Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently I picked up some interesting reading material, the results of a True Issues survey by JWS printed in the Financial Review. It outlined the issues that Australians care about, and looking at the top four issues I thought I'd do a compare and contrast.

First on the list is the cost of living, which is no surprise. The government wants every taxpayer to get a tax cut and every household to get an energy rebate. The Liberals said they'd repeal our tax cuts and then they voted against energy relief and price caps in 2022. Second on the list is health care. In the budget we've got MRI licence reform and more Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in Bennelong from 1 July. The Liberals announced nothing in there budget reply to address healthcare costs.

The third item on the list is housing. We've loaded an extra $6.2 billion to speed up housing supply, bringing our total spend in two years to over $30 billion. The other side? They just want to let young people raid their super for housing, which will not only wipe out their retirement balances but also inflate property prices. Fourth on the list is the economy. Those opposite claim to play a big game in the economy but in reality there's no contest. The government has delivered back-to-back budget surpluses. In addition, our responsible economic management of paying down Liberal debt will deliver a staggering $80 billion in interest savings over the medium term.

Unlike those opposite, we're responding to the needs of Australians whereas they continue to show they're not up to the job.

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