Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

'Put us in charge'? My goodness! Hopefully not, Member for Griffith. It is a worry. Let me tell you: if the Greens have any say on the treasury bench then this nation is headed for far worse inflation figures and cost-of-living pressures that we have now.

So the coalition will not be supporting this bill. Labor's growing desperation is becoming more and more evident as time goes on. I know we have MYEFO, the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, coming up. I know we potentially have another budget prior to the next election, but who would know? Only the Prime Minister knows when he's going to go out to Yarralumla and hand in his commission. But, when he does do that, let's just hope that at the next election we don't see a minority government in conjunction with the Greens, because at the moment we have gas up 33 per cent and electricity up 14 per cent even after the taxpayer funded rebates of $300. I thought it was going to be $275, as was promised prior to the last election, but, of course, even though that was promised on almost 100 occasions, nothing was further from the truth. Rents are up 16 per cent. I know the member for Griffith had a lot to say about that and his solution to it, but I don't think he needs to be listened to either, because the Greens have done more to hold up local government development applications than anything, and that is causing a huge problem in local councils and states, who are most responsible—let's face it—at the end of the day for housing and the like. Health costs are up 11 per cent, education costs are up 11 per cent and food prices are up 12 per cent. All these costs add—it goes on and on and on—to people's mortgages and household bills. Financial and insurance costs are up 17 per cent.

Honourable members interjecting—

 I can hear the Greens yelling out. Rest assured that, if they get hold of the treasury bench, we are all in trouble—not just us here on Capital Hill but ordinary everyday mums and dads throughout Australia, families and businesses struggling to pay bills now.

This bill is not good. This bill will not be supported by the coalition. We should have an independent RBA. This doesn't give us that.

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