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

Well, every time those opposite come into this place and they start with the bluff and bluster and blaming everybody else for the problems they have caused, you know we've hit a nerve. Sadly, to Senator Sheldon's point just then, the only government in recent times to take money away from workers has been the Labor Party. It has been under the Labor Party that per capita income has gone down for workers and the cost of living has increased. Under Prime Minister Albanese and Treasurer Chalmers, the living standards of Australians, including millions of families in Western Australia, are going backwards. That's under Labor. For all of their talk about costs and wages, they are the ones who have deliberately implemented inflationary policies that are causing such pain for Australian families. Driven by the Treasurer's economic management over three budgets now, core inflation is stubbornly high at 3.9 per cent. Our inflation is now higher than that of any other advanced country in the world. Despite what those opposite say, it is the result of this government's mismanagement. In fact, since December, we are the only G10 nation where inflation has been increasing. As said by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, who has been scapegoated by those opposite, it is their responsibility.

And what has this resulted in for Western Australians? We've seen major increases in the price of household essentials, such as 10 per cent increases to food, housing, rent, electricity, gas, health, education, insurances and, of course, people's home mortgages. There's more bad news ahead for householders who were desperately hoping for a rate cut for their families before Christmas. Sadly, due to the incompetence of those opposite, that is very unlikely to occur. In fact, the Reserve Bank of Australia has ruled out any interest rate cuts this year. In Labor's three failed budgets, they've spent an additional $315 billion. They haven't been creating more jobs in the private sector. They've been pumping the economy with taxpayer dollars, which mostly go into the public sector. Two-thirds if not three-quarters of the new jobs haven't been created in private industry, which is where real jobs are created to assist with increasing productivity. Their answer to everything is, 'Tax more and spend—' (Time expired)