Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for that question and for the opportunity to update the Senate about the measures the government is taking to ensure that we're providing as much cost-of-living relief as we can, whilst also tackling the inflation challenge in the economy.

In the budget we had tax cuts for every taxpayer, not just some. We had energy bill relief for households and small businesses, which will start rolling out now. We're backing a third consecutive pay rise for Australia's 2.6 million low-paid workers, those that rely on the minimum wage. We've invested more into Medicare and into cheaper medicines, making it cheaper for people to buy those medicines, particularly people on long-term medications. We're waiving $3 billion in university debt for more than three million Australians; increasing rent assistance for nearly one million households; legislating, importantly—and this is something that many on this side of the chamber have lobbied for—for super to be paid on paid parental leave so that workers, predominantly women, when they take the PPL, are not penalised further for time out of the paid workforce; extending the deeming rate freeze for 876,000 income support recipients; and getting a fairer deal for consumers at the supermarket checkout.

The numbers also show that we are managing the economy better than the coalition ever did. We have delivered back-to-back surpluses. Gross debt will peak 9.7 percentage points lower than what the opposition forecast. Because we worked hard to reduce that debt, Australians will pay $80 billion less in interest costs. We've slashed the coalition's spending growth. Inflation remains a challenge, but it is less than half its peak and is much lower than the 6.1 per cent rate we inherited at the election. Wage growth is almost double, and Australians now have a government that supports wage growth through the Fair Work Commission processes. And we've created nearly 930,000 jobs since the election. (Time expired)