Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are proud of the work that we are doing to push inflation down, to get the economy moving and to help Australians in what we know are tough times. Those opposite should remember that we inherited from them inflation with a six in front of it. It now has a three in front of it. We also inherited from them the slowest wage growth on record. We are getting wages moving in this country again, particularly for our lowest-paid Australian workers.

On the one hand, we inherited from those opposite budget deficits as far as the eye could see, from a coalition government that, despite those deficits, still failed to invest in the services that Australians actually want and need. On the other hand, our government has delivered two surpluses and we have delivered those surpluses while continuing to provide the support that Australians need and that Australians rely on, including tax cuts for every single Australian taxpayer and energy bill relief for households and businesses too.

Despite the words in the motion, this is a fact that is actually acknowledged by the Reserve Bank governor, who is invoked by those opposite. The RBA governor said:

My job and the Reserve Bank's job is to get inflation down. The governments have a different job. Their job is also to get inflation down, and they acknowledge that, but it's also to provide services and infrastructure for the Australian people.

She further said, 'My personal view is that they are doing what they can do.'

So if those opposite are coming in here today to tell the Australian people that they are concerned about government spending then they need to also tell the Australian people exactly what it is that they are going to slash if they have the chance at government again. They need to tell the Australian people what it is that they want to cut. Is it the energy bill relief? Is that what it is? Would it be Medicare again, like they slashed on their last watch? What will it be? Will they go after the wages of the Australian people again? Because we know that under those opposite low wages were a deliberate design feature of the economy. We don't do things that way. We know that Australia's lowest-paid workers right now are receiving their third wage increase backed by and supported by our government, wage increases that those opposite just don't want to see. They want to see low wages as a deliberate design feature of the economy. Early childhood educators will receive a 15 per cent pay rise under our government, off the back of the 15 per cent already delivered to aged-care workers. Wages are moving again in this country. Our responsible budget management is paying dividends. We are returning revenue to the bottom line. We've delivered back-to-back surpluses for the first time in almost two decades, surpluses that we know have been acknowledged by the RBA governor herself, again invoked in your motion, as putting downward pressure on inflation. Those opposite couldn't even deliver one surplus. We've delivered those surpluses all while delivering at the same time cost-of-living measures that actually help Australians, like those tax cuts for 13.6 million taxpaying Australians—every single taxpayer, not just a few—or like those $300 energy rebates for every Australian household and those $325 rebates for small businesses.

This government, our government, knows that you can tackle inflation and you can deliver the services and the relief that Australians need at the same time. But those opposite just continue with motions like this, with comments that they make, to threaten the measures that actually are there to help all Australians. So, if the opposition want to target government spending, they need to come clean and tell the Australian people what they are proposing to cut should they get the chance. Is it those energy rebates? Is that what it is? Would they cut wages for our essential and undervalued early childhood educators? Is it the wage increases that they can't decide their position on today? Would they close the door of our Medicare urgent care clinics? We know they loved cutting Medicare when they had the chance. So, when it comes to inflation, those opposite have no plan. They have no answers and no problems with cutting the services Australians need. (Time expired)