Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Once again, we had questions about the budget and spending and money, which is pretty amazing, when those opposite oversaw a decade of waste and wasted opportunities. They doubled the debt before the pandemic and went on to rack up $1 trillion of debt, with nothing to show for it. They failed to do anything to address skills shortages and the cost-of-living crisis. They abandoned universities during the pandemic, leading to the loss of 40,000 jobs. They didn't bother investing in TAFE and training, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of traineeships and apprenticeships. Yet they come in here and try to criticise us because we're trying to improve the lot of the Australian people.

They failed to deliver genuine action on things like climate change and even engaged in outright climate change denial. They paid $19.7 billion in JobKeeper payments to companies with rising revenues. They gave away $3.4 billion for submarines that were never built. They failed to get wage growth moving and even admitted their policy settings were deliberately designed to keep wages low. I so remember the day when the former senator Mathias Cormann made that comment in which he said that it was a function of their policy to keep wages low.

On this side, we've delivered a surplus—the first in 15 years—which shows that the Albanese government has and is undertaking responsible economic management. Our approach has helped lower gross debt by $87.2 billion dollars. We've delivered this surplus while, at the same time, providing billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief in those really important areas to Australians doing it tough—those areas of cheaper medicines, child care and energy bills. We remain focused on dealing with the challenges Australians are facing while, at the same time, building a stronger, more productive and more resilient economy. This includes getting wages moving. As I said, the other side wanted to keep wages low. We didn't print the coffee mugs that said 'back in black'; they did. Not only did they print the mugs; but I remember seeing them in here. People brought them in here, as though it was truth.

We've removed the waste from the budget and we've delivered on really important issues like super on paid parental leave. On this side, we believe these things are important. They're not only a net investment in the economy; they make people feel as though the work they're doing is actually valued. Of course, we increased and brought in super on paid parental leave, and where we did, most of the time it affected women the most. Some of those opposite have actually called that a welfare measure. I just find that a bit rude and belittling. It's not a welfare measure; it's part of being able to improve the gap in gender equality concerns.

We govern for all of Australia. Everybody knows that May is budget time. We're coming up to the budget soon, so our side are there once again, fixing up issues that the other side caused when they were in government. We're fixing up termination measures and the hidden black holes that we inherited from those opposite. We will repair the debt burden from their time in government—it was a large debt burden—and we will make the important spending priorities to alleviate the cost pressures on Australians in those important areas of child care, energy bills, super on paid parental leave and cheaper medicines. Those are the things that matter, not the decade where the opposition just wasted any approach they had.

Of course, now we've got them in opposition. I know it's called 'opposition' for a reason, but that doesn't mean that they have to oppose every single thing we bring in here. We know they don't have too many policies on that side. We know it's a problem— (Time expired)