Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge the front of the member for Spence. The member for Spence is many things, but I would have thought, after what we saw in the news last week, with Mr Setka coming out lambasting and threatening to hold Australians and Australian governments to ransom, that, like most people with any modicum of self-acknowledgment, the member for Spence would have quietly shelved this motion and said to the Chief Government Whip, 'Can we make this motion go away for a couple of weeks?' But no. This guy's got more front than Myer in Queen Street in Brisbane.

I find it quite amazing to see and hear what the CFMEU secretary, John Setka, came out with last week. It's on industrial relations. He came out and threatened—and called upon governments—that the CFMEU would black-ban their sites if Steven McBurney wasn't sacked as the chief umpire from the AFL. Those opposite want to come in here and start talking about industrial relations reform, and the member for Spence puffs up his chest and talks about what a great job they've done. And then, in the meantime, John Setka comes out and absolutely gives every reason to every Australian—28 million Australians—why this government is absolutely stuffing up industrial relations. It's because this government is beholden to the unions—we all know that!—particularly the CFMEU. The CFMEU donated how much to the Labor Party's coffers last year? Four million dollars. But because John Setka comes out and says, 'Prime Minister, you need to stay out of this; you need to clear out of this—you just let me have my say,' what we saw from the Prime Minister was: 'Yes, Mr Setka. Four million dollars is a lot of money, Mr Setka. Whatever you say goes, Mr Setka.' The rank hypocrisy of those members opposite, coming in here and trying to pump up their chests about industrial relations whilst the CFMEU—openly, outwardly and proudly—wants to hold 28 million Australians to ransom, and while those opposite still take their $4 million in political donations, is unbelievable. It takes a lot of front for the member for Spence to come in here and keep this motion on the Notice Paper.

What makes it even more interesting is that those members opposite want to talk about the great job that they are doing on cost of living for Australians. Every single person in the gallery right now—and anybody that might be listening to this on the radio or watching it on television or online—ask yourself this question: do you feel better off today than you did in May 2022? I don't think you will feel better off. Why is that? It is because gas is up, electricity is up and mortgages are up.

The average Australian family with a $750,000 mortgage—believe it or not $750,000 is an average mortgage now—is paying $24,000 a year more, after tax, than they were paying when we were in government. That's an extra $2,000 a month. What family can afford that? This lot talk about the importance of cost-of-living relief. Every single Australian family is subject to inflationary pressures. That is what we're seeing, with the cost of living going up and up on everything, and this lot, this government, is trying to pump up its chest and say what a good job it's doing.

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