Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Real wages rose under the previous coalition government except for the fact that something happened during that period, Senator Ayres—this thing called a global pandemic. Real wages rose.

I will table the document. I don't have it with me right now, Senator Ayres, but I'll make sure I get a copy sent to your office.

The other one that is really important to talk about because the myth is told in this place again and again by those opposite—they constantly attack us for not supporting their gas plan. We voted against it. Yes, I'm proud. I say it every day: I'm very happy to be on the record as having voted against your gas and energy price plan because it was a terrible plan. It was a terrible plan that deterred investment in the Australian economy. It would have done almost nothing in terms of power prices in the short term. And it would have forced up power prices in the long term by reducing investment in the production of supply.

The only way of putting long-term downward pressure on gas prices is to see new generation enter the marketplace. Instead of doing that, you have deterred foreign investment into the gas market. You've caused one of our largest trading partners, our most significant geopolitical ally, Japan, to look to other nations for their gas supply because they do not trust us any more. They have said this publicly. They no longer trust Australia to be a regular supplier of their gas needs, even though they and their corporations have invested billions of dollars over decades, particularly into my home state of Western Australia. Your gas and energy policy is built on the back of the $275 power cut promise, which just disappeared. It didn't see the light of day after you were elected. That was a number that you could not speak its name: $275 could not come out of the mouth of any minister in this place for months and months.

As I say, it's Thursday afternoon, so I'm not going to go to all of these broken promises. But, in the words of Senator Sterle, it would just be nice if the Labor government started to tell the truth.