Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Middle Australia is being let down by this government. This government is out of control and has lost the plot. They've lost the plot on the economy, they've lost the plot on housing and they've lost the plot on the borders.

On the economy, yesterday we learnt that inflation is up, to 3.6 per cent. Today the RBA economist says it's clearly strong, despite what you said in the budget. When inflation is strong, interest rates will not come down and the average Australian will be crushed. While the economy is crashing, house prices certainly aren't. They have gone up 10 per cent in Sydney in the last year alone. The government has totally lost the plot on housing. While these house prices were skyrocketing, the government also lost control of immigration. Australia's population is now growing faster—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They're laughing, but I don't think this is a laughing matter. Australia's population is growing faster now than it has at any time since 1952. Australians can't find houses. I don't think this is funny. The members across the floor might think this is funny, but I certainly don't.

Finally, they've lost complete control of our borders and security, something else I don't think is funny, and I don't think Middle Australia thinks it's funny either. We now have murderers and domestic violence perpetrators wandering around our streets because the government have been so focused on direction 99—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Time.

Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

they've lost complete priority on—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Cook, sit down. I appreciate you're a new member to this House, but, when I say your time has expired, you are sitting down, and I am moving to the next call. That's the way 90 seconds works.