Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Acting Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for the question. The Albanese government—and Senator Farrell reflected this in his remarks yesterday—place cost of living and easing the cost-of-living pressures on Australians as a top priority, and everything we have done since being elected has met that challenge. I also note that my colleague whom I am privileged enough to share the bench with here on the government side is the most courteous and decent person in this Senate, and his remarks reflect that part of his character.

On the cost-of-living question, again: the raw and blatant audacity of the people who were in power prior to 21 May, when the Australian people elected us, to come in here, after creating some of those cost-of-living pressures through your own policy inaction and your division and the lack of focus that you had on the Australian people, and start pointing the finger at us, when we have been elected to deal with the cost-of-living crisis that you lot created. Everything we have done on every day we have turned up to work since that election has been to deal with this most serious challenge. We understand that cost-of-living pressures are hitting Australian people hard; we understand that, which is why it is so important to implement our policies—more important than ever.

We understand that people who are on payments are doing it hard. They will receive, in the budget, the biggest indexation we have seen in recent times. We have already committed that we will assess, when the budget provides, as we deal with the— (Time expired)