Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have with me the Macquarie Concise Dictionary, Australia's national dictionary. It's well worth reading. The next edition of this dictionary is going to have a new term in it, and that new term is 'cozzie livs'. Do we know what 'cozzie livs' is colloquial for? Cost of living. That term was not in that dictionary when we were in government, because people had their cost of living under control. But, under Labor, everything is going up. If you go to the supermarket, the prices of the groceries are higher. If you go to the petrol bowser, the fuel is more expensive. If you try to pay your house off, it has become unaffordable.

Just yesterday, in Wagga Wagga, 2,000 people turned out to the Primary Health Network's Foodbank event to receive a food hamper for Christmas. What a remarkable number of people, and how sad it is that 2,000 people in a place the size of Wagga Wagga need help this Christmas. Of course, if you do need help, there's always the Salvos or Vinnies, but there's never, ever Labor, because they are putting the cost of living through the roof. They have the levers to make it more affordable for Australians, but they're just going on this frolic and ignoring the wishes of good, ordinary hardworking Australians.