Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering cost-of-living relief? Why is this so important, and what approaches has the government ruled out?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. It was great to be with the member in her electorate over the weekend at Ferragosto. We had a wonderful day together, and I've got to say the member was very well received in her electorate.

We know that Australians are under pressure, which is why from day one we've focused on cost-of-living relief. On 1 July we delivered that not just for the electorate of Reid but for every single taxpayer. Each of them received a tax cut—all 13.6 million of them. We've delivered energy bill relief for every single household, an extra two weeks of government funded paid parental leave and a freeze on the cost of PBS medicines, and we've backed in a pay rise for 2.6 million award-wage workers. Last week we added to that, with a 15 per cent pay rise for our early educators who work in our childcare centres right around the country. But, once again, we did it in a way that will keep costs down for working families by making sure that there's a guarantee there. Again, we're delivering and making a difference to cost of living whilst putting downward pressure on inflation. Of course, the two budget surpluses delivered by the Treasurer have really helped with that as well. This week we're working with the education minister on the legislation that will cut $3 billion from student debt. As well as that, we've got legislation to put super on paid parental leave. This is our priority as a government.

For those opposite, of course, it's clearly not their priority—more concerned with the Middle East than Middle Australia, not concerned with cost-of-living relief or the economy at all. Indeed, the only thing that they have to offer on cost of living is ways to make the problem worse: a wages scheme to drive down pay, a supermarkets scheme to push up grocery prices and a nuclear obsession to drive up power bills. They are obsessed with division. What we're focused on is delivery. They want to play cheap politics. We're delivering cheaper childcare. He wants to drag this whole debate into the gutter. We're focused on lifting wages and lifting Australia up. He wants to drive Australians apart. We're bringing people together. That's our focus: delivering on cost of living while making a difference to working Australia and Middle Australia.