Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the cost-of-living crisis that all Australians are enduring under this government. This evening as I stand here in the House, many families are gathering around their kitchen table frankly discussing how they're going to pay their mortgage bills or power bills. They're discussing with their kids cancelling swimming lessons, netball or soccer. These are tough decisions that families are facing. In many cases, they're being forced to make those decisions simply to put food on the table. This is the reality of Australians dealing with this. This is what they're focusing on while Labor's running around breaking promises, making excuses and announcing new taxes. That's right. As crazy as it sounds, the priority for this government is not to deal with the cost-of-living crisis and the issues Australians are facing. They've got excuses for those. Their priority is taxing Australians years from today.

The Albanese Labor government could not be more disengaged from the issues of the Australian people right now. The government's priorities are wrong. When the Australian people are turning to them in their hour of need, they're given excuses instead of solutions and broken promises instead of resultant policies. It's this type of arrogance and prioritisation of politics over people which saw electricity prices double the last time Labor was in government. The residents and small businesses of the northern Gold Coast, who I speak for, are struggling. They know this government has broken its commitment with the Australian people. Surveys continue to flow into my office by the thousands, repeatedly sharing stories of hardship and dismay at the lack of relief and leadership from this government during this cost-of-living crisis.

Three days ago a small business owner in my electorate in the northern Gold Coast reached out and advised that their electricity bill had gone up 107 per cent. Karen's business is a large energy consumer and they are in a contested market. However, their business continues to fight for survival. What other choice does Karen have? A Pimpama resident, John, sent me an email which read: 'Hi, Stuart. I just got a communication from Energy Australia, my electricity provider, advising of a 24 per cent increase in the cost of electricity to my home. Can you do me a favour if you get the opportunity and ask our PM why? He said he had it under control and we'd be better off by $247 dollars a year.' The best answer I've got for John is that our PM seems to have forgotten. Indeed, his Labor colleagues seem to have forgotten as well.

Despite making the promise over 97 times during the election campaign to slash electricity bills by over $270, electricity prices are continuing to spiral under this government. New increases of up to 23.7 percent for households and 25 per cent for small businesses have now been announced on top of the increase from 1 July last year. Proposed increases to the default market offer will ensure that more than half a million householders across Australia will be worse off by up to $564 in New South Wales, $485 in South Australia and $383 in my home state of Queensland. It's little wonder that the number of families on electricity hardship programs has reached record highs under this government. More than 82,000 families are now on hardship arrangements. That's 9,000 more people in hardship than when they formed government.

The cost of everything has gone up under Labor, despite repeated promises about electricity, mortgages and the cost of living being cheaper. Before the election the Prime Minister and Treasurer made a huge array of promises. Remember? They promised to cut your electricity bill by $275. That promise was broken. Cheaper mortgages—broken. No changes to super—well and truly, unashamedly broken. Lower inflation—broken. Remember the promise that 'we're not touching franking credits'? Broken to the tune of $600 million. 'No, industry-wide bargaining is not part of our policy,' the government said—broken. 'We'll do our bit to assist in real wages'—broken. 'We're not about raising taxes'—broken. Remember the promise to cut the costs of consultants and contractors? Broken. Fifty urgent-care clinics within a year of taking office? Broken. Ten months in government, 10 broken promises—that's what this government has got to show.