Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of all answers given to coalition questions by government ministers today.

I move this motion with some reluctance, because I don't think that we could, with any level of satisfaction, say that any question was answered today. The government clearly has no respect for the process of question time and has no respect for the entreaties of the President of the chamber, who repeatedly brought Minister Farrell back to the question—entreaties that were continuously ignored by Minister Farrell. It's a real tragedy that questions being asked quite genuinely by members of the opposition around the cost of living and the government's promises to reduce power prices by $275—a number that Minister Farrell refuses to utter—were ignored by the Acting Leader of the Government in the Senate.

It appears that the only thing that we have learnt is that Labor's promises are effectively 100 per cent renegable. We hear a lot about 100 per cent renewable, but the Labor Party's promises are clearly 100 per cent renegable. They're not interested in the fact that they promised Australians a reduction in power prices by $275. They're not interested in the fact that they promised Australians cheaper mortgages. They're not interested in the fact that they promised no changes to superannuation. They're not interested in their promise that Australians would see lower inflation. They're not interested in any of their problems. The concern that Senator Farrell continues to express isn't going to pay high power bills, it isn't going to pay higher mortgage costs and it isn't going to cover the costs of additional inflation.

This government went to the election promising the Australian people that it had a plan to deal with the Australian economy. Yet all we see during question time is this government trying to deflect the problems to somebody else. They don't have the courage to stand up in here and take the responsibility for the decisions that they've made. Only a Labor government could spend $1.5 billion to see power prices go up. Only a Labor government could do that. We know, because we remember that it took the coalition six years to get the budget back to an even keel after the last time Labor were in government. It took the coalition six years to do that.

Labor have started in exactly the same way that they've left off. The Parliamentary Budget Office told us in the lead up to the election, and it's been proven since, they are spending more money—so higher spending, higher deficits—than the coalition. They started the same way they left off last time. Why would we expect any different? During the time we were in government they wanted to spend $300 for every Australian to get them vaccinated—$6 billion extra that didn't need to be spent because Australians lined up to be vaccinated.

We're seeing the same chaos, but worse, we're seeing a complete disrespect for the Australian people and a complete disrespect for the promises they made to them just 10 months ago. All of those commitments, like: 'We have a plan to manage the Australian economy.' Where's any sign of that plan? They promised a reduction in energy bills of $275. The only thing Australians are seeing is power prices going up, and no sign of anything else. They promised that they had a plan to deal with inflation. Where's the evidence of the plan in the context of that, because inflation is at recent high levels of over seven per cent?

They pay no respect to the process in this place, because we did not, effectively, get a single answer to a single question today. The minister did nothing but try and palm off responsibility, not answer the question and deflect responsibility to somebody else, but has not been prepared to stand up and have the courage, as a government should, to take responsibility for the issues that are facing the Australian people. But, much worse, they continue to break their promises to the Australian people.