Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I listened with a great deal of glee, of course, because we have a very serious issue in this country about the cost of living. Labor have put up a number of suggestions about how we deal with that. One of the questions we were asked was about the new vehicle fuel efficiency standard, which will actually be good not only for the hip pocket but for the environment. Of course, those opposite have finally caught on to the cost-of-living question about this, because the reality is that it will drive down costs and improve the environment.

But, when they start talking about the cost of living, of course they always avoid talking about all the other details of the cost of living, because they have voted against every initiative that this government has put forward to drive down cost-of-living pressures on everyday Australians. When it comes to electricity bill relief, the average family would have been $230 worse off last year without Labor's Energy Price Relief Plan, and, of course, the coalition voted against it because they vote against every initiative, whether it's car fuel efficiency or electricity bill relief.

But don't worry. There's more they vote against when it comes to the cost of living—not only EVs but boosting income support payments, which is increasing support payments by $40 a fortnight, or over $1,040 a year. The coalition voted against that. There's building more affordable homes and the Housing Australia Future Fund, which will build 30,000 social and affordable homes. The coalition voted against this. So this is what happens when it comes to cost of living, whether it's EVs, electricity bill relief, boosting income support payments or building more affordable homes. And there's more. When it's about creating jobs and getting wages moving again, the largest increase to the minimum wage in decades was under Labor. The minimum wage grew by 8.6 per cent, or $1.85 an hour. Based on a 38-hour week, this is a $3,655 yearly raise. And of course the coalition voted against it, because they always vote against cost-of-living relief that helps everyday Australians. They think there's some magical trickle-down thing. No, you actually go out there, go to people, work out what's affecting the community and make a change. The important part of the change that we've made is with regard to cost of living with new vehicle efficiency standards.

The coalition can't look at the cost of living on new vehicles, because they can't see it even in the IR reforms that we did. Criminalising wage theft? They voted against it. Stronger protections for employees subject to family and domestic violence? They voted against that. When it came to closing the labour hire loopholes that Alan Joyce used to illegally sack his workforce and replace them with cheap, disposable labour hire, they voted against that. It goes on and on. What about helping casuals get secure jobs? Whether it's fuel efficiency, IR reforms, electricity bill relief, boosting income support payments, or creating jobs and getting wages moving again, on every occasion they vote against it.

It goes on. They also voted against ensuring truck drivers earn enough money that they don't have to work themselves to death. They voted against that. Not only are they voting against more-fuel-efficient vehicles that many drivers use in their everyday lives; they're voting against more opportunities for people to save money and help the environment. You can do two things at once. But no; when it comes to truck drivers and IR reform, they vote against better vehicles, fuel efficiency, the environment, people's hip pocket and truck drivers earning enough not to have to work themselves to death. When you start looking at that, you also see that many of those workers out there in the transport industry are gig workers. They voted against gig workers getting paid a reasonable enough amount that they don't have to kill themselves getting their work done so they can put food on the table.

Now, I know there are some good people on the other side—and not only are they good people but they actually have some real understanding of these issues. But their party voted against some of the most highly exploited people in the Australian economy, who get paid by piece way below the minimum wage, without workers comp and without safety. By the way, many of you use vehicles or get a benefit and the option to go to electric vehicles. They voted against them as well. Everywhere you look, they vote against everyone. For the people who actually can get the benefits across the Australian economy from these changes that we've made, you keep turning around and driving down.