Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to respond to the assertions of my fellow Tasmanian senator from the other side, because we as a government have acknowledged and do acknowledge that people are doing it tough. There is a cost-of-living crisis that is affecting the mums and dads around this country. But we have set out to do all that we can to relieve the pressure of inflation. We know, of course, that interest rates are governed by the Reserve Bank of Australia, which is an independent body, as those on that side very well know. We do understand that families are paying more for things that we need in our homes. But we also acknowledge that what's happening internationally—the war in Ukraine and what's happening in the Middle East—is putting pressure on global supplies of oil and other commodities, which is increasing prices.

It's one thing to come in and criticise the government. It's something very different when you have the opportunity to support measures that are actually going to give real cost-of-living relief to Australians out there. Those opposite have voted against most of the $23 billion that we've invested over the last two budgets to bring relief to the Australian people. They have not supported the electricity bill relief that we put through this chamber, so now they get up and want to talk about a commitment and about the $275. They are very quick to talk about that, but they are not quick to acknowledge the fact that they voted against electricity bill relief. They also voted against cheaper child care.

We have increased rental assistance. We've lowered the price of medicines. And what did they do? They voted against it. We have taken that next step which their government in 2018 had the opportunity to take: to introduce 60-day scripts. They folded to the pharmaceutical lobbyists, because they didn't have what it took to make that change. We have done that, and what does that do? That brings down the cost of medicine even further for those people. It also relieves the pressure on our GPs because you don't have to go to your GP as often to get your script filled.

What have they done when it comes to ensuring that we are building more affordable homes and social housing in this country with the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund? What did they do with that legislation when it came into this place and the other chamber? They voted against it. These are real cost-of-living measures that benefit Australian families, and what did they do? They voted against them. They talk about wages, when it was those people, in government, who said they had a policy to keep wages low. That's what they did. That was their policy when they were in government, but now they say: 'Oh, no! Wages have gone down. What about your union mates?' Do you think that people listening to this buy any of that? No, they don't, because they know that it's in your DNA to attack unions. It's in your DNA not to give a damn about Australians doing it tough and needing social and affordable housing. That's what they know.

When you wanted to bring in measures to save money, you introduced robodebt. That's what you did. You threatened vulnerable Australians with jail. That's what you did. You drove people to the nth degree with their mental health, with a system that you oversaw that failed. Not only that; you were forewarned that what you were doing was illegal. That's what the Liberal-National government is remembered for, and, if you think the Australian people are going to forget about what you did with robodebt, think again. They know that with an Albanese Labor government they get a government that actually relates to them, cares about what's happening to them and understands the cost-of-living pressures that they're under now, and we're taking $23 billion worth of action.