James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by Minister Farrell to the questions without notice asked by Senator Cadell today on the cost of living.

Senator Cadell is my good friend from New South Wales. What is interesting is the gap in reality between the government benches and what is happening out in the real world. There is a massive gap in reality when you have a prime minister who says, 'It has been a good 10-month period because what we have been doing is going through and fulfilling the commitments that we made in the election.' Well, first of all, they've been busy breaking their promises, and, second of all, they do not understand the cost-of-living crisis that is impacting upon all Australians.

In particular, my colleague Senator Cadell asked about the price of electricity and what is happening to the government's commitment to cut people's power bills not by a dollar, not by a thousand dollars but by $275. Before the last election Prime Minister Albanese and the Labor Party promised 97 times that they would cut your power bills. So, to the good people listening at home, the Labor Party promised you they would cut your power bills by $275. They didn't do it once. It wasn't just a brain burp, like when sometimes politicians misspeak. It happened 97 times. When they get into power it's a bit like Homer Simpson wandering through the staffroom at Mr Burns's nuclear reactor going, 'It wasn't me, boss.' They have no idea of how to use the levers of the economy to help the Australian people. What is happening under this government is that power prices are actually going up. They're not going to go down by $275; they're actually going to go up by more than that, thanks to Labor, who are very good at talking. There are some fine words that come from the Labor side. But, when you look at the words and you study them, you realise they're very good at making promises, but they're particularly poor at delivering on those promises. But they are brilliant—they are gold medallists—at breaking promises. I'm going to go through some of the promises that the Labor government said they would deliver.

Now, this is going to hurt people, because I know most Australians think politicians don't break promises. They think politicians are honest, altruistic people. Guess what? On this side of the chamber, we are. We are honest and altruistic. We believe in what is good for Australia. But, sadly, Deputy President—and I know you've warned me before about saying rude things, so I won't; I'm on my best behaviour at the moment, and I disappoint my fans who are listening, those who send the nice emails in the capital letters—the Labor Party are very, very good at breaking promises. First of all they said they would cut your power bills by $275. Well, broken. They promised that 97 times. Guess what? They've broken it 97 times. They said there'd be cheaper mortgages. Guess what? Since Labor have been in power, mortgages keep going up and up and up. So thanks, Labor, for making my mortgage payments go higher. They said there'd be no changes to super. Well, come in spinner—we've got another broken promise from Labor. They are now going after your money in your super accounts. So, first of all they're putting up your power bills, then they're putting up your mortgages, and heaven help you if you're renting somewhere. Firstly, it's so hard to find a place to rent, and, secondly, rent is going through the roof because of Labor's policies. But then they're going after your retirement savings. And they promised lower inflation.

It is so dispiriting that a modern political party would make such false promises before an election then get into power and skip around this building like fat kids in a lolly shop, stealing all the lollies and then not delivering on their promises, because they've forgotten who sent them here. They think the trade union sent them here. In this place, if you look over at the good people there—well, most of them—it's like a retirement home for union barons. This is what it is. The UK have got the House of Lords. Here we've got the 'house of union barons'. They serve two terms as the secretary of the 'paperclip union of South Australia' and suddenly they get elevated to the Senate. It's almost like their super or their pension policy: 'You've done 10 years working for this union, and now for your retirement package. Here we go—go and be a senator for 12 years.'

Another promise was that they wouldn't touch your franking credits. Guess what? They're coming after those, because you can never trust a fat kid in a lolly shop, like you can never trust the Labor Party when it comes to keeping their promises.