Linda White (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The government understands that the rising cost of living is hitting a lot of Australians hard. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer know that it's not easy. The government knows that it isn't easy. I know that it isn't easy. The Australian people understand that we didn't create these challenges. Australians elected us to take responsibility for addressing these challenges, and we are. After 10 years of failed energy policies, 10 years of Liberal Party debt and 10 years of wages either being stagnate or going backwards, Australians had had enough. Now we are embarking on the long road of trying to right the ship after the Liberals-Nationals government trashed our country for the best part of a decade.

We've heard a lot about electricity prices recently from the opposition. I want to talk about energy prices too, and put on the record what is really going on. Last year, the Albanese government legislated to cap wholesale energy prices on coal and gas. We did that, in large part, because we had to deal with a wasted decade of failed energy policies from the coalition, and we did it, in part, to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has put enormous pressure on global energy markets. We recalled the parliament before Christmas to deal with this situation. The government took it seriously and acted. We legislated the Energy Price Relief Plan and now, just three months later, we're already hearing from the Australian Energy Regulator that had we not acted when we did then energy prices would be 40 to 50 per cent more expensive than they are now. Without that government intervention, Australian families would have paid an extra $530 for energy; without that government intervention, Australian businesses would have paid an extra $1,243 per year for energy. That is what real action to address the cost of living is about—that is what it's about for Australians.

But when given the chance to support cheaper power prices, the coalition said no. When asked if they would support Australian households and businesses by stabilising the energy market, the Liberal and National parties said no. The 'no-alition' voted against cheaper energy prices and voted against support for Australians feeling the sting of inflation. If the coalition had been in charge, Australians would now be paying hundreds of dollars more for electricity than they currently are.

What makes it worse is that it was their 22 failed energy policies over a decade of inaction that put us in this mess. When we came to government, there was no plan from the coalition to deal with what was coming down the pipeline—no plan to deal with higher domestic wholesale energy prices and no plan to shore up and stabilise our domestic energy market, even though the war in Ukraine had been raging for months when they were in government. Now it's up to us to fix the mess, and that's what the Albanese government is doing. This is more than just stabilising power prices; we're taking action both to fix the budget and to provide Australians with targeted cost-of-living relief. Our budget focused on responsible cost-of-living relief that didn't put extra pressure on inflation—that's the most important thing.

We're also doing things like cheaper child care; expanding paid parental leave; cheaper medicines; more affordable housing; and getting wages moving again. Getting wages moving, in particular, is important in the face of the inflation challenge. The 'secure jobs, better pay' bill that the government legislated last year is already doing that. Employers and employees are sitting back down at the bargaining table in good faith and reviewing their arrangements. Zombie agreements that were way out of date and unfair are gone. That's a very good thing, because there were many more out there than we first thought. We also gave the Fair Work Commission the ability to facilitate industry-wide and collective low-paid bargaining. This is for the lowest-paid workers in society, giving those who need the most help an opportunity to get a pay rise.

It really is a bit rich for the coalition to raise what we're doing to address the cost of living and to respond to inflation. Their track record is one of saying no and distorting the truth about their 10 years in government. The Labor government is working every day to make Australia a more productive and fair place to live. We're working hard to solve problems and are being honest with Australians. Australians recognise that the Albanese government has a plan, in contrast with the coalition. That's why, when it comes to the coalition, as Taylor Swift would say, 'You've got to shake it off'. At the last election, Australians did just that.