Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Under Labor net disposable income has fallen by more than five per cent and interest rates have gone up 12 times. Our inflation is home grown, and we now have one of the highest and most persistent inflation rates of any advanced country. Why is this distracted Prime Minister making Australians worse off with his bad decisions and wrong priorities?

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

I thank the shadow Treasurer for his question about the economy! It is a question that goes to the fact that unemployment is at historic lows, the participation rate is at a record high, the gender pay gap, as I said before, is at a record low, the number of women employed full-time is at a record high, business investment is up, the number of days lost to industrial disputes is down, the number of single mums getting support is up, the cost of child care is down, Commonwealth rental assistance is up, and the cost of medicine is down. All of this has been achieved without any support for any of these measures from those opposite. And, most importantly, over 620,000 jobs have been created since we came to office—the most for any new government in Australia's history, and we are halfway through. Importantly as well, we've seen two consecutive quarters of real wages growth.

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

The member for Fremantle is warned.

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

We saw the increase in the minimum wage on not one but two occasions, which made an enormous difference.

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

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Hume on a point of order—and I need him to state the point of order.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is relevance, Mr Speaker. The question was about Labor's long list of economic failures. He could just talk about one of them and that would be relevant.

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

Resume your seat. The question had a number of moving parts to it, and it finished about the Prime Minister's priorities. If you're going to ask a question with a tag at the end, he will obviously be able to respond to that. You made a claim at the end of the question, and that's what he's responding to, and he's talking about economic data. I don't know how he can—

Well, that's the question, and he's answering it. So, if you don't want that, don't ask him, and he won't be able to compare and contrast. The Prime Minister has the call.

An opposition member interjecting

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

That was pretty good! This bloke's lost two pre-selections in the last week!

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question.

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

Those opposite said that an increase in the minimum wage would wreck the economy. And remember when we had the secure-jobs, better-pay laws, this is what they said—that it would return Australia to the Dark Ages, that it would close down the economy and that supermarket shelves would be bare. That's what they said.

On energy bill relief, the member for New England said it was 'Venezuelan communism'. Every single measure we have supported, those opposite have opposed. We're making child care cheaper and moving to make it more universal and affordable.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Save yourself! Let him go!

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

The member for Barker is warned.

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

We're rescuing aged care from neglect. We're writing emissions reductions targets in the law and making a difference. We're investing in new housing projects. We are acting on all these measures while those opposite have nothing positive to offer the country. They just say no—all negativity, defined by what they're against.