Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Can the minister update the Senate on how the government's budget will fix legacy issues Labor inherited from the Liberals and Nationals, and address cost-of-living pressures?

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

The Albanese government is committed to a stronger economy and a fairer society, and the budget will reflect that. We on this side have been working hard to clean up the mess left by the Liberals and Nationals. They failed to manage the budget and they drove up debt. Tonight's budget will be a budget in the best Labor tradition: a budget focused on delivering cost-of-living relief now, including a $14.6 billion package of targeted relief for household energy bills, cheaper medicines, expanded access to the parenting payment, and more. Obviously, much more will be revealed tonight, but I can say that this budget will be delivered in the most responsible way so that it will not drive up inflation.

We've also worked to ensure that this budget invests in the future growth of our economy, with cleaner and cheaper energy at the core of that strategy, in sharp contrast to what those opposite delivered. Our budget is built on a foundation of responsible economic management—a stark contrast to those opposite. Tonight's budget will include billions of dollars cleaning up the mess left to us by the Liberals and the Nationals. Unlike those opposite, Labor is not prepared to leave vital government functions unfunded, including biosecurity, disaster management, management of radioactive waste, digital health and online safety. Unlike those opposite, we're not happy to leave national collecting institutions to crumble or ignore the Liberals' chronic underinvestment in our national parks or flood-warning infrastructure. We had to address the previous government's failure to provision a single dollar for the Olympic and Paralympic Games—not a single dollar. I'm hoping the Queenslanders might cheer a government that's backing in Queensland when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympic Games. We are building on the $4.1 billion in the October budget we had to spend to resolve legacy— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Stewart, a first supplementary?

Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could Minister Wong please explain how the government is working to provide targeted, responsible cost-of-living relief without adding to inflation?

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

I thank Senator Stewart for her supplementary question. I would say this: this senator and all senators are very focused on cost-of-living relief for Australians in a way that is responsible and effective. Our priority is to provide cost-of-living relief without adding inflationary pressure to the economy, so we will include $14.6 billion in tonight's budget in responsible, targeted cost-of-living relief. It builds on—those opposite might remember this—an increase to award wages for aged-care workers, improvements to paid parental leave, and cheaper child care. But, as the Treasurer has flagged, it will forecast a surplus for this year, a deliberate result of the Albanese government's responsible bottom line. Unlike those opposite, we will deal with this responsibly. We won't be wandering around like those opposite did, with the 'Back in Black' mugs. We will deal with this budget responsibly. (Time expired)

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Wong, please resume your seat. Senator Stewart, a further supplementary?

Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister provide further detail on Labor's continued responsible approach to budgeting, in contrast to the decade of waste and irresponsible spending from the Liberals and Nationals?

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

I would make this point, because those opposite seem to live in some sort of fantasy land where they think they were responsible. Those opposite doubled the debt before the pandemic. Those opposite left Australians with a trillion dollars in debt and nothing to show for it. We on this side—this government—will make decisions to reduce the debt.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

They don't like it, do they? You don't like it. It's very upsetting to know you're fiscally irresponsible.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, please resume your seat. Order! I'm waiting for silence before I call the minister again. Senator Wong.

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

Those opposite doubled the debt before the pandemic. They left us with a trillion dollars in debt and nothing to show for it. What we will see in tonight's budget is $17.8 billion in spending reprioritised, building on the $22 billion in savings and reprioritisation we identified in the October budget. Guess what their savings were in their last budget. Zero. One of the things driving the improvement to revenue is improvement in wages and we all know those opposite are for a low-wage economy. (Time expired)

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Wong. Minister, is it accurate that most working Australian families will receive no energy bill relief in this budget, but will still be hit with the costs of higher inflation and an increased tax bill caused by bracket creep?

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

I thank the senator for her question, and I would make this point. Obviously, details of the energy price relief plan, which required bilateral discussions with all states and territories, will be demonstrated in some detail in tonight's budget. It does seem strange—just like it did with the housing question—that we get a question from a coalition senator about energy price relief after they voted against it. You voted against it! You voted against the plan that you're now asking questions about.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because you weren't going to deliver.

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

It's because our policies weren't going to deliver, he says. It's interesting, isn't it? They come in here and they say, 'We're for energy price relief—sort of—but we're going to vote against it, and actually, we've got nothing else on the table to deliver.' There's only one party here, one party of government, that is absolutely clear about the responsibility and opportunity of government to deliver price relief to Australian families. We know that energy prices have risen less than they would have if you had been government. Those opposite irresponsibly voted against price relief for Australian families and we will ensure, between now and the next election, that every time you raise energy prices we will remind everybody who is listening that you voted against it. All of you voted against it, and really, you should go out to the Australian people—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

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

and you should apologise for your refusal to give some price relief to families who are struggling with higher prices. As always, those opposite are still too focused on the ideology, not on practical outcomes, and their only response to energy price increases was to try and hide them before the last election.

Opposition s enators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left! When you ask a question and the minister responds, I expect there to be order. I shouldn't have to call 'Order' three or four times to get order. I'm asking you to respect the Senate. Senator Hughes, a first supplementary question.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how many of these same families who are ineligible for Labor's energy bill relief will pay more income tax in 2022-23 as a result of bracket creep and the low- and middle-income tax offset coming to an end?

Honourable senat ors interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right! Order on both sides.

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

I'm a little confused. I have obviously been focused on Sudan and other issues. Is the senator asking a question about a tax offset that they ended?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think she is.

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

Yes, I think so. From my recollection, the ending of the LMITO was in fact flagged by your government. If you're now going to fund that, I look forward to a budget reply which tells Australians how you will fund that. Senator Hughes, you are asking a question about a policy. If your policy position is to fund that, I look forward to Mr Dutton outlining his plan to fund that, and which government services—which parts of Medicare—he's not going to deliver in order to fund that. We are very focused, in this budget, on ensuring we provide responsible cost-of-living assistance to Australians. Obviously, there is always more that you would do if you could. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hughes, a second supplementary question.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the Albanese government continues to promise energy bill relief for Australians, but, as this latest revelation proves, it rarely delivers and most miss out. Isn't it true that the millions of Australians ineligible for this current package also have no hope of ever seeing Labor's promised $275 cut to their bills?

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

Senator Hughes, in my state of South Australia, under your refusal to act on energy policy, South Australians would have been paying $530 more. I realise you're not a South Australian senator, but I did see that figure and I thought, 'There you go—that's the actual cost to South Australian families of the opposition of the opposition.' It is the 'no' of the 'no-alition', who, extraordinarily, came in here and voted against price relief for Australians at a time when we knew—because of 10 years of your policies and because of what is happening with Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine—that energy prices were going up. But you voted against it. South Australians would have been $530 worse off if you had succeeded.