Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. At a press conference in Homebush on 29 April 2022, the Treasurer said, 'On every shelf in every shop in every suburb'—maybe he can name one—'is a reminder of the cost-of-living crisis.' This government has an excuse for everything. They want to talk about international comparisons. Australians couldn't give a stuff what inflation is in the United States. Will the Treasurer apologise to families in Western Sydney who have had nine rate rises under this government, making it even harder for them and their children?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for O'Connor will cease interjecting before a minister speaks—

and so will the member for Barker, who is now warned. I give the call to the Treasurer.

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

Thank you to the honourable member for her question. Isn't it interesting that, when those opposite talk about interest rate rises and say there have been nine in a row, they seem to conveniently leave off the fact that there have been 10 in a row and they began before government changed hands in May. That's just the fact of the matter, as much as they might try and deny it.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, member for Fairfax!

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

I also thank the honourable member for reminding the House that the most acute quarter, when it comes to inflation in our economy, was the March quarter of last year, when those opposite were still in office. As for the comments that I made then, I think it remains the case that, in every part of our economy, there is a reminder that people are under pressure because the cost of living is unacceptably high.

If the honourable member and those opposite were listening a moment ago, I ran through in some detail the three ways that we are looking to address the inflation problem in our economy. As important as it is that we understand what's happening around the world, it remains the case that the most important thing for Australians is what's happening to them. I stand by that. It's still the case and that's why the overwhelming focus of our economic plan, the overwhelming focus of our cabinet, the overwhelming focus of everybody here is the cost-of-living pressure that people are under. If you look right across the board at all the economic data that was there in May what was abundantly clear is that the situation that we inherited from those opposite, after a wasted decade of missed opportunities and warped priorities, was a difficult situation for Australian families and pensioners. If they really cared about the cost-of-living pressures that're on Australian families they would have voted to help them with their power bills, but they didn't do that. They had a decade to deal with the issues in our economy. They wasted that decade with their messed up priorities. We inherited a mess from those opposite. We are doing our best to clean it up on behalf of Australians who are still doing it tough.