Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do enjoy it when those opposite get up and talk about cost-of-living measures. I enjoy it because, at every single opportunity that they've had, they've voted against cost-of-living measures that would help Middle Australia. At every single opportunity, those opposite have come into this place and opposed measures. They have opposed the caps on coal and gas prices. They've opposed every single measure to help with housing prices. Every single time that we've brought in a wages policy that is going to increase the wages of working Australians, those opposite have come into this place and said, 'Not on our watch.' Thankfully they don't have the numbers to stop that, and thankfully our cost-of-living measures have flowed through to Australians, no thanks to those opposite.

It's funny when they come in here and give us lectures about the way in which we're managing the budget and managing our economy right now, because costed policies aren't exactly their strength right now. Costed policies are not the strength of those opposite. I'm yet to see a costed policy of their nuclear arrangement. I'm yet to see the numbers on their nuclear power plan—all seven plants that they are proposing build. Maybe they don't have enough ink in their printers to print all the zeros on that one. But what they have printed before in the past are some mugs. I remember the mugs, the 'Back in black' mugs. You can just imagine what it was like in the coalition party room. They're all there with their boxes. 'Make sure you take a mug into question time. Make sure you grab one of the "Back in black" mugs.' Except, of course, they weren't back in black. What they delivered was the largest deficit in the history of our country. It was close. I'm a glass half-full kind of a guy, but that wasn't quite the case. They didn't quite get their 'Back in black' mugs to come to fruition.

But we on this side of the House have a different approach. We are serious about ensuring that Australians have cheaper medicines. We're serious about ensuring that Australians get real wage increases. We're serious about how we want Australians to pay less for childcare so that women can be back in the workforce, especially because we know that it has been a prohibitive measure. We know that childcare and early education is an economic policy as much as it is a social policy. But we also know that, on this side of the House, we want to see cheaper electricity prices. That's why we capped coal and gas prices, that's why we've been putting in renewable energy—the cheapest form of energy—and that's why we have looked at the economic madness and vandalism of those opposite wanting to put in nuclear power plants.

The other thing that is also a big contrast between those on this side of the House and those on that side of the House is around housing policy. I remember the mover of this MPI, the shadow minister—during the dark days when he was the housing minister in this country—when he said that social housing was the responsibility of the states and territories, and that the federal government had nothing to do with social housing. We take a very different approach. One of the first things we did was set up the Housing Australia Future Fund. And while the Greens like to rant and rave, they were eventually shamed into supporting the construction of thousands and thousands of social housing homes for Australians who need it, including for women and children who are fleeing domestic violence. We're very proud in this House that we are ensuring that there are more homes for more Australians.

What's their approach—the cost of policy geniuses on that side of the House? They want Australians, and especially young Australians, in my electorate to raid their superannuation in order to buy a home. I'm not sure if anyone on that side of the House has ever spoken to someone who's under the age of 30, but the average superannuation for most young Australians isn't enough for a house deposit. The average superannuation for young Australians is $20,000 to $30,000 if you're in your 20s. That's not enough for a deposit. All they're doing is making it harder for Australians to afford their own home, and they're also leaving Australians with less superannuation.

If you contrast that with this side of the House, we are making sure that Australians who take time off work and receive paid parental leave are going to get superannuation paid on their paid parental leave. We're also ensuring via the bill in the other place, that there is a help to buy scheme—much like governments have set up in states and territories—that will ensure that people can get into the housing market with only a two per cent deposit. Just like the cost of policy geniuses on that side of the House, they are opposing it, just like they've opposed each and every cost-of-living measure that we have put forward in this place.

We are not going to be guided by those people. We're going to do our bit for the Australian people and that's what we'll continue to do.

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