Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We on this side of the House know that it has been a rough period for Australians. They just want to be able to pay for the things that they need. They just want to be able to go to the grocery store, buy food for their family, pay the rent, pay the mortgage and get on with things. It has been difficult, and we recognise that. That is why there has been a suite of policies that we have brought in to take the pressure off and to make sure that people can keep more of what they earn. These are things like a tax cut for every single Australian taxpayer, especially those who are lower- and middle-income earners. We know that the Morrison tax cuts were going to exclude many, many people in Australia, and we have changed them to ensure that every single taxpayer pays lower tax from 1 July, which was two days ago.

We've given every single household and business at least $300 off their energy bills. We know that this is important because energy prices are causing pressure for families and for businesses, and that's why we have given them $300. We've also capped coal and gas prices. That's something that those opposite opposed here in this place on multiple occasions. We extended paid parental leave by two weeks. We made medicines cheaper by freezing the cost of the PBS, and we've also delivered a wage increase to 2.6 million Australians.

Compare that with those opposite, who made low wages a deliberate design feature of their economic management; they increased HECS; they didn't deliver a surplus; they didn't build social and affordable homes; and they cut funding from TAFE. We on this side are going to ease cost-of-living pressures, while those opposite will just remain in opposition.