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

I also rise to speak on the Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) Bill 2023. Senator Duniam has proposed a very straightforward bill to improve the accessibility and transparency of electricity prices and electricity type. I think it's important that we have a discussion about the why, the what and the how of Senator Duniam's proposed bill, looking into the context of where Australia is at the moment.

Australia and my home state of Queensland are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. The No. 1 issue in Queensland, whether it's in Cairns, or it's in Chinchilla, or it's in Burketown or on Bribie Island, is cost of living. What we need as a parliament, and what Canberra needs, is for the Labor Party in power, who are very good at talking about voices, to grow some ears and listen to the people who are crying out with their voices about the cost-of-living crisis. I'm unsure what planet Labor Party politicians are on, but it's certainly not planet Earth, because the Labor Party's No. 1 priority for the next three or four months, maybe six months—no-one knows because of a lack of transparency—is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a referendum that is risky, that is unknown, that will be permanent and divisive.