Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Foodbank's Hunger report 2024 has found two million Australian households are experiencing severe food insecurity. This means they skipped meals or ate less because they could not afford enough food, and the situation has deteriorated compared to the 2022 results. This weak Albanese Labor government is taking our country in the wrong direction. How can Australian families and businesses possibly afford another three years of Labor?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. Of course we have been very focused on the cost-of-living pressures that Australians are facing. We understand that people are doing it tough, and we are responding with cheaper medicines and cheaper child care. When it comes to supporting those particularly doing it tough, we have had a base rate increase to JobSeeker, we have record increases in Commonwealth rent assistance, and we have extended the single parenting payment to those with children up to age 14.

When it comes to food relief, we really appreciate the work that our non-government sector does right across the country. We have actually provided extra funding in this budget to support emergency relief and other important support—financial counselling. I was very proud to deliver, for example, the industry funded model—something that those opposite couldn't deliver. I was able to deliver the industry funded financial counselling model, which we now have organisations contributing over $30 million to. We will keep looking at all the ways that we can support people with cost of living, whether that's through emergency relief, food relief or, importantly, the cost-of-living measures, including tax cuts, to every single taxpayer—something that those opposite were never going to do.