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

When it comes to the pressures that people are under, whether it's the consequence of persistent inflation, the global economic uncertainty or the impact of the rate rises which began before the election, we know that people are under pressure. More than acknowledging that, we're doing something about it. It beggars belief that the whole parliament doesn't agree that people deserve and need some help with the cost of living.

We're rolling out tax cuts, energy bill relief, cheaper early childhood education and cheaper medicines. We're getting wages moving again and helping people with their rent because we do take responsibility for our part in the fight against inflation. We recognise the Reserve Bank's got their job to do. We've got a different job to do. We've got the same objective, which is to get on top of this inflation challenge which was already galloping when we came to office. One of the consequences of how seriously we have taken it, working with the bank, is that inflation has halved since the year we came to office.

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