Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer confirm that the cost of gas has risen 34 per cent during Labor's cost-of-living crisis since the election of the Albanese Labor government?

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

Imagine asking about gas prices when they came in here, at the end of the first year we were in government, and voted against our gas caps. Imagine being so slow on the uptake that he comes in here and asks about gas prices. When Australians needed them to act on gas prices, they were nowhere to be found. The reason that's top of mind is that, in the same legislation, they also voted against electricity bill relief.

At the end of 2022, when we were dealing with the fallout of the last energy minister—now the shadow Treasurer—we came in here and asked the whole parliament to side with the Australian people, to put caps on gas prices and help with electricity bills, and they were nowhere to be found. And they've got form on that front.

It wasn't just gas prices where they abandoned middle Australia. They abandoned middle Australia on tax cuts. They abandoned middle Australia on cheaper early childhood education, as my ministerial colleague was telling you about a moment ago. They abandoned middle Australia on rent assistance. Right across the board, when it comes to the cost of living, they have been nowhere to be found.

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

The Treasurer will pause. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. It was a very tight question. It didn't invite the Treasurer to critique other aspects of policy. He's straying a long way from the question, and I'd ask you to invite him back to the question or, if he can't add anything further, to be seated.

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

Even though the question invited, I guess, a yes/no response, the Treasurer needs to make his answer directly relevant and not stray into too much alternative policy because he wasn't asked anything about alternative policy. I'll need to direct him back to the question, to make sure he is on topic, if he has the ability to do so. Otherwise, he'll have to resume his seat.

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

Across all of the components of inflation, what we've seen in the aggregate measures is that inflation is lower under our government than it was when we came to office—what we inherited from those opposite. That is a fact. It's an inconvenient fact for the shadow Treasurer, who was very unhappy when inflation went down again last Wednesday, and he's expressing his unhinged unhappiness in the chamber today.

Now, the point that I'm making is: the whole parliament acknowledges that there are price pressures in our economy, but only this side of the parliament's doing something about it. We invited you, in good faith, at the end of 2022, to work with us and vote with us to do something about gas prices, and to do something about electricity prices. You voted against it. Worse, from memory, you went on with David Speers in an interview—not that long after—and pretended you voted for it. You told him that you voted for it. You were wrong about that as well.

Inflation was higher and rising when we came to office; it's lower and falling now. We're making progress in the fight against inflation, and we're helping with the cost of living. We know that you don't want any part of that. We know that you'd rather prices go up. We know that you'd rather inflation go up because it helps you politically. We've got a different set of interests and a different set of priorities. We've been there for Australians during these cost-of-living challenges. We will continue to be there for Australians. They would have been worse off if you had your way, and they'll be worse off still if you win the election.

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

I remind the Treasurer to direct his comments through the chair.