Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today.

The biggest issue facing Australian families right now is how they pay their bills. It's very, very tough for people right now in this country. They are very much struggling to keep their heads above water. Power prices are going up. Interest rates are going up.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan, I have a point of order.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy President, this is the take-note debate, where we have a debate to take note of questions asked and answered. I don't recall any issues on the cost of living relevant to the question that Senator Canavan asked.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion was to take note of all answers to all questions, as I understand it. Senator Canavan?

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There were questions asked on cost of living today. In particular, Senator Payman asked questions around the government's energy policy, related to cost of living, and I'm getting to that in my contribution.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So we're clear: it's all answers to all questions, no matter where they came from.

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the government seems somewhat ignorant of these pressures, as was evidenced by that intervention, but people are struggling right now. What is worse, the government has no plan to help them—no plan at all. They promised us a year ago, at the election, that they would cut power prices. The now Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, promised 97 times that he would lower our power bills by $275 a year. They said that it would be cheaper under them, that life would be easier under them, and instead things have gotten much harder.

Not all of this is because of government actions, of course. There are global pressures here. There are issues around the Ukraine war. There are issues resulting from supply chain pressures post coronavirus. The problem is that the government's excuses here are wearing incredibly thin and have no more substance to them anymore. For example, the government continues to blame the war in Ukraine for our shocking loss of competitiveness on energy, even though global gas and oil prices are much lower today than they were when Vladimir Putin illegally and barbarically invaded Ukraine. They are much, much lower on a global level today than they were just over a year ago.

The reason our power prices are high in this country is not what is happening in Europe; it is decisions we are taking here in this country. We have abundant energy resources here. We don't need to rely on Russia, Germany, America or any other country for our energy needs. We have abundant energy. But instead the government has sat idly by while the Liddell coal-fired power station shut in New South Wales, a month ago, and others have shut, and we no longer have adequate power to provide ourselves with relief. The month after Liddell coal-fired power station shut, power prices in New South Wales went up by 70 per cent. We just do not have enough power right now. As we heard from the government today, all they can talk about is renewables. We don't have a shortage of renewable power. We've got plenty of solar and wind. In fact, we have been installing solar and wind at a rate that is four times higher per person than they have in North America and Europe, and that was under the former coalition government. There is plenty of that. Senator Wong mentioned, in one of her answers, that we have only installed one gigawatt of power in the last 10 years and we've removed four gigawatts. That doesn't include the renewables. Those figures she mentioned were baseload power. That is the coal-fired power stations and some gas. That's where that deficit has come from. Yes, Senator Wong is right. We are down by three gigawatts of reliable baseload power. But you're not going to be able to fill that gap with unreliable, weather-dependent energy. It doesn't work, and we're clearly showing how it doesn't work by having to pay more and more for power every time a bill arrives.

Australians are also suffering from interest rate pressures. Just since the election last year interest rates have gone up by 400 basis points. For the average mortgage in this country, that means people are paying $15,000 more a year. Again, there are reasons that interest rates have had to go up, to control inflation. I'm not blaming the government for everything there. But right now the fight against inflation is a one-man band. The only person taking any action against inflation right now is the Reserve Bank governor—who helped create this, I must say; he has a bit of the blame for all this. But he at least now is trying to fix it. This government is looking for excuses and doing nothing to help the Reserve Bank governor control inflation and get the cost of living down for Australians.

For example, in the budget they released last month, in May, this government increased government spending through policy decisions at a rate higher than in any budget since Rudd's government stimulus, except for those during COVID; obviously the COVID ones were different, having to respond to a pandemic. But for the last 15 years, in normal times, this was the biggest-spending budget ever. And we currently have an inflation fire going on. Why would you add $21 billion of spending to that inflation fire while people are struggling today? That's what the government did—$21 billion of new government spending decisions taken to add fuel to the fire, making the Reserve Bank governor's job harder. It is no wonder he has lifted interest rates twice again: one in the week before the budget—he knew what was coming—and one just this month as well. He has had to respond to the government's complete lack of control on their own spending. They've got to try and help Australian families here, to drop the excuses and come up with a plan to help people pay their bills.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that those people on the other side keep coming into this chamber trying to rewrite history. This budget that was brought down by Treasurer Jim Chalmers was a budget that actually assisted Australians. When we talk about the governments of the past, in talking about the cost of living, let's not forget the billion dollars that was gutted out of hospitals by the former government. But, as I said, we have those on the other side who come into this chamber regularly rewriting history, and we've seen that all week, with all the questions to Minister Gallagher and to Senator Wong. But to put into context those on that side, and when we're talking about the alleged assault, it is really important to remember some key issues. Ms Higgins was a Liberal staffer in a Liberal minister's office. So, obviously those people on that side of the chamber knew far more about that allegation, the cover-up, the clean-up.

The assertions that have been made this week in this chamber have really surprised me, because the message that is coming out of this federal parliament to Australian women and to Australians generally is that we have huge issues in this place. That alleged assault, the leaking of private text messages, the politicisation of this entire issue, another allegation yesterday that was withdrawn, and another statement today—I just want to remind people that the Australian people out there are worried about the cost of living. They're worried about interest rates. But they want us in this place to talk about issues that affect them directly. And when there's an issue around an allegation of sexual assault, we've got to remember that that impacts on our communities, on other women who have had that experience, and on those we have been trying to encourage to come forward, with confidence that they are going to be supported and that any personal information is not going to be used for political purposes.

To put this in context, the Prime Minister of the day, when that alleged assault happened and it was made public, the calibre of that prime minister was he had to go home and talk to his wife to get an understanding and to put it into perspective—how would you feel if it was one of your daughters? That is why we had to have the Jenkins report, because it is absolutely astonishing that a man who rises to be prime minister of this great country had no concept of that himself. So there is little wonder that those opposite left a young woman, who made a—

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scarr, on a point of order?

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A personal reflection on the member in the lower house, the former Prime Minister—Senator Polley referred to his not having any concept at all with respect to the relevant subject matter. That's necessarily a personal reflection, and Senator Polley should withdraw.

The Deputy:

Senator Scarr, I'm not sure it's entirely a personal reflection. I just warn Senator Polley that in making that commentary, just be careful.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that guidance. If people are offended when I made that comment in relation to the former Prime Minister, it is the comment that was repeated to me in far more plain English at the time of their disappointment that the prime minister of this country had not had the understanding that we would all expect each and every one of this chamber would have understood. This was a serious allegation. This was one of your own. This was one of his own staff. This was a Liberal staff member. Heaven help anyone else who came forward.

The really disappointing thing is there's been another allegation made, and, frankly, I think that is shameful. It is so sad that we have not moved on. Quite frankly, the disrespect in this chamber over recent years is really disappointing. The unfortunate thing is it is reflected on all of us. Absolute disrespect. There is no-one with more humanity and who I have more respect for in terms of her authentic role that she's had in trying to support women than Katy Gallagher.

Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We spend a lot of time in this chamber debating serious subjects, but sometimes there's the opportunity for a game, if you will. Earlier in May of this year, the Prime Minister made a comment, 'Labor has real lasting plans for …' Let's play a game. Let's see how this pans out with three options. Let's see if these fit in? Would you finish that sentence with: (1), higher energy costs, (2), a divisive constitutional change, or (3), higher interest rates? If you answered (1), (2) or (3), you'd be entirely wrong. The answer to that question in finishing that sentence is the Prime Minister actually said, somewhat incredibly, was 'cheaper mortgages'.

On 2 May, the Prime Minister said, 'Labor is real lasting plans for cheaper mortgages in this country.' They're real words and hard to believe. They're particularly hard to believe in circumstances where, since May of this year, we've have seen a 400 basis point increase on interest rates, which equates in real dollar terms to, as Senator Canavan pointed out earlier on, $15,000 extra in annual mortgage repayments for your average mortgage holder in this country. It seems hard to believe anyone could possibly construct that sentence in those circumstances.

The question is: why have we seen 11 interest rate rises since the 2022 federal election, since the Australian Labor Party took government in this country? Why are we here? The one major reason we're here is of course the word inflation, which we don't seem to hear a lot from the other side of the chamber anymore, but that's the reality. What we do hear consistently from the other side of the chamber though is how they're here to fight for the worker, the little guy. And what's the thing that's hurting the average Australian, the little guy, the worker, so much at the moment? Inflation, mortgage increases, cost-of-living increases. They are the things that they are really interested in. They're not interested in a constitutional change and a Voice to Parliament; they are interested in why it is that there is less money to go around and less opportunity to put food on the table.

Let's have a look at those who have been particularly hardest hit by this. First home buyers moving from fixed interest rates—if it is not happening at the moment, it is going to happen soon—are the people who are particularly being belted at the moment. They are the hidden victims of a financial shock and it is hitting them in increased numbers. Thousands upon thousands of first home buyers are now seeing their interest rate payments triple as they revert to variable rates because of successive interest rate rises. We know that those opposite love to try and distract with smoke and mirrors like the Voice or whatever the issue of the day may be, but this is the stuff that is really biting out there in our communities.

One part of the inflationary puzzle has been the increase in power prices across the country. Just today, I was reading the ever-reliable, ever-interesting and ever-accurate Adelaide Advertiser newspaper, which is a favourite of mine, for its interesting stories about real estate agents, who the best hairdresser is, where you get the finest stock agent and whether a footballer is selling their home. It has lots of great stuff in there. Occasionally, they nail one, though. How about this one today: 'SA small businesses pay more for power than the rest of Australia'? What is the common factor in South Australia for South Australian businesses to be paying more for power than anywhere else in the country? We've had more Labor government. So we now have two Labor governments—one at a state level and one at the federal level.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's the same in Queensland.

Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, you need to catch up then, Senator Scarr. I will take that interjection. We are now leading the pack on that dubious honour of having the highest power prices in the country. We in South Australia are also one of the earliest adopters of renewable power—the home of the September 2016 blackout, the blackout that stopped the nation. It stopped the state, anyway. We know that for sure.

In any event, South Australian small businesses, as reported in the Adelaide Advertiser article, are now pay more for the electricity than anywhere else in the country. As the article notes, SA businesses forked out $8,490 in the year to April on electricity—the highest in the nation—while, for example, Victorian counterparts, who also have a Labor government but less of a reliance on renewables, paid $5,480. Gas bills in South Australia have also risen at the fastest rate anywhere in the country.

We are now a Labor-led economic basket case. The worst part of it is that it will only get worse because we have at least two more years or dual Labor governments.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to take note of all the questions asked today in relation to assaults in this building.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order—

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion that is currently before us is to take note of all answers to all questions. So, Senator Pratt, Senator Waters is entitled to focus on that particular answer.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But you are not changing the question before the chair, which is all—

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Correct.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy President. On that theme of assaults in this building, I would like to stand in support of Senator Thorpe following her statement made in the Senate earlier today. I commend her on speaking out about these issues and I commend and stand in awe of the strength and courage of all survivors of sexual harassment, abuse and assault.

Senator Thorpe's statement today reflects what she disclosed to the Greens' leadership two years ago. She was greatly distressed. We backed her and supported her and sought solutions alongside her through discussions with the Senate President at the time, the Liberal Senate leadership and the Prime Minister's office. When people raise issues about their treatment in this or any other workplace it is important that those around them take action.

Everyone has a right to a safe workplace, yet the statistics show that discrimination, harassment and abuse are rife. The Set the standard report found that one in three parliamentary staffers in this building had experienced some form of sexual harassment, as had many female parliamentarians. It was the courage of survivors speaking out that led to the Set the standard report.

Until last week I really thought we were making progress, but all this week we have seen the appalling politicisation of the allegations made by Brittany Higgins, a most courageous and dignified young woman. This has been an incredibly distressing week for so many of us and for so many survivors. Support services have said what a chilling effect this rampant weaponisation of a young woman's alleged rape will have on victims-survivors everywhere. The behaviour on display here and this week only serves to validate the concerns of victims-survivors that they will be ignored, that they will lose their jobs and that they will not be believed. The Canberra Times today reported that a survivor of sexual assault in Parliament House has told them that the conduct in this place this week was 'challenging any confidence' that she had left in the legal system, politicians and the media.

Instead of politicising an allegedly sexual assault, we should be focused on implementing the recommendations of the Set the standard report, strengthening justice system responses and making sure that when women do come forward they get the advice and support that they need. The ultimate test of whether we have successfully changed this place's toxic culture and implemented the Set the standard report is whether staff feel safe and respected at work, whether new senators feel safe and respected at work, whether all workers in this building feel safe and respected at work and whether people watching this place think that parliament is somewhere that they might like to work.

We must ensure that staff and survivors continue to be involved in our response to the Set the standard report, that it is expedited and that those staff and survivors feel supported to tell us when we're not doing enough. Question time this week has been an absolute abomination. I hope that we can all actually set a standard that we are proud of going forward.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today's question time was again an unedifying experience from the point of view of support for victims of sexual assault both in this place and in the message sent to the nation more broadly. Rather than reflecting on and responding to the questions asked by the opposition of the government today, in order to pivot to the real issues of the day affecting Australians affected by the cost of living what did they choose to do? Not to take note of their questions to Senator Gallagher but rather to take note of questions asked by the government of government ministers on issues like the cost of living. That was nowhere on your agenda today. You didn't raise the cost of living once in any of your questions. Instead, you sought to create trap and trick questions for Senator Gallagher about whether she declined a wedding invitation in 2014 or 2018 and whether it was misleading parliament to remember the date on which she had declined an invitation for a wedding she didn't even go to.

In my experience, having worked with Senator Gallagher at the time, for example, when the Brittany Higgins allegations were first aired on the television, what was actually going on inside the Labor Party among Labor staff who were responding to what was, frankly, a frightening, triggering allegation and episode for many people in this building, including many female Labor staffers, was dedicated attention to that work of creating a safe working environment in this place. That is exactly what was going on. It was creating a safe place for women in this building who had witnessed or experienced sexual harassment, bullying and abuse right across the parliament. That is where Senator Gallagher was focused.

How do I know this? I know it because that's exactly what was being discussed by Labor women, including with male colleagues and with younger staff who might have been sexually harassed in this building. That was the absolute focus of our attention, and the seriousness with which Senator Gallagher takes these issues today is the seriousness with which she has taken those issues right from the very start, which is to support victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have one more parliamentary sitting day tomorrow. Unusually, we will sit on a Friday. I don't recall whether we will have a question time, but if there is a question time, I'm hoping to have the opportunity to ask the question that I wanted to ask in question time today. Coalition senators would have seen me jump to my feet shortly after three o'clock in the hope and with the expectation that I would be able to ask my question. On this point, unfortunately, my Western Australian colleague Senator Pratt is wrong, because my question was going to be about the cost of living.

Now, of course, I won't detail for Senator Wong or opposition senators the exact nature of that question. That will be an element of surprise tomorrow. But Australians are ready for us to start talking about issues that are important to them. That is not to diminish the importance of the conversations and the questions and the other matters that are being raised in this Senate chamber this week. But the world is changing very quickly—too quickly for many Australian families—and just this week we saw for ourselves in the Sydney Morning Herald exactly what is happening to Australians' perception of their financial security and financial wealth. The Sydney Morning Herald reported this week that 64 per cent of Australians now expect their wages will fall in real terms and 33 per cent of Australians now believe that the RBA should be taking greater responsibility with regard to interest rates and inflation, but 44 per cent of Australians think it's time for the government to step up and tackle inflation.

Interest rate rises in our country are a direct result of whether or not the government is handling the inflation challenge. Eighty-two per cent of Australians now expect more interest rate rises into the future and 67 per cent of Australians expect inflation to get worse. Outside of this chamber, across the suburbs and communities, life is getting very difficult for Australian families. Australian families are getting nervous about their financial future, and there's good reason for that anxiety, because the most recent statement of monetary policy released by the RBA is very, very sober reading. It identifies that if there's not more effort by the government to tackle inflation then inflationary expectations are going to cement themselves in the Australian psyche. Already, we're told in the Sydney Morning Herald that 67 per cent of Australians are expecting that inflation will get worse. Once people start to expect inflation to get worse and that starts to cement in their minds, this inflationary challenge is not a blip but becomes a permanent stain.

Inflation makes you poorer. Inflation makes the poor poorer. It eats at your savings. It eats away at your superannuation. It is a curse, and we are lucky in this country that for a long period of time we have not had to take inflation seriously, because we've been operating in a very low inflationary environment. That is changing, and guess who is going to wear the pain the hardest? Guess who is going to wear it earliest? First home buyers.

Twelve months ago, in Perth, on 2 May 2022, Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister, was introduced by the former premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan. In front of that Perth audience, remembering that the Labor Party did very well at the last election in Western Australia, the Prime Minister—then opposition leader—said to Western Australians, speaking to the whole country, 'Life will get cheaper.' Don't just believe me; here it is in the Australian newspaper. It says, '"Life will be cheaper under me", says opposition leader Anthony Albanese.' Well, 12 months later it is not, and in 12 months time it will be significantly worse. The question for Labor is: what is their plan and what is the plan now? People are starting to feel the pain.

Question agreed to.