Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

This is a damp and soggy government. It is a government that is completely without the trust of the Australian people. It was Francis Bacon who said: ‘Trust not servants who mislead or misinform you.’ That is why the Australian people cannot trust the Rudd government. As was the case with all of us here, Mr Rudd was elected with the faith of the Australian people as a servant of the Australian people. He promised that a central focus for him in government would be examining ways of reducing financial pressures on Australian families in relation to the rising costs of groceries, petrol and child care. Well, he has failed. Groceries have risen by 25 per cent or more in some cases thanks to Mr Rudd. Bread has gone from $3.07 a loaf in December last year to $3.89 today at Coles in Welland. We have seen cheese up 25 per cent to $6.88 for 500 grams. Basic mince meat—the staple of so many Australian families—has gone up nearly 10 per cent in that six-month period. Mr Rudd and his band of merry men and women are simply watching prices rise, watching prices cripple Australian families.

In relation to oil and petrol, Mr Rudd made a promise to the Australian people, who entrusted him to reduce the price at the bowser. What have we seen? The price of fuel at the pump was $1.37 when Mr Rudd came to power and today in metropolitan South Australia it is $1.71. It is crippling Australian families. And when Mr Rudd sends one of his ministers over to apply the blowtorch, what happens? He cannot even get a spark. He squibbed it at the very first turn. But, of course, Mr Ferguson does not see it like that. He says:

But when you go to the issue of increasing production, it also goes to questions of demand ...

Well, that is an enlightened comment! He continues:

We also argued that countries have to look at the issue of subsidies which is propping up demand at the moment, which goes to increasing the supply of oil in the global community.

More tautology from a government interested only in spin, rather than actual substance.

Some unkind people would say that the government are in fact a bubble—a bubble in search of a thought—because the best thing they can do is come up with ways to review, watch and look at prices rise and put them on websites. If you wanted to encapsulate the government’s approach to prices and reducing the pressure on Australian families, you would have to describe them as economic voyeurs—because they like to watch prices rise. They do nothing; they are the voyeurs of the economic system. It is simply: ‘Let’s have another review and another inquiry and then we’ll wash our hands of it and say that we cannot do anything about it.’ They are not reducing the pressure on Australian families; they are increasing it through complete inaction. They make promises to fit in with a news cycle—and they have failed. You have failed with regard to grocery prices and you have all failed with regard to fuel prices, and you know it. You should hang your heads in shame. The Australian people paid heed to your very clear promises—and what have you done? You have done absolutely nothing. You have had seven months of treading water.