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

I didn't think he'd get a question today after he got rolled again on divestiture powers in the supermarket sector, but I welcome the question from the shadow Treasurer. The question is about mortgage stress. Obviously, we understand that, after rates began rising on their watch, that has put additional pressure on Australians with a mortgage. I think that's self-evident. Because of that, this is one of the reasons—the fact people are under pressure—that we are rolling out substantial, meaningful but responsible cost-of-living relief this week. If the shadow Treasurer really cared about the pressures that people are under in communities right around Australia, instead of opposing our cost-of-living relief, as he did on the radio this morning, he would support it, and he would support it enthusiastically. If the shadow Treasurer really understands the mortgage stress that people are under, he would enthusiastically welcome the fact that every single taxpayer is getting a tax cut this week. He would enthusiastically welcome the fact that every household is getting energy bill relief this week. He would enthusiastically welcome the fact that we're giving extra help to parents, that we're making medicines cheaper and that millions of Australians on award wages will be getting a pay rise this week with our full-throated support.

These questions from the shadow Treasurer would have much more credibility if he came out and said that he supported our cost-of-living relief. Instead, just this morning, when he was asked about this cost-of-living relief on radio, on 2CC, he dismissed it as a handout, and he said it would make it worse. That will be news to new parents who need extra help via the extension to paid parental leave. That will be news to people who pay a lot more medicines but, because of us, will be paying a little bit less. That will be news to people who need and deserve higher wages, particularly people on lower wages and people on award wages.

We understand the pressures that people are under. More than that, we are responding to them, we are acting on them and we would expect that any coalition, any opposition, who truly cared about cost-of-living pressures would support them not oppose them, as the shadow Treasurer did this morning.

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