Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is a boring predictability to the cycle—the cravenly politically motivated cycle—of the focus of the Liberal Party. It happens parliament after parliament and year after year. For those playing at home who aren't aware: shocking as it might be to those who sat through the Leader of the Opposition's contribution and the member for Wannon's contribution, this debate, as it's listed in the papers of the parliament, is about Australia's economy. It is supposed to go to the challenges facing Australian households and people across our communities in regard to the cost of living. Fundamentally, that's what this debate is supposed to be about.

We heard the Treasurer speak entirely about the efforts that the Albanese Labor government has gone to, the policies that our government has implemented, and some of the successes that we've realised and those that we still aim to realise in regard to assisting and helping Australian households and people all across our community deal with the cost-of-living challenge and keeping our economy very, very strong. What we know absolutely, clearly and transparently is that the Liberal Party have no interest in speaking about the Australian economy. They have no interest in dealing with the cost-of-living challenge that this government—our government, the Labor government—has a relentless focus on addressing. In fact, all that the opposition leader and the Liberal Party want to talk about are foreign policy matters that are, in effect, a cloaking device for the dog whistle that we all saw coming.

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