Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no question Australians are going backwards under the Albanese Labor government due to their homegrown cost-of-living crisis, and that is the sad reality. Those opposite just tried to say: 'Don't you worry about those cherry-picked figures. They're not really relevant.' Well, those cherry-picked figures are from the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Australian Treasury and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. They are the facts; they're not just something that has been pulled from the back of the garden somewhere. What do those facts actually tell us? They tell us that, since those opposite came into government, prices have increased by more than 10 per cent for food, housing, rent, electricity, gas, health, education and insurances. Sadly, that is not the least of it, and, if that is not bad enough, at the same time, the cost of living has increased. Real wages, under this government, have gone backwards by 7.8 per cent, meaning Australian purchasing power, our family budgets, are under double pressure. Yet, sadly, there is no light at the end of this dismal Labor tunnel for Western Australia, which I represent, and for householders who are struggling to pay for the basics.

Core inflation, driven by Labor's bad policies—not something that's just somehow happened on its own—is stubbornly high, with the latest quarterly core inflation data coming in at 3.9 per cent. Our inflation is now higher than any other advanced economy. It's not just something, as those opposite tried to say, that is happening in the rest of the world. It is not. It is happening here in a way that it is not happening in any other advanced economy. In fact, since December this year, Australia is the only G10 nation where core inflation is actually accelerating, so let there be none of this nonsense that this is just something from somewhere else.

The Reserve Bank told the cost-of-living committee this week that, without the government reducing their radical spending, they cannot consider cutting rates; in fact, they might still have to increase interest rates, which would be a catastrophe for Australian mortgage holders. The RBA still does have its foot on the economic brakes, but the ALP government, sadly, still have their foot firmly put on the accelerator. We've seen this with their last three failed budgets, spending an additional—wait for this—$315 billion at a time when economic restraint is needed. Hardworking Australians, including Western Australians, have endured 12 interest rate hikes and the prospect of any mortgage release is looking less likely every day Labor remains in government. If you remember, it was only 2½ years ago that Labor promised everybody's life would be easier and cheaper under their leadership, but, despite all of their prolific spending, life is getting worse by the day for average Australians.

What's of most concern or maybe of equal concern to other Australians is that, while they are suffering under a cost-of-living crisis in every aspect of their family budget, the Prime Minister and Labor have not been focusing on that. They've been focusing on spending half a billion dollars on the failed Voice referendum, putting all their eggs in one basket with their renewable-only policy and attacking our WA sheep industry. Just this week, we've seen the effects of their most recent IR changes, where unions are holding our own states' and, in this case now, Western Australian businesses to ransom.

The unions are now running riot again at BHP mining sites. Labour have allowed them to begin bargaining agreements without the majority support of workers on WA mines. Labor have allowed the unions to run riot over our mines without the support of the majority of workers, which is taking us back to the dark old days that I had hoped and that I know every single Western Australia worker had hoped would never ever return. Industry stakeholders have raised their deep concerns, raising the alarm about the significant negative impacts it will have on our critical WA mining industry, which keeps the rest of the nation in jobs, in schools, helps with health support and all the other services we require. It is time to get rid of this government and to bring governments and good governance back.