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

We are very aware of how hard Australians are finding meeting the cost of living; of course we understand that. We are out there in the community. We understand how hard this is for so many people. But you actually do something about that by putting in place policies which seek to increase wages, by delivering more tax cuts to more Australians, by delivering energy price relief, by delivering cheaper medicines and by delivering cheaper child care. None of these are things you would do. So you come in here and cry crocodile tears about the cost of living. You say how dreadful the cost of living is, but your policies would be to oppose the measures we are putting in place to assist people and to cut government spending and cut increases to wages and pensions. (Time expired)