Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I undertook to come back to Senator Pocock—I think he might have left the chamber—with some additional information following his question to me. I wish to provide additional information in response to the question asked by Senator Pocock in question time in my capacity as Minister representing the Minister for Housing. In response to his second supplementary question, I wish to add that the Albanese government recognises that many Australian families are doing it tough and that too many are having to rely on services like Foodbank. Each year, around 460,000 people access Commonwealth funded emergency relief support, with food being the most common relief provided. We are committed as a government to easing the cost-of-living pressures. Many families are feeling this pressure.

The government has provided more than $51 million per year to support 192 providers to deliver emergency relief nationally. The government's investment in emergency relief and food relief is also supplemented with significant funding from the state and territory governments. We are delivering cost-of-living relief to Australian families through our $23 billion cost-of-living relief package. This includes energy bill relief for concession card holders and small businesses, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines on the PBS and record investment to strengthen Medicare to make it cheaper for children, pensioners and other concession card holders to see a GP.