Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was very pleasantly surprised to see the newly minted—or perhaps recast—Senator Sharma make some insightful economic reflections in his first speech to the Senate last week. Senator Sharma highlighted that a 'rapid redistribution of national income' had seen labour's share of national income shrink. Senator Sharma concluded his economic analysis by saying:

Big businesses have gained; workers and small businesses have lost.

Perhaps since Senator Sharma was gifted an opportunity for reflection by the member for Wentworth he has come to realise that the Liberal economic legacy of suppressed wages, the worst decade for productivity in 50 years and a trillion dollars of Liberal debt have left the Australian people worse off.

While Senator Sharma's analysis is likely the most insightful contribution a Liberal has made to the debate, it is sadly unlikely that his economic come-to-Jesus moment will move the needle of economic sense in his decrepit party room.

While the Albanese Labor government is delivering cost-of-living tax cuts and supporting wage increases, the Liberals opposite have demonstrated their desperation to suppress wages even from the opposition benches. They opposed increases to the minimum wage; they opposed our secure jobs, better pay bill; they opposed closing the casual and labour hire loopholes; and they vowed to roll back Labor's cost-of-living tax cuts.

The Albanese Labor government is ensuring that working people earn more and keep more of what they earn, while the Liberals opposite just want people to work longer for less.

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

To invoke the lyrics of one of Elton John's greatest hits, 'sorry' can be the hardest word. As we go to Easter and we see Australians right across the country struggling amidst Labor's cost-of-living crisis, we know how tough they're doing it.

If I can give some gratuitous advice to the Prime Minister, maybe now is the time to just say sorry—to say sorry to the Australian people, who were promised a $275 reduction in their household power bills and who we now know will pay up to $1,000 more than what they were promised. Since Labor came to office, 500 families have gone on hardship arrangements every single week, and they're struggling. They'll struggle through Easter.

So I say to the Prime Minister and to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who also continues to hold that line: we all know your promise has been broken. The Australian people aren't fools. It's a hard word to say, but just say sorry.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It not being question time, I'm free to compare and contrast. Those opposite carp and preach while we listen and act. What's the evidence? The climate change deniers over there want to get in the way of renewable energy while this responsible government wants to clean up the mess and get the country moving. Over there they left us with debt as far as the eye can see. Over here, we've got a government that delivered a surplus for the first time in 15 years. Over there, there are billions of dollars' worth of tax cuts that miss lower and middle income earners. On this side, we delivered a tax cut to every Australian taxpayer. Over there, they want to carp and talk about cost-of-living pain and have a knee-jerk reaction to everything we try to do to assist Australian families.

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

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