Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

DUNIAM (—) (): My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. I refer to data released yesterday by the Commonwealth Bank which shows Australians are now spending 20 per cent or more of their pretax income servicing their mortgage, a figure not seen since the GFC and double what they were paying in the late 1990s. Commonwealth Bank Chief Executive Matt Comyn stated:

We expect to see further increases in arrears in the months ahead, given continued pressure on real household disposable incomes.

With unemployment today spiking to 4.2 per cent, how are Australians who are facing joblessness, persistent inflation and ongoing rate pain supposed to get by?