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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the last election, Prime Minister, you promised that Australian families would be better off. The Prime Minister promised a $275 cut on 97 occasions before the election. Instead, they've gone up by $1,300. We've had the largest fall in living standards in history, our country is divided and 29,000 small businesses have gone broke. This Prime Minister's record adds up to nothing. How can struggling Australian families and businesses possibly afford another three years of the Albanese government?

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

I thank the member for his question. He speaks about division—the great divider of Australian politics. I note that, in his talk to the party room this morning, he spoke about the division in their ranks behind him. That is what he was worried about. He was worried about the undermining from those opposite, picking on Angus Taylor, picking on the shadow Treasurer.

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

The Prime Minister will refer to members by their correct title.

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

No wonder those opposite, when asked a question on Insiders or on the other Sunday programs, cannot say anything about what their policies are, what the costings are or what their alternative is as they go forward.

Tonight, we will hand down a budget that confirms the fact that inflation is going down. We inherited an inflation rate that had a six in front of it, and it was going up. It's now at 2.4, and it's going down. We inherited low wages, being a key feature of their economic architecture, and now wages have gone up five quarters in a row. We inherited legislated tax cuts that were aimed at all of us in this room, not the people we represent, and we changed it so every Australian got a tax payout. Those opposite said, 'We should go to an election,' last year as a result. What we have done—and you'll see more tonight—is provide cost-of-living relief, because we understand that Australians have been under pressure from global inflation. So that is why we have provided a range of cost-of-living measures, all of which have been opposed by those opposite.

We, of course, have had two rounds—and then we announced on Sunday that in the budget tonight there will be a third round—of energy relief. It's all opposed by those opposite, and they have the hide to talk about gas reservation from time to time. Well, part of the cap on gas and coal was about reservation—was about making sure that the manufacturing sector could have access to that gas. But they've just discovered it as well.

They opposed the cheaper medicines policy that we've put in place. They opposed every other measure, including cheaper child care. They opposed free TAFE and said, 'People don't value it because it's free.' Every single measure that has been put forward, they have opposed. They don't know what they're for; they only know what they're against. And what they have are secret cuts that they want to implement after the election. (Time expired)