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 imagine what it could have been like if we didn't have a government that was serious about tackling inflation and, at the same time, ensuring that it was providing the services and investments that our community needs. That's why the tax cuts for every taxpayer were important. It's why our jobs growth has been such an important part—more people in work, earning good money. That's why we pushed so hard for improvements in wages growth, particularly in aged care and child care, those highly feminised industries which have been underpaid for too long. We are addressing that.

Based on what those opposite have told us, we would have had lower pensions; pensioners would have had to pay. We would have definitely had higher power prices, and we know that because they didn't support energy bill relief. We would have had people paying higher taxes. In particular, those on middle and lower incomes would have been paying higher taxes, and there would have been lower wages. So it's those three things together: higher power prices, lower wages and higher taxes. (Time expired)