Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. A typical Australian family with a mortgage today is paying $1,700 a month more than when the coalition was in government last year. Power bills are rising sharply, and the cost-of-living is going up and up. Inflation is at its highest level in 30 years. Will this out-of-touch Prime Minister finally admit that families always pay more under Labor?

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

The member for Cooper will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asked a very broad question—

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

The member for Deakin is warned.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

about the cost of living, the impact of inflation, and housing and energy policy. Indeed, we had legislation last December about energy policy. We had the cap on gas and on coal—gas here, coal in New South Wales and Queensland. That made a difference in halving the wholesale price that was predicted at the time of the October budget. We also had a $1½ billion energy price relief plan, which the Deputy Leader of the Opposition voted against. But we voted in favour of it, and that will be included in the May budget.

But there is an opportunity for redemption. I always believe that people can redeem themselves. I have that faith. The nuns at St Joseph's, Camperdown, taught me that. They did. And there's an opportunity on housing, with the Housing Australia Future Fund, to actually do something about housing policy. The HIA, the Housing Industry Association, said it supported 'the government's goal to build 30,000 social houses and believes it's a worthy goal to get behind'. It said, 'More supply means cheaper rents.' The Deputy Leader of the Opposition says that that is irrelevant. I actually think it isn't irrelevant at all going forward. Fortunately, some over there—

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

The Prime Minister will pause. I will hear from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of relevance, the Prime Minister is simply not addressing the question at all, in any way, and we have asked this question hundreds of times, and it never gets an answer.

Government members interjecting—

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

Members on my right! The deputy leader was heard in silence. The Leader of the House will be shown the same courtesy.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The final part of that question—and it has been the final part of a number of questions—goes to particularly asking ministers, or, in this case, Prime Minister, to compare and contrast where you would pay more. That tag specifically invites a comparison with the previous government. That's exactly what it's doing, and the Prime Minister is simply responding to exactly that part of the question.

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

The Prime Minister was talking about housing and quoting the HIA.

Opposition members interjecting—

Order! I'm going to ask him to make sure that's relevant to the part of the question which was about the cost of housing and the cost of mortgages as well.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr Speaker. The master builders association, the CEO, had this to say. They 'called on the Senate not to miss an opportunity for sensible reform in helping to achieve the housing needs for the future'. That's what they've had to say.

But you don't have to go to the business community; you could just go to a member of the backbench, because this is the member for Bass had to say:

… at its core, it is a step forward towards providing more Australians—Tasmanians, mums and dads, women escaping family and domestic violence, older Australians and younger people—with a roof over their head. I can't stand here as an elected representative and make a choice to ignore their needs.

There, in one paragraph, is a member of the opposition's own team calling out the fact that they do ignore their needs—calling out the fact that they just vote no to everything, regardless of whether it will make a practical difference to people's lives. The Housing Australia Future Fund will make a practical difference to people's lives, which is why those opposite should support it.