Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know very well that too many households in Moreton are feeling the pressure of rising cost-of-living expenses. These are very tough times. That's why in this year's budget the Treasurer, my good friend Jim Chalmers, announced a $14.6 billion cost-of-living package to assist household budgets. It includes a record investment in bulk-billing; making medicines cheaper for around six million Australians; increasing the base rate of JobSeeker and youth allowance; the largest increase to Commonwealth rent assistance in almost 30 years; increasing the cut-off age for youngest children for single parent payment eligibility to 14; and up to $3 billion off electricity bills, through the Energy Bill Relief Fund. Hopefully, this is relief that some people in my community have now started to see if their latest power bills.

We're also investing in renewable projects, which is starting to have a positive effect already. As every sensible Australian knows, as anyone who understands electricity generation knows, that was always going to happen eventually. Renewables don't cost as much, so the companies don't have to charge as much. The wholesale electricity price is now at $108 a megawatt, compared to $264 a megawatt in the June quarter of 2022. Gas was at $31.76 in May last year; the August average is $10.73.

Another thing that helps with the cost of living is having a secure job, obviously. The unemployment rate is now at 3.5 per cent; it was 3.9 per cent when we came into office. The participation rate is at 66.8 per cent, up from 66.4 per cent. The gender pay gap is down, from 14.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent. The number of women employed full time is up, from 3.6 million to 3.9 million. The number of long-term unemployed is down, from 122,000 to 100,000. Annual wage growth has risen, from 2.4 per cent up to 3.7 per cent. Remember the coalition's design feature of trying to suppress wages.

We're also delivering on training and skills, which is so important for the nation's future prosperity. We've done this by offering fee-free TAFE courses, as we're in need of more skilled labour. We're also making university accessible for more people. In relation to industrial disputes, there were 128,000 days lost in the June quarter of last year; in the March quarter, based on the latest figures available, it was 7,700. That's good news for the nation and bad news for all the wet blankets opposite.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've missed more hours in here!

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On cue, the wet blanket speaks up! Remember the industrial relations legislation and all the catastrophising of those opposite. They delivered a conga line of jeremiahs. There were 128,000 days lost under them and 7,700 lost under this government.

We know inflation figures were the highest they've been this century. Inflation was 2.1 per cent in the March quarter of last year; in the June quarter of this year it's 0.8 per cent. And, of course, the Albanese Labor government was able to deliver a surplus of around $20 billion, which can go to paying off some of that interest, something the previous Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government couldn't do. They made the mugs to celebrate, but they weren't ever able to deliver. This is cost-of-living relief against the backdrop of high global and domestic inflation.

The Albanese government's focus is on supporting household budgets, without adding to inflation. We don't forget that those opposite pushed their foot hard on the inflation accelerator in their last budget. Remember: inflation takes the most from those with the least, the ones we should be looking after.

When it comes to support measures for the households in Moreton that are doing it tough, let's look at the track record of those opposite. We know they like sitting on their hands, because that's what they did when they were in government, but they've dragged that practice onto the opposition benches. The opposition leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton, voted against cheaper child care. The opposition leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton, voted against cheaper medicines. The opposition leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton, voted against affordable and social housing. He talked about the community groups he'd had meetings about housing with but then voted against the Housing Australia Future Fund. The opposition leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton, voted against strengthening the social safety net. The opposition leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton, voted against energy price relief—can you believe that? This is a leader who's focusing on the politics, never the people. As soon as you put the people of Australia last, for the sake of your party, you've lost your way and you've lost your direction.

House adjourned at 20:00