Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today.

I rise to take note of answers given by government ministers to questions asked by all coalition senators in question time today. In framing my remarks on this debate this afternoon, I will touch on each of the issues raised in the questions that were asked, and they are important issues. I'd like to start with the one that I am hearing about consistently from my own constituents back in Tasmania, and that is the cost of living. We know that cost-of-living pressures are still having a profound impact on household budgets as Australian families continue to grapple with the high cost of everyday goods and services. This is what my constituents have been speaking to me about consistently over the last 18 months or so. We know that Australians are still feeling the pressure every time they pass through the supermarket check-out or fill up at the local petrol station. Coupled with rising mortgage rates and increasing power prices, this means Australian families have been forced to make tough decisions when it comes to the household budget, with many making immense sacrifices in an attempt to weather the financial storm.

Throughout the election campaign, Labor told Australians that the cost of living would go down under them, that they would fix the cost-of-living crisis. They said that, if they were elected, Australians could expect to see power bills go down by $275. They didn't just make these promises a couple of times off the cuff during an election campaign; they made them time and time again over several weeks. It's amazing how quickly this government's tone has changed since they won the election and took office. The Prime Minister and this government have failed to deliver any meaningful relief for Australian households and families since the last election, and I think they know it.

Over the last 16 months, the Prime Minister has blatantly ignored the difficult cost-of-living pressures facing Australian families and has chosen instead to focus his attention and his government's attention on the divisive Voice referendum. It was plain for everyone to see that the Prime Minister enjoyed the opportunity to mix with high-profile CEOs from big corporates and take photos alongside various celebrities to push his Voice referendum. Just to add insult to injury, this government spent 400 million taxpayer dollars on the divisive and unnecessary referendum that was held this past weekend.

Make no mistake: all Australians want to see Indigenous disadvantage addressed. I don't think there's any question about that. But Labor's divisive Voice was not the solution to that problem. Instead, the Voice referendum became a distraction for the government from the core issues affecting Australian families, like the cost of living. Quite frankly, with the referendum now completed and just a few more votes left to count—and the result is known—the government need to get on with it and actually deliver on what they promised Australians. As I said, under Labor the cost of living has gone up, when they said that it would go down. They have failed to address the cost-of-living crisis facing Australians and have broken their promise to Australians that addressing the cost of living would be their priority.

They still don't want to take responsibility for their failure. We heard about it in question time today. They've complained about the challenges of the economy and blamed the war in Ukraine instead of working on tangible solutions to actually alleviate cost-of-living pressures being felt by Australians. As I said in my initial remarks, this is the No. 1 issue affecting Australians. It is the No. 1 issue being raised with me by my fellow Tasmanians. Fuel prices continue to climb. People are spending more and receiving less when they pass through the supermarket check-outs. Insurance premiums are going up. Australians are paying more on their mortgage repayments. They are facing extremely difficult economic circumstances and, frankly, I think many feel abandoned by this government, because it was this government that promised to reduce the cost of living for Australians. This government has broken that promise to Australians. Quite frankly, Australians deserve more from their federal government.