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

I have received a letter from the honourable Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The cost of living crisis under this weak and incompetent Government.

I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, this has been an interesting sitting fortnight. We have seen this afternoon the Prime Minister again refuse to answer even the most basic of questions. We know that at the moment the Australian public are really doing it tough. There is no hiding it, and the government can't deny it. As you go around the country and visit regional areas, outer metropolitan areas, and as you talk to people in the cities, people say they have massive increases in their bills—their electricity bills, their gas bills. Their mortgages are up.

We know that for every family at the moment it is a struggle to put food on the table, but it wasn't like this two years ago. It wasn't like this two years ago because we had a capable, competent government that managed the economy.

During the course of COVID we provided support to the Australian people but before that we made decisions in subsequent budgets which made it easier not harder for families yet we know that in three budgets now, the government has had the opportunity to take decisions, to deal with what was on the horizon. They had an understanding of what was happening in international markets. They knew what was happening with inflation. They knew what was happening with the energy markets and instead of taking prudent decisions which would put downward pressure on inflation and therefore downward pressure on interest rates, this government has taken decisions to spend more and more money, which has done the complete opposite.

In spending an additional $315 billion, they drive up inflation. It is important for Australian families to hear this very clear message: the reason that interest rates are high in this country and that they are staying high and that the Reserve Bank governor warns that they may go higher is that inflation is high. Why is inflation high? It's because government is spending money at a federal and state level and pumping that money into the economy, which is driving up inflation. Farmers and manufacturers of food and all of the items that you use in your house or in your small business—all of them are facing the same pressure that you are when you get your electricity bills and your gas bills through the mail or by email.

This is why, when you go to Coles and Woolies or to an IGA, you're seeing much higher prices. The statistics show an 11.4 per cent increase in grocery prices, but it's much higher than that for the average basket. The reason is that all of the people involved in the production of that food are facing massive increases in their electricity bills because of the Albanese government's renewables-only policy. They're storing food in coldrooms, and the power bill has doubled or trebled. All of that cost is being passed on to you as a consumer, and that is fuelling inflation. We know that, not just in this period of government but in past periods of government, Labor don't manage the economy well. None of them have been involved in small business, none of them have been involved in managing staff, none of them have been involved in presiding over business decisions that will help run an economy, and it shows in every single budget.

When we look at the situation, we know that we need to spend money prudently. We know that we need to provide support to those who can't provide support to themselves. We know—and it's a true ethos of our party, as well—that we provide support to people and help them keep more of their money as they work harder. We know that, for our party, we support choice and that we want people to be able to go into a free market and to exercise their choice to do so in an affordable way. When we make decisions in budgets, as we have done in governments before and as we will do after the next election, we will make decisions to get our country back on track. We will make decisions that will put downward pressure on inflation. We will spend prudently. And, where there is a distortionary impact in the market that is adversely affecting consumers, we will address that concern.

In the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Canada and in Europe, they all have divestment powers where there is market competition that is being used in a way that is detrimental to consumers and others, including farmers, in the supply chain. In the last parliament, there was a bipartisan position in relation to divestiture for energy companies that were demonstrated to have market power and a concentration of market share which resulted in higher prices or a distortion to the market and therefore loss of competition and higher prices for consumers. There's nothing controversial in that, but the Prime Minister this week dismissed it out of hand. I say to the Prime Minister that our parties, the Liberal Party and the National Party, the coalition, are standing with consumers in this debate, and we're standing against duopolies in circumstances where they are misusing their market power.

There's a heavy responsibility that comes to businesses with a turnover of more than $5 million a year—think Coles, Woolworth, Aldi and Bunnings. Those companies have a very important role to play in the economy, but we are not going to stand by, as the party of small business, as the party that has the economic management runs on the board, and allow the market to be distorted in a way where consumers are adversely affected. There is nothing controversial in that. All of these experts who want to comment about what the Liberal Party stands for and the Menzies tradition—Robert Menzies was in favour of small business. Robert Menzies was in favour of families. Robert Menzies was in favour of tradies. Robert Menzies was in favour of all of those people who worked hard in the economy, and his judgement was that big business should take care of itself and that we should provide an environment in which it can thrive, but not to the disadvantage of those smaller, forgotten Australians.

The party that I lead will stand up for the forgotten Australians, because this government has left millions of Australians behind. This government has ramped up interest rates to a point where people are paying $35,000 more for their mortgages. This Albanese government has driven up the cost of every element of your budget.

We will work hard to make life affordable again. We've taken a decision, in relation to this matter, to say to Coles and Woolworths, for example, in a market where they have an existing store and they've used their balance sheet to buy up four or five sites that might be vacant land or have development opportunity, and where a competitor may set up in competition and that particular company has bought each of those sites—not because they're a property developer or because they have an interest in building units or developing retail spaces—that those supermarkets are doing that so they can stop competitors coming into that marketplace.

Anybody who believes that calling out that kind of behaviour is against the values of the Liberal Party has no comprehension of the background or, indeed, the future of this party. Our party will make sure that markets operate in a fair way, not just to Coles and Woolies but to everybody else in the marketplace—to the suppliers, the farmers and the consumers. We're not about investing into a market where we have a disproportionate amount of power exerted to the disadvantage of those who are powerless. That's not what our party is about, and I will make sure that our party continues to stand up for everyday Australians.

We have an energy policy that is about bringing down prices. It's about making sure that as we decarbonise we can have greener electricity, and it's about making sure that we have reliable and consistent power, because if we do that we can have a modern economy. If we help and not hinder through our budget process, for all of those entrepreneurs, all of those families, all of those who strive for more for their generation and the next, that is how we will continue to build this great country.

There's a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment, but we need a strong and secure country. We need to make sure that we have the strength of leadership to stand up for the forgotten Australians. We need to say to everyday Australians that there is a better way. Everyday Australians know now, as they sit around the kitchen table of a night-time, that the last two years have been very hard and it's getting harder. Three more years of a Labor government will make it unbearable. For families who are thinking about selling their house because they can't afford to pay their mortgage, for families who are losing their private health insurance or taking their kids out of school because they can't afford to pay the fees, and for families who can't afford to pay the rego or can't afford to buy a cut of steak and are either missing out on the consumption of meat altogether or buying mince or cheaper cuts, there is a better way.

At the next election, there will be a very stark choice between the Labor Party led by Anthony Albanese—three more dark years of economic failure—and a much brighter future under a coalition government.

Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They used to say the Leader of the Opposition was all tip and no iceberg. Now I say he's all tip and no isotope. There are no details on any of his plans, there are no clear costings on anything he puts forward in this place or out in the public, and he can't tell the Australian people when his nuclear reactors will arrive.

I can tell the Australian people when they got their tax cut. It was on 1 July. The Leader of the Opposition can't tell us, for supermarket workers, when he will nationalise their workplaces or how much they will be paid under his nationalised supermarkets. I can tell those workers when they got an increase in the award wage. That happened on 1 July. The Leader of the Opposition can't tell Australians how much power bills will go up under his costly reactor plan. I can tell Australians that they will get power bill relief starting from 1 July. The Leader of the Opposition also can't tell Australians how many jobs there will be in his reactors. I can tell every working Australian that they got more paid parental leave, starting on 1 July, with an additional two weeks.

What we've seen from those opposite is that they've gone from free marketeers to angry Marxists. They say that they believe in the free market, except when it comes to supermarkets. They want the free market except when it comes to nuclear. It's something that they said stacks up and will be cost-effective—so cost-effective that they want the Australian people to write a big blank cheque for their nuclear reactor obsession.

I saw a lecture by the Leader of the Opposition saying, if he was Prime Minister, he would spend prudently. Well, wouldn't it have been nice if he started spending prudently when he was sitting around the cabinet table for nine years, as they racked up billions of dollars after billions of dollars, leaving Australians with a trillion dollars of debt. If that's what the Leader of the Opposition says is 'spending prudently', then Australians should be very, very worried.

When it comes to the lectures, and we just received from the Leader of the Opposition on bipartisanship, the Australian people see what the Leader of the Opposition does in this place every day and every week, and he does not act in a bipartisan manner. So often they invoke Robert Menzies. Well, I'd encourage the Leader of the Opposition to go back and think: 'Would Robert Menzies have stood by silently, encouraging secret ministries? Would Robert Menzies have stood by and said, "Yes, a trillion dollars of debt is the right way to go"? Would Robert Menzies have said we need to nationalise our supermarkets and nationalise our electricity grid?' It's an incredible place for the opposition to find themselves at the end of this winter sitting.

But let us have a look through the experience that the Leader of the Opposition has had over the course of these six months as we get here to the middle of the year. What is really clear is that he is not a serious parliamentarian, nor is he a serious person putting himself forward to be Prime Minister. We saw, on 7 January this year, further revelations about his work to undermine, in cabinet, the fair share of the GST for Western Australia. We saw, on 11 January this year, the Leader of the Opposition coming out of the block strong, calling for a boycott of Woolworths, wanting 200,000 people to lose their jobs. We had the Leader of the Opposition give his strong backing to his deputy when his deputy said that they would oppose the tax changes before they'd even seen them. He was so strong in backing his deputy that he then came into this place and voted for those tax changes! That was January.

Then we get to February, and an impressive thing happened. We saw a number of members of the coalition share their own thoughts about one another in a small ABC program called Nemesis. We saw Malcolm Turnbull—and people in this room served in his cabinet. To quote the Sydney Morning Herald, 'Malcolm Turnbull described Peter Dutton as a thug.' This was the former leader of the Liberal and National parties, the former Prime Minister they chose. He also warned as to why he spent so much of his energy as Prime Minister trying to stop the Leader of the Opposition ever becoming Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull said:

I thought Dutton would run off to the right, and I thought he would do a lot of damage as prime minister of Australia in a short period.

And the damage that the Leader of the Opposition seeks to do from opposition is a good indication of that. We saw, on 7 February, as Nemesis rolled out, the Leader of the Opposition being interviewed on the ABC 7.30 program to tidy a few things up. He assured us there would be a new tax policy before the next election, but he refused to provide any details. I'll come back to that.

We then get into April. The Leader of the Opposition stays in his fact based comfort zone where he says that Australia is the only G20 country without nuclear power. When he says 'G20', I don't know what he's referring to. There are, in fact, five countries—Australia is one of them—that do not have nuclear energy. Australia doesn't. Germany doesn't. Italy doesn't. Indonesia doesn't. And Saudi Arabia doesn't. They are all members of the G20.

Sticking into his fact based principles, the Leader of the Opposition showed what great credentials he has. On 11 April, he said we're getting the 'closing down of Australian manufacturing'. Again, he misses the fact. There are 80,000 new manufacturing jobs under this government. We also saw some incredible comments from the Leader of the Opposition when he made some terrible comparisons to the Port Arthur massacre. Even members of his own side were questioning whether that was a wise judgement. That was, again, a very interesting decision from the Leader of the Opposition.

In April, he thought he would make one more decision. His staff members claimed some $6,000 of allowances so that the Leader of the Opposition could attend a private birthday party. The only good thing about that was that it was a visit of the Leader of the Opposition to Perth; the bad bit was that he only spent 45 minutes there. In April we saw the Leader of the Opposition again choose to back Elon Musk over the Australian government—a very interesting choice. On 16 May we got the Leader of the Opposition's budget reply, without a single costing for any of his budget initiatives. On 8 June the Leader of the Opposition said we should pull Australia out of the Paris climate agreements, and on 16 June we learned that those opposite would indeed slug Australian taxpayers with the bill for their entire nuclear plan. Finally, we see the truth.

Now, we know they're all over the place when it comes to the economy. While the Leader of the Opposition came out and said they were going to slug Australian taxpayers for their nuclear plan, just one month earlier—with not even a full month in between—we had the shadow Treasurer ruling out subsidies for nuclear power. With the carefully coordinated policy development happening in the coalition, we then saw the shadow Treasurer make a 'shambolic' post-budget appearance talking about his views on the migration numbers.

All the way back in February, the Leader of the Opposition promised us that we'd have a tax plan, but last week, when he was speaking to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, he said that it would be too costly to propose tax cuts now, and he went on to argue that he would need the help of Treasury to formulate his own tax policies. Obviously, they've got the A-team over there, as the Treasurer has pointed out a number of times, but the biggest endorsement the shadow Treasurer gets from the Leader of the Opposition is that he's 'not incompetent'—such warm and kind endorsements of the senior members of his team!

We do have a good idea of what those opposite are proposing to the Australian people. They have a tax policy to roll back tax cuts. They have an IR policy that's about lowering wages. They have a fiscal strategy that will rack up debt for their nuclear reactors. They have a housing policy that will wreck the superannuation of millions of Australians. They have a health policy that will destroy Medicare. And they have a nuclear reactor policy of which the only practical outcome will be that it jacks up power prices.

I'm really proud of what we've done in this government. We're not waiting until 2050. We've already ensured a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the grid, with 330,000 new rooftop solar installations last year. We've green-lit 50 renewable projects since the last election, and our tax cuts, which came into effect on 1 July, mean that 13.6 million Australians are getting a tax cut. That's 2.9 million more Australians than would have got a tax cut under the old plan that the Leader of the Opposition endorsed when he sat around the cabinet table. Further, 5.8 million women—90 per cent of women taxpayers—will now receive a bigger tax cut than they would have got under the Leader of the Opposition's plan. Even in the electorate of Dickson, 79,000 Australians will get a tax cut, with an average of $1,604 for those— (Time expired)

Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are now more than two years into a Labor government, and Australians are facing a bleak future due to weak leadership. The promise of progress and stability has been overshadowed by their ineffective governance. Labor's lack of strong and decisive action has contributed to the growing challenges our nation faces today. Before the 2022 election, Australians were told that, under a Labor government, life would be easier. The Prime Minister preached a Labor utopia of cheaper power, better roads and affordable housing. We know, and the hard-working Australians and small businesses know, that was nothing more than another Labor con job.

Every single day, my electorate offices in Capricornia receive calls from locals who are struggling to make ends meet. They are finding it increasingly difficult to afford basic life essentials, such as food and adequate housing. The choice between eating a meal and turning on the heating to stay warm has become a harsh reality for many. The people of Capricornia are sinking deeper into a cost-of-living crisis. It's a direct result of the weak and incompetent leadership of the current government. Despite the mounting challenges, there has not been a single effective measure implemented to relieve the economic pressure Australians are facing. Our communities are bearing the brunt of these failures and it's time for the government to recognise the severity of the situation and take decisive action to address this crisis. Three budgets have been delivered since those opposite were elected in 2022, yet the cost of essentials continues to rise. Food prices have increased by more than 11 per cent, housing by 14 per cent and power prices by over 21 per cent. Where is the promised $275 reduction in power bills for my constituents? Instead, in some areas in Australia, the typical household is now paying over $1,000 more each year. This is evidence that Labor has failed to provide the cost-of-living relief that they claimed they would deliver at each and every budget. Their $315 billion in extra spending is fuelling the fire and driving up inflation.

Those in my electorate of Capricornia have gained nothing from this government. They're digging deeper into their pockets to pay for Labor's overspending. Capricornians are proud of their resource-rich region—from exporting coal to farming. It's prime agricultural land that feeds both our nation and others worldwide. My constituents generate wealth that should drive economic growth and security; however, this Labor government is draining the regions through higher taxes and increased red tape. Despite the billions generated from regional Australia, the people in Capricornia are not seeing relief from cost-of-living pressures or improvements in critical infrastructure. The only abundance delivered by Labor is an abundance of cuts to crucial funding and delays in vital projects—projects like Queensland Beef Corridor's road network, which would significantly improve the safety of those who travel the roads to deliver our high-value commodities to market And there was the fight we undertook to ensure that the Rockhampton Ring Road wouldn't be thrown on the scrapheap. Every day is a fight to ensure those in Capricornia are receiving their fair share.

But it's not just me who is sounding the alarm on this failed government. Independent economist Chris Richardson said in the Australian:

Governments are throwing a lot of money at the symptoms of the cost-of-living crisis, but that worsens the cause of it. And the cause is too many dollars chasing too little stuff.

With an election creeping up on us, now is the time for Australians to take on a government which has the best interest of the nation at heart—not a government set on ideologies like a reckless renewable-only policy, which is driving up the cost of electricity and destroying the very thing they are attempting to save: the environment.

A coalition government would deliver cheap, clean and consistent power from our visionary plan for nuclear energy. Australians will be given a choice in the coming months; there will be the choice to elect a government which can actually deliver on cost-of-living relief, rebuild our nation's manufacturers and restore them to powerhouses—a government which will lift up small businesses and cut red tape. This is a choice to elect a government which will restore the great Australian dream of home ownership. At the next election, the choice will be clear: continue with another term of chaos and crisis, or have a government led by someone who has the leadership and character to drive our nation forward.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will point out that there was a comment from the opposition leader about the Prime Minister putting up interest rates. Hasn't he been in this place for more than 20 years? I think we understand that we have the Reserve Bank of Australia, which is an independent institution. It's at arms-length from the government for a reason, and that's because we need to make sure we keep the economy in check and that there are checks and balances in our economy.

I recognise that households are under pressure right now; I recognise that, and I know that households are doing it tough. But this is the reason why the Albanese Labor government wants to make sure that workers earn more and keep more of what they earn. What was asked during the federal election campaign was: is the opposition leader prepared to back minimum-wage workers by increasing their wages by $1 an hour? He said no. What did our now Prime Minister of Australia say? 'Absolutely.' Governments make difficult decisions. Prior to the pandemic, tax cuts were legislated for 1 July, and these tax cuts were going to be only for the richest of Australians. The Albanese Labor government did the hard work of looking at these tax cuts and what would be fairer and equitable—but also not inflationary. So it's interesting when I hear from those on the other side that we're overspending but that we're also not helping enough. Which one is it?

I recognise that balancing the economy is a delicate act, and I am very proud of our Treasurer of Australia, who has been making really important decisions. I am excited that in my electorate of Swan there is a tax cut for every taxpayer. That's 94,000 people, and 77,000 of them will receive a bigger tax cut because of Labor. Every household in Australia will be getting a $300 electricity bill relief, and in Western Australia we're getting $700 thanks to the Cook and Albanese Labor governments working together. That's what Western Australians voted for in the last election. They wanted to see the federal and state Labor parties working together.

We're also talking about energy. I recognise that energy is a significant cost in household bills, and what did we have for 10 years under the coalition? There were 22 energy policies. Imagine if we had increased our renewable energy targets, because guess what happens when there is a war in the world such as what's happening in Ukraine? The sun and the wind—

You're speaking to someone who is an engineer that has worked in decarbonisation for 12 years. I will let you know that I have consulted to the ASX 200 on what the most economic options are for energy transition, and guess what? It's not nuclear. It is not nuclear because of timeframes, costs, waste and risk. This is something that I have seen time and time again. I don't know why the coalition is wanting to pick a fight on nuclear. Really? Is this how desperate you guys are? In case of emergency, I'm going to reach for the nuclear option! This is not what companies are looking at. This is something that's not going to help any households in the next 15 years. It's not.

I am really excited about what we're trying to achieve. In some of the most remote mine sites in Australia we're seeing wind and solar energy being used, and you're right—we need to make sure that we have firming. We will be seeing that being used with gas, but soon we'll also see batteries, and there is also a role for pumped hydro. If you want to have a fight with me about renewable energy and the decarbonisation that we're going to take Australia on, bring it on, I say! But imagine what would have happened if we had acted 10 years ago. Households would have been so much better off.

The truth is that we have had 10 years of mismanagement. We are cleaning up the mess of the Morrison-Turnbull-Abbott Liberal governments, and we're working hard every day to make a real and positive difference to homes and families.

Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance. It has now been two years since the Albanese Labor government was elected. Before the election on 17 March 2022, Anthony Albanese said, 'A Labor government will lower the cost of living.' Let's look at how that has gone over the last two years, because we are now in a cost-of-living crisis and have been for almost the entirety of this government's term. Last week, we again saw headline inflation rise to five per cent and core inflation to 4.4 per cent. Core inflation has now increased four months in a row. It is at its highest level this year. The Labor government's continued failure to get inflation under control is leading to the very real prospect of a rate increase in August. This will then be the 13th under Labor's watch—the 13th in just over two years.

I think it's very important that the link between inflation and interest rates and the government's spending is clearly set out. The Reserve Bank raises interest rates when it is not satisfied with the way this government has performed with fiscal policy. This government, in three failed budgets in a row, have spent $315 billion. That's $30,000 per household. There is no household in my electorate that feels it is $30,000 better off. That is because the $315 billion that has been spent by this government has largely been wasteful and unproductive. It has done nothing to improve the lot of Australian people. It has done nothing to improve the lot of households, and it has done nothing to improve the situation for the 2.5 million small businesses in our country. The Reserve Bank has said the inflation rate is domestically driven, so we want to hear no more nonsense from those on the other side that keep blaming wars overseas for inflation. The inflation is firmly in their hands and it is their overspending. History tells us that is always what happens when we have a Labor government. They always lose control of the economy, and this government is no different.

Mortgage holders with this cost-of-living crisis—and I have 22,000 in my electorate—have paid $35,000 more in two years. That is a cost-of-living crisis because that is $35,000 they've paid to their banks that they are then unable to spend on a family holiday or on groceries. They are unable to spend that in their local business when going out for dinner. That is the result of what we have seen with this government's overspending, and Australians know that they're in a cost-of-living crisis.

We can talk big numbers, but let's look at some specifics. In two years, for example, insurance has gone up 27 per cent, and we are now seeing more and more people not renewing their medical insurance. Chicken is up 10 per cent; jam, 11 per cent; cakes, 19 per cent. Takeaway food costs 15 per cent more. Spirits cost 14 per cent more. Vegetable oil is up 28 per cent. These are all of the small things that are contributing to this crisis. When you put all of this together, Australians know each week, when they go and get their groceries, it's costing them more. And when we've heard this week from those on the other side that there's going to be a soft landing from 1 July, I can tell you right now that those in my electorate don't believe it. And those on the other side know that those in their electorates also do not believe it, because they are paying the same increases here that my constituents and everybody across the country are paying.

We've been asked what we would do. This is what we won't do in government: we won't, for example, put on an extra 36,000 public servants. It hasn't been explained exactly what these public servants are going to be doing. We won't be doing that. We will be getting inflation under control. We will be pursuing an energy policy that will deliver cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy.

This is a cost-of-living crisis that has been brought about by this Albanese Labor government. (Time expired)

David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously the last decade was some sort of fever dream that most of us had to sleep through. But let's start this MPI plainly. If those opposite really cared about the cost-of-living pressures people were under, they wouldn't have opposed the cost-of-living relief that rolled out across the country this week. If they really cared, they would care about wages. Under this Labor government real wages grew more in the past year at 0.5 per cent than they did during their entire 10 years in office—something we knew was deliberate. If they really cared, they would care about jobs. Instead, those opposite left us with a sluggish labour market. Under Labor, more than 880,000 new jobs have been created in two years.

Productivity growth under those opposite was the worst in 40 years, and we have reversed that decline. Business investment declined to the lowest level since the early 2000s under them. Business investment under us has grown in every single quarter and is up 13 per cent in real terms. Then, of course, there's the budget under them. They planned a $78 billion deficit with no surpluses projected at any time between 2022 and 2060-61 yet they come here and pretend that they're somehow great economic managers. We turned that $78 billion deficit into a Labor surplus of $22 billion and then a second Labor surplus in the following year, and we didn't need a range of mugs to do it with. Let's not forget the cutting of family payments through indexation freezing and the millions of dollars of waste through the obscene use of contractors in the Public Service. We know that's what they're planning; they want to cut back public servants again and replace them with consultants and contractors. We know how that goes.

Those opposite left bulk-billing in a shambles. In November 2021, six months before the last election, the financial viability of general practice was in serious trouble after the coalition's six-year freeze on Medicare rebates that started when the Leader of the Opposition was health minister. Bulk-billing was falling off a cliff, which is why we tripled the bulk-billing incentive from 1 November last year—the largest investment in bulk-billing in history. In the seven months since we tripled the investment we have seen a turnaround in bulk-billing, a national increase of 3.4 percentage points from 75.6 per cent of all GP visits bulk-billed in October to 79 per cent in May—or around two million additional estimated visits. Here in the ACT we saw a 5.5 per cent increase—the second-largest increase in the country. Under our government people now pay no more than $31.60 for medicines on the PBS. The Albanese government has delivered the largest price reduction in the 75-year history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Under this government we've been working both directly and indirectly to fix the cost-of-living issues Australian households are facing. On Monday this week some 13.6 million Australian taxpayers got a tax cut, millions of workers on the award wage got a pay rise thanks to the backing of this government and energy bill relief began getting rolled out to every household and one million small businesses. What's the alternative? Their idea of cost-of-living relief can be summed up with their approach to nuclear energy—a $600 billion bill to taxpayers for nuclear reactors that maybe come online in the 2040s. Nothing says, 'We care about the cost of living,' more than saddling taxpayers with more debt and locking them into structurally higher energy prices for decades to come. Nothing says, 'We care for the cost of living,' more than having to be dragged to supporting Labor's tax cuts, or opposing cheaper cleaner energy, or teaming up with the Greens political party to block cheaper housing, or actively avoiding pay increases for minimum-wage earners or doing everything they can to stop Australian taxpayers from earning more and keeping more of what they earn.

This opposition love running around telling everyone how much easier it will be under them, but one only needs to look at their record in government or in opposition. So far, every announcement they make is a new bin fire of angry incompetence which puts the future of our economy at risk. Every new announcement they make is the worst combination of uncosted, unhinged and undercooked, with the primary purpose of each new announcement to distract from the announcement they made a few weeks ago.

On 25 July, during the winter break, we will mark the 44th anniversary of the release of AC/DC's iconic Back in Black, one of the great comeback albums of all time. It's fair to say that some of the songs have aged, but they haven't aged anything like the range of mugs—which is the closest those opposite got to a manufacturing policy here in Australia, let alone a surplus.

Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am a proud Victorian. It is school holidays in Victoria, and here we are. I acknowledge my good friend the member for Nicholls and his son, David Birrell, who is here in the adviser box. I acknowledge the pain and the grief of his family over your dad, your grandad, Ryan Birrell, who passed away recently. He was here, very proud of you becoming a member of the Australian parliament. You have done your family proud, and you have done him proud.

I'm looking down the camera online to my children back at home, Leo and Eva; I hope you're behaving well!

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You want to talk to mine?

Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll talk to your children, too! I want to speak to Victorian families right now, because they are doing it tough. Those of us who sit in this place have a privileged position; we are paid very well for what we do. But let's not forget that the average salary in Australia is half of what we get—$95,000. The median salary is $65,000—even less. When you think about what 'median' means, it means half of Australians earn less and half earn more. They are facing serious decisions and consequences of this inflation crisis. It's easy to talk about it in an academic way, but it has consequences for families who are feeling that stress and pain, who are losing sleep and who are feeling shame—and they shouldn't because it's not their fault. Particularly over school holidays, I have been overwhelmed by the phone calls and the conversations with Victorian families who are telling me, in heartbreaking circumstances, what they have to put back on the shelf and what they have to tell their children over these school holidays.

Like many, I have food banks in my electorate, and one told me they have never seen numbers like they have now—never. In one food bank in Templestowe, they are servicing 250 people in four hours; that's about 75 families. In another, there are queues out the car park. When you stand there and see the good work that the volunteers do at those food banks, more often than not they are helping families that have had a marriage breakdown, unemployment or illness. It is tough enough with two income earners in a family, but when one of those three things happens—and statistically they do—it sends people over the edge. Another food bank told me about a school that they support where they provide fruit in a bowl—fresh fruit. What they have heard from the teachers and the staff at that school is that as soon as they put it out it disappears.

What should we take from that? This isn't just about luxury items. We are seeing Australians right now hurting so much that young Australians at school are not getting fresh food. Families are putting meat, eggs and chicken back on the shelf because they cannot afford it. We are seeing parents who will go back to school a week after next in Victoria and say, 'I am really sorry that you cannot go on that camp.' And we see up here fewer schoolchildren coming to visit this place. One of the reasons we are seeing fewer is that families cannot afford it. They cannot afford it. That shouldn't be the Australia that we live in in 2024.

I see parents say, 'I can't afford the musical instrument or the musical lessons that you had.' You may not know it, but right now there's a soccer tournament on in Europe, and that is one of the most popular sports in my electorate. Many are losing sleep, staying up to watch the quarterfinals of the European cup. But I have heard again and again that families have had to pull their children out of soccer because it's not subsidised like AFL. It's more expensive, and they can't afford it. For the children in my electorate, that is heartbreaking. That's their dream. They want to be the next Messi or the next Ronaldo. It's a sport that they love, and they can't afford to play it. For the Victorian families in my electorate and for those that are running small businesses—and so many do: you are facing an increase in taxes that other states don't have. And that is why we have seen a flight of small businesses out of Victoria. We lost an aggregate of 7,600 last year, while Queensland gained 11,000. You're doing it tough in Victoria.

During these school holidays, I have heard families say, 'I feel ashamed for not being able to provide for them.' You shouldn't feel shame. It is for us in this place to do our best to make sure that you have a better life for you and your children.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to this matter of public importance. I want to just say to the member for Menzies: as a child growing up in a family where I was one of 11 kids, I was seeing the struggles of both of my parents, who both worked but were making sure, as parents with a responsibility, that their children, all 11 of them, were kept safe and fed and went to school every day. That was really important for my parents because they had limited education. It was a time, when they grew up in the Northern Territory, when they were denied even an education and to go to school. For them, it was about making sure that their 11 children got an education. For us, that was the key to getting ourselves out of—I suppose for many of us it's about picking yourselves up from the bootstraps.

I know there are many families in my electorate of Lingiari that are doing it tough, and none of us on this side have ever denied that the cost of living is impacting on our constituencies right across Australia. I certainly see it more acutely in regional and remote Northern Territory communities, where people really do it tough. But I'm proud to stand here as part of a government which is offering tax cuts—which had the discussion and the debate about changing stage 3 tax cuts and making sure that all Australians could have access to a tax cut. There are also the energy rebates and wiping of student debt.

These are important ways that Labor's budget is delivering cost-of-living relief for every Australian, particularly in my electorate of Lingiari. As I said, the cost of living remains a major issue of concern for everyone—particularly everyone in Lingiari. On 1 July this year, the Albanese Labor government delivered a tax cut for every taxpayer. In my electorate of Lingiari, about 43,000 taxpayers will get a tax cut under Labor's tax cuts. Our economic plan is to bring inflation under control, boost wages and put in place policies for fairer prices for Australian consumers. That's particularly so for people like my constituents living in regional and remote Lingiari; they are no different but they certainly get the impact. Labor wants people to earn more and keep more of what they earn, and that could not be said more than in terms of my constituents. After I leave this place today, I will get around Lingiari and let people know about our tax cuts, and also about the $300 electricity rebate. That's certainly an important issue for people in Lingiari.

I was listening to the member for Bean, who talked about Medicare. One of the things we're certainly proud of in the Northern Territory is that, out of the 29 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, there have been 10,700 visits to Mparntwe, the Alice Springs Urgent Care Clinic. That isn't just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients; everybody across Alice Springs is getting access to that clinic. The Palmerston Urgent Care Clinic is also providing needed Medicare services through that clinic.

I know that Labor's cost-of-living measures are making a real difference to people in my electorate of Lingiari, and these critical measures are part of Labor's long-term economic plan to help Australians—and people in Lingiari—to bring down inflation right now. And we're planning a future made in Australia.

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

Right now, the people in Cook are hurting. Just this week, I was speaking to St Vincent de Paul in Gymea about constituents facing homelessness. They face homelessness in Cook because of the cost-of-living crisis. But this week we've had to listen to the Labor government boast about their cost-of-living measures for a cost-of-living crisis they've had a large hand in creating. How have they done this? It's $315 billion of spending—$30,000 per household. I know that every household in Cook—and, I would say, every household in Australia—would rather have had that $30,000 in their bank accounts than go through wasteful Labor government spending.

It was no surprise that the member for Swan didn't want to claim credit for interest rates. Yes, interest rates have gone up 13 times in a row and, yes, the Reserve Bank is independent. But let me tell you what independent economist Chris Richardson said just last week about the government's response:

Governments are throwing a lot of money at the symptoms of the cost-of-living crisis, but that worsens the cause of it.

He went on to say:

Governments have abandoned the field in the inflation fight.

He said:

We are fighting the inflation fight one-handed.

Yes, the Reserve Bank may be independent, but they are fighting with one hand tied behind their back, because this government simply will not rein in spending. They know this. While they want to boast about energy relief and while they want to boast about tax cuts, they know that what's happening is that this is driving inflation. Inflation will be higher for longer, and, unfortunately, it risks rates going up. When I'm chatting to St Vincent de Paul in my electorate, when we're talking about constituents facing homelessness, this is dire, and the Australian public knows it's dire.

Australia is different—we are different. I can see some of the members over there taking notes. If they're taking notes on what I'm talking about then I'd ask them to address this question: why does Australia have higher inflation than the US, the UK, New Zealand and the euro area? If they're going to comment on anything in this speech, please comment on this point: why is Australia's inflation increasing while it is decreasing in every other one of those countries? I would like to know the answer to that, I think the Reserve Bank would like to know the answer to that and I know that the Australian people would like to know the answer to that.

What kind of fantasy land is the Labor government living in when they're boasting and high-fiving about $300 energy subsidies? The gall of that! Two years ago they were promising that energy bills would go down by $275. They have risen by $1,000. I have sat here silently at the back of the chamber this week, listening to high-fives about $300 off energy prices. The constituents in my electorate are now paying $700 more after you promised them $275 off. I'm listening to high-fives about tax cuts from every single person who asked a question. I heard about 86,000 people in this electorate and 27,000 people in that electorate. Well, the truth is that average Australians are now paying 20 per cent more in personal income tax because of bracket creep and because of the homegrown inflation this government has driven. They have the gall to be high-fiving and slapping each other on the back about a $300 subsidy.

In a Liberal government, we don't believe the answer to the increased cost of living is subsidies. It's not more government and it's not splashing cash. What is it? It's addressing the problem: it's lowering energy prices, lowering the cost of living and lowering house prices. It's not subsidies and it's not bigger government.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is that through nuclear?

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

Nuclear—let's talk about that! I noticed, Member for Swan, that you did not talk about green hydrogen. Yes, you talked about hydro, and hydro is great. But, unfortunately, Australia is not geographically set up to have hydro everywhere in every part of the country. What are we going to do for that baseload power? Yes, we need zero emissions energy. We need lots of zero emissions energy; we need wind and we need solar. But why aren't you rolling out nuclear? I would love to understand why you're ruling it out. Why are you ruling out nuclear? I don't understand that. I do not understand that, and the Australian public—

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will!

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

You might ridicule the coalition for that. You might ridicule the 50 per cent of Australians who think we should look at that—

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

The member might want to direct his comments to me.

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

But we're not into ridiculing Australians. We're here to listen to them and have a fact based debate.

Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition began this debate this afternoon by trying to pretend that he in fact has a plan for our country's future. He gave it a red-hot crack. I have to hand that to him; he certainly did try to present a plan for our future. The trouble is, like all the plans that the Leader of the Opposition tries to serve up, it was wafer thin and it just doesn't add up. There were no details, and we all know that famous slogan—made famous, I think, in fact by the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite: 'If you don't know, vote no'. When we're served up plans with no details and we're told that this is what the Australian people should rely on for their future—when times are tough and when we do need serious governments which are going to do serious work—then, if you don't know, vote no.

What the Leader of the Opposition is putting in front of us is a giant con. He's pretending that he is trying to address the climate crisis which is in front of us. In fact, what we're getting from the Leader of the Opposition is the type of climate denial that we got under the lot opposite in their nearly a decade in power. It's the kind of climate denial that has left our country in the position where our government is now stepping in to do the work we need to do to build the country of the future and to make the transition to renewables. While we're doing that work and doing it in the way that sensible governments do it, the opposition gives us a two-page plan for nuclear.

So what do we know about the plan? What do we know about what Peter Dutton has proposed? We do know that it will cost more.

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

You will need to use the member's correct title, Member for Jagajaga.

Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Certainly. What do we know about the plan that the Leader of the Opposition has presented to us? We do know that it will cost more. All the experts tell us that, for Australia, nuclear is the most expensive option. Where will that extra cost end up? It will end up in the power bills of Australian households. The member for Cook talked about the need to rein in spending in the speech he just gave. That is a conversation he probably does need to have with his leader, because, if we were talking about reining in spending, the absolute worst thing that we could do would be to sign a blank cheque from the government for the most expensive form of power there could be for our country—nuclear energy—and to have that end up in Australians' power bills.

Of course, on this side of the House, we are taking a very different approach. We know that times are difficult for so many Australians at the moment, so that is why we have been focused on providing very real cost-of-living relief in the areas where we know that Australians are feeling it, with tax cuts for every single Australian taxpayer and power bill rebates—$300 for every household and $325 for one million small businesses. I know when I've been talking about this measure in my community people have really welcomed it. They have also asked me, 'How do we get it?' I want to let you all know you don't have to do anything to get it. It will be applied directly to your power bill.

We are putting a freeze on the cost of PBS medicines for every Australian. We've put in place a third consecutive pay rise for 2.6 million workers, more funding to build homes in every part of the country and an additional two weeks of paid parental leave. Of course, this builds on reforms we've already delivered: cheaper child care; free-fee TAFE; our biggest ever investment in expanding bulk-billing; an increase in Commonwealth rent assistance; and the wiping of almost $3 billion in student debt. This is real, tangible cost-of-living relief for every person in Jagajaga and for every person in Australia, who we know is doing it tough.

Australians deserve better than what they were served up from the Leader of the Opposition today. They deserve better than a wafer-thin proposal masquerading as a plan. They deserve better than a leader of the opposition who is so deep in climate denial that he is ready to tell Australians that the only option, the only way forward, is the most expensive and the most unviable—that the only way that this country can meet its energy needs of the future is to go nuclear and for Australians to pay more for their power. Australian people deserve a government that understands that times are tough and that is delivering real, tangible cost-of-living relief. That is what this government is doing.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The time for the debate has now concluded.