Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We are very clear about the priority that we are giving to affording cost-of-living relief for Australians. That's because this caucus understands that Australians are doing it tough. If the proposition from those who purport to be the alternative government is that they want to somehow reduce the support that Australians are getting—if they want to roll back tax cuts, if they don't want to proceed with wage increases and if they don't want to proceed with energy bill relief—then they should say that. But they're not prepared to do that, are they? That's because they want to have a dishonest debate where they come in and quote academics at us but have no answer on the issue of cost of living. The only answer you have on cost of living is complaint. That's the only answer they have on cost of living: complaint. What they won't do is come in here and tell people: if they think government spending should be cut, what are they cutting? (Time expired)