Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been a year since the Morrison government was confined to the dustbin of history where it belongs. It's been a year that the adults have been back in charge. From day one, we on this side of the House got straight back to work to lift the wages of hardworking Australians. If you want to know what it would be like under those opposite, they are still fighting against wage rises for those on the minimum wage. They are still fighting against all of the policies that we've brought in, including the wages for our hardworking workers in the aged-care forum.

We on this side of the House introduced the National Anti-Corruption Commission, a great Labor reform, and what did they do? They put an exposure draft on the website. That doesn't cut it. We passed climate laws. We put tax relief in for electric vehicles. We passed the safeguard mechanism. What did they do? Ten years of dither and delay and climate denial. We have worked hard to restore Australia's place in international forums. From the Prime Minister to the foreign minister, we have worked hard not to play domestic politics with national security issues but to treat international fora and our international relationships with the respect that they deserve. We made the largest investment in Medicare, tripling the bulk-billing incentive. What did the Leader of the Opposition do? He wanted to put in a GP tax every time Australians needed to go and see a doctor. It's been a year of hard work, but we are just getting started in the Albanese Labor government.

Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is 12 months since Labor won government, and, while their hubris is on full display and they're very happy, hardworking Australians are the ones who are paying the price. Take Darren Pilcher, for instance, a small business owner and a family man who I popped in to see last week, together with the shadow Treasurer and the shadow employment and workplace relations minister. Darren has been running the Beach Street Deli cafe now for over eight years.

Since Labor came to government, when it comes to Darren, do you think his life is easier or harder? It's harder. It's a lot harder. Electricity bills have gone up by over 60 per cent for Darren and gas over 50 per cent. I tell you, Mr Speaker, as a cafe that makes a fantastic eggs benny, when the price of eggs goes up by 30 per cent it also hits them hard. But Darren doesn't pass these costs on to his consumers, because he knows his consumers are also doing it tough. They shop less, and they spend less when they do shop. Darren's story is the story of middle Australia. It is why Labor's legacy has already been cast. It's a legacy of working poor.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems like only yesterday that I went to the people of Paterson for the third time and asked them to support me, our Prime Minister and a Labor government to make Australia better and fairer. It is about health care. It is about looking after families. We know that there is a lot to do. There is still so much more to be done, but I am so proud to live in a community where we have been able to deliver GP access and cheaper medicines. But, for me, this is the big stand-out, and I want to thank the Prime Minister for it. The lot over on that side dragged my community through the courts on PFAS. I'd just like to say that last Friday this government settled a class action on the very same day. It is an absolute sea change in how government should be done.

Here's the memo for the opposition: good government is about delivering. It's about delivering for people who don't have enough, people who want more and people who are prepared to work hard. Labor get that, and we will continue to work hard for all Australians, unlike those opposite, who just want to turn up, get their names ticked off and take home the pay packet. Well, it is a lot more than that when you're in good government. That's the difference. So I again thank the Prime Minister and I say to Australians: Thank you for your faith and trust in our government. We will continue to work hard for you. We want to continue to deliver. We understand what it's like to really—

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

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.