Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Cecil from Badger Creek, in my electorate of Casey, contacted me about his gas bill and said: 'Just received our gas bill—double the price, now $582. How does this PM in Canberra think pensioners are going to stop from freezing?' Will the Treasurer take responsibility for Labor's bad decisions over the last two years which have taken our country in the wrong direction and hurt Australian families?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope he told Cecil that every time we've put forward cost-of-living relief those opposite have opposed it. I hope he was upfront with Cecil about that. I hope that, when Cecil was telling him these very real concerns that Cecil has about the cost of living, he told Cecil that only this side of the House are trying to help him and that side of the House are trying to stop us providing cost-of-living help. While he was at it, I hope he told Cecil that, in the $315 billion that the shadow Treasurer says is overspending, there's pension indexation. I hope he said to Cecil, 'Look, we know you're under cost-of-living pressure, but the shadow Treasurer, in the blue team in parliament in Canberra, wanders around the press gallery saying that pension indexation is overspending and that it's part of the $315 billion that those opposite describe as too much spending in the economy.'

The difference between this side of the House and that side of the House is we're trying help Cecil. And, every time we try to help Cecil, those opposite try to stand in the way. Every time we point out to the parliament and to the people beyond the parliament that the $315 billion those opposite want to cut would do untold damage to the pensioners of this country—including, by the sounds of it, Cecil—and every time we say that those opposite need to come clean on these cuts, Cecil should keep an ear out. He should keep an ear out for when those opposite come clean about the impact of their cuts on his household budget. This side of the House, the Labor side of the House, is trying to help him. That side of the House is trying to harm him with $315 billion in cuts, including the indexation of the pension.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

We need a reset after that! When the House comes to order, we will hear from honourable member for Aston.