budgets.

In the last census, there was an average of 1.8 vehicles per household in Swan. I'm not one of those in Swan; since becoming a member of parliament, we've remained a one-car family. They say that one-third of vehicle trips is within two kilometres, and I see that people sometimes are trying to substitute their motor vehicle trips with alternative things, which might be walking, cycling or Ubers. There are different modes of transport that people can explore, but I recognise that this is something that's not possible for everyone. One of the things I was really grateful to do before the pandemic hit was buy a second-hand hybrid vehicle. That meant we got to travel more kilometres for less fuel. One of the things I'm very excited about is our vehicle efficiency standards, which are effectively about households being able to access cars where you can travel more kilometres for the same amount of fuel, which is very exciting. I also have a mate who has a horse. He's bought an electric vehicle that you can tow a trailer in. So there are alternative ways in which we can look at reducing fuel consumption for people.

I know that households are doing it tough and that people are being stung at the pump, and a lot of this relates to the war in Ukraine, but we're trying to mitigate the things that we do have control over. I also remind the member for Fowler that the Liberals ended the fuel excise reduction in 2022. In my mind, Labor has found a better way to deliver relief to households and is delivering measures that will give ease to every household. It's something that I've raised here.

It's also something that I'm acting upon in my community. As it happens, I'll be hosting my second forum in Swan this week and helping people with household budgets. This will be happening along with state minister and local member Hannah Beazley. The forum will have speakers that will provide advice on tax, Centrelink and financial planning. It's a one-stop shop for people to receive advice on what services are available to help them meet the cost-of-living pressures.

Also, across the board, this government is taking action to help people with easing the cost of living. It is our No. 1 priority: tax cuts for every taxpayer, 94,000 of them in my electorate of Swan; energy relief for every household, including 84,000 households in Swan; and wiping student debt, including for 22,000 students in Swan. We're also freezing the cost of PBS prescriptions for everyone. This is immediate, tangible and responsible cost-of-living relief for all Australians. Labor has found a better way to help households rather than looking at changing the fuel excise, and that's why I reject the motion.

We're not stuck in the past and looking at things I don't work; we're focused on the present and on solutions that will build a better future for Australia. I'm super excited about the new fuel efficiency standards, implemented by this government, which will provide greater choice for households. Australia and Russia were the only countries that didn't have standards on our fuel emissions for our vehicles. This is very exciting. In time, this will result in a reduction in fuel receipts of $470 million over the next four years. It's an innovative, responsible measure and it will help ease the cost of living, including for the people of Fowler. I encourage the member for Fowler to welcome those measures. I reject this motion.

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