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

This morning, the Liberal shadow minister for home affairs appeared on Sky News to discuss fiscal recklessness. Kudos to Sky News for getting him on, because I can't think of a more qualified group of people to talk about fiscal recklessness than the Liberal Party opposite. After all, it was the Liberals who oversaw the accumulation of a trillion dollars of Liberal debt, deliberately suppressed wage growth for a decade and who presided over the worst decade of productivity in over half a century. Now it's the Liberals in opposition trying to goad the Reserve Bank into more rate rises, to put more pressure on Australian households, to serve their own political interests. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition has said, 'People are talking about one or two more interest rate increases.' 'People'—these people are mostly members of the Liberal Party with an Angus-esque grasp on economic reality.

While the Liberals opposite are plotting economic pain for Australians, the Albanese Labor government is getting on with delivering responsible economic relief to household budgets. From next week, every Australian taxpayer will receive a tax cut, a saving of an average of 1,500 bucks per person per year. From next week, every Australian household will start receiving $300 in power bill relief. From next week, minimum wage earners will receive a pay rise of 3.75 per cent—nearly $150 a week for full-time workers.

The Albanese Labor government's economic plan is putting downward pressure on inflation and providing cost-of-living relief. We want people to earn more and keep more of what they earn. (Time expired)

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

Colleagues, in a few moments the PM will come to the dispatch box and tell Australians they've never had it better. The truth is, colleagues, that Australians are hurting. Australians know it. I know it. You know it. Guess who else knows it? The Prime Minister's backbench. They know it. That's why, when the Prime Minister or the Treasurer get on to telling Australians how good they've had it and how grateful they should be for their service to the nation, the backbenchers get their phones out. They slink away, and, secretly, that little campaigner in the back of their head says, 'Please make the pain stop; make it stop,' because food is up 11 per cent, housing 14 per cent, rent 14 per cent and gas 22 per cent. Health is up as well. It all adds up to a headline inflation rate of 4.4 per cent. It's homegrown, core inflation at four per cent. Why do we have that? We have that because we have a weak PM who's out of touch. He needs to get out of the Lodge and off his private jet and talk to Australians who are hurting. The late Bob Hawke would be ashamed of this Prime Minister. He'd be out there talking to Australians. He wouldn't be coming in here telling Australians that are hurting that they've never had it better.

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

Member for Barker, just a reminder: I am not deaf, and you are yelling immensely. I give the call to the member for Spence.