Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

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

I'm going to talk about Senator Henderson's questions about the fact that the focus groups are homing in on what a debacle the Prime Minister has created in this country with the cost of living. We have got a rental crisis going on in this country where we have thousands of Australians homeless. We have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Australians homeless and millions struggling to make ends meet. That has been the result of the Labor party's reckless immigration policy, where they ramped immigration up to over 500,000 people. For what reason? I don't know. The only reason I can figure is that it was a sop to the universities, because half of these immigrants are going to university. I think they really need to explain—and today would be a good day to start—why they suddenly decided there was a need to increase immigration to such a high rate.

I have heard one reason given that they had to catch up after COVID. I don't know why that's a reason, because throughout COVID the building industry was shut down. So it's not like the infrastructure was still being built. It's not like essential services were still being built. As a matter of fact, we had a lot of people working in essential services who were unable to work. After the economic catastrophe of COVID, why would you suddenly decide to bring in so many people? Was it Treasury? Was it Treasury's big population agenda that they've been running for years to keep the GDP, the gross domestic product, looking good while ignoring the per capita domestic product? I don't know. These are the questions that the Labor party need to answer.

I've got to be honest with you, I think the Australian people are sick and tired of the lack of transparency coming from those on the other side. The Labor Party, those on the other side, are not interested in serving the people. They are only interested in controlling the people. A lot of people say, 'Look out for the New World Order.' I say, 'No, we're living in the New World Order.' The New World Order is democracy and people power. That's what a liberal democracy is. It's grassroots movement and the people telling the government what to do. The forefathers of our great friends, the American patriots, brought that on in the American War of Independence, where they overthrew the hereditary rights of the aristocrats.

As we stand here in this chamber today, we need to reflect on that. We represent the people. We're here to serve the people, not bring in hundreds of thousands of people and put our people—our Australians—out on the street. We are not here to put our Australians on the brink of bankruptcy because of reckless immigration that drove the interests rates up, which has sent mortgages and rents through the roof. And what do we get? If they're not wasting time on the Voice and identity politics and trying to divide Australia between black and white, we then get this new ridiculous law where they want to impose emissions standards on cars. That is going to add thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars to the cost for our hardworking tradies—the very people who build houses.

I know we're not allowed to impute motive in this chamber, so I won't, but it doesn't take a lot to join the dots—high immigration. Pull out the builders. Destroy the building industry. Let's put all the people out on the streets. If I didn't know any better, I would think that these people want to destroy the Australian economy, and by 'these people' I mean the Australian Labor Party. So I say to the Australian Labor Party: you need to be more transparent, and you need to get your loyalties straight. They are to the Australian people. And you need to release that modelling. The idea that somehow you've got a public interest immunity claim, that somehow this isn't in the interest of the public and that you don't have to release this modelling, is absurd. It is absurd, and only a Labor Party not interested in serving the Australian people would actually propose to keep this a secret. Shame on you.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I find myself somewhat bemused by the quality of the questions that were brought into the Senate today. I note that this morning the first meeting that I had was with representatives of Taiwan, talking about real challenges in our region that have a massive impact on our nation and our economy. We got no questions about that. We got no questions on this, the week that is the beginning of the third year of the war in Ukraine. We got no questions on anything of substance like that. We certainly didn't get anything on Israel and Palestine. If it's not going to be of an international frame, you'd think that they could at least maybe mount something of profound national interest.

I note that the Minister for Finance, who's the acting leader here in the Senate here this week, doing a great job, my colleague Senator Gallagher, did indicate in her response to one of the questions that in fact there were some figures out about inflation today. I reckon that matters to the Australian people. We might have got some questions about that. We might have got some questions about taxation, after the big whingefest that's gone on for weeks and months from the Liberal and National parties about taxation and their disgust at the fact that 13.6 million people in Australia are going to get a bigger tax cut. We could have got questions on that, but, no, we didn't.

But I am going to attempt to respond with integrity to what was a ridiculous question but did focus on an important issue, and that is what's happening in the seat of Dunkley. I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge that in this place we are still grieving the loss of a beautiful woman, a fine Australian by the name of Peta Murphy, who was the member for Dunkley. Like so many Australians, particularly Australian women, sadly she had an encounter with breast cancer. She had successful treatment, and then it became metastatic. In the course of the time that she was a member, she was fighting that the whole time. She didn't take her eye off that community and what it needed in terms of advocacy, though, and she engaged with the candidate who is now running in her place by the name of Jodie Belyea. As a Frankston mum with a mortgage, we know that she actually understands the cost-of-living pressures. I am sure she would never have thought that the questions we got here in the Senate today deal with anything that is real for the people of Dunkley.

Jodie is fighting for the people of Dunkley to make sure they get more of what the Albanese government can give them, which is relief, a real response, not hand-wringing nonsense—'yes, we see you are having a bit of a bad time but we can't possibly help'. We can see Australians are having some really serious challenges and because, responsibly, we agreed to a package of tax cuts and gave our word that we would honour the tax cuts that were already in the budget, the Labor government decided that the suffering of 13.6 million hard-working Australians should not go ignored, that it deserved a response. This is the government that has Jodie standing for us in the seat of Dunkley, the government focused on the real things that impact people's lives, not the nonsense that we have seen from the opposition today, and that is why we were making sure last night, when we put the legislation through here, that Australians will be able to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

The reality is for the people in Dunkley to remember when they are casting their vote on Saturday that the cost-of-living tax cuts that passed the Senate are going to mean that more than 70,000 taxpayers in that seat of Dunkley are going to get a tax cut. A retail worker who, hopefully, has joined the great union with which I am associated, the SDA, earning $73,000 a year, is going to get a tax cut of $1,504.

The people in Dunkley need a government that is focused on their real needs. They also need an opposition that is going to come in here and do a fair day's work and ask decent questions that have material impact to the people of Australia, instead of the games that we have seen played in the Senate today. There is a big win for the people of Dunkley on Saturday when they support Labor's candidate, Jodie Belyea.

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

Well, clearly a teacher joining the SDU must just be shoring up numbers for pre-selection.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

SDA!

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

SDA, my apologies. Everything ends with a union, so SDA. But anyway, I don't want to talk about that today because—

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

Senator O'Neill, on a point of order?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am a member of the National Tertiary Education Union. I am associated with the SDA.

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

It's not a debate. Thank you, Senator O'Neill, for correcting the record.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, she should tell the truth.

The Deputy:

Senator Hughes, you have missed the call. Senator Hughes, I'm going to the government.

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

I mean, I withdrew the call because the member was not obeying my reasonable request to bring her to order and was then shouting directly at the Labor member, which was disrespectful to me.

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

Deputy President, I encourage you to re-consider that decision. I acknowledge that there have been a couple of examples in extremis recently that has seen the call withdrawn in the chamber. Those examples have only operated in extremis. In 17 years here, I have seen plenty of backwards and forwards across the chamber. I recognise the importance of the chair having the authority to be able to control the chamber; however, in the circumstances there, I believe that a withdrawal of the call was an excessive use of that power relative to where we have seen it used to date, and it is a matter currently before the procedure committee in any event. But I would on this occasion ask you to reconsider whether this was proportionate to the circumstances that you faced.

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

I wouldn't say it was a complete withdrawal of the call but if the member apologises to me, I will return the call to her.

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

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. I apologise to you and I will start by saying that I did not tell a mistruth. I misspoke one letter. For that to be classified as a mistruth is an imputation, and the senator opposite may like to reflect on imputations.

What I want to talk about today is the fact that one of the jobs of the federal government is to keep Australians safe, and we know those opposite have absolutely no capacity to do that. That is becoming more and more obvious every single day. There has been zero leadership from this government when it comes to antisemitism. We know the rise of antisemitism that is occurring in this country is being absolutely fuelled by the lack of leadership that we see from those opposite in this incredibly important matter. It is absolutely appalling the way they conduct themselves when it comes to matters of immigration, when it comes to national security, when it comes to border security, when it comes to standing with our democratic partner in Israel, while they pander to seats in south-west Sydney. They are continually letting the Jewish Australian community down, which is actually just a part of the Australian community. They are not a separate group. They do not ghettoise themselves. They do not celebrate the deaths of other peoples like we have seen happen in Palestine and by those in Australia who align themselves with that cause.

If we want to talk about safety in this place, I find it incredibly distressing every time I walk to my office, where I see a cry for genocide conducted in a fellow senator's office as she posts in her window the cry 'From the river to the sea.' Yet, from their activity, we know that those opposite stand by that sentiment, and we know, as we saw yesterday—

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

Senator McKim?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hughes is impugning the motives of other senators in the most disgraceful way by suggesting that other senators have a pride in genocide. That is blatantly untrue, and impugning the motives of other senators in that way is highly disorderly.

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

I didn't quite read it like that, Senator McKim, but I ask the honourable senator to be very careful with her language on a delicate issue.

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

From speaking to Australians of the Jewish faith, I can tell you that they see that cry as very much a call for genocide, because the removal of the right of Israel to exist is exactly that: a call for genocide. We saw yesterday in the media—

Sorry, I can't hear myself think over Senator McKim's interjections.

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

Senator McKim, please exercise restraint.

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

Yesterday we saw reported in the paper that a convicted terrorist, someone who hijacked two planes and who is fundamentally an active member of a terrorist organisation, is planning to come to Australia to speak at a socialist conference. What a disgrace! The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—how dare they include Leila Khaled, who has terrorised and hijacked two planes. Yet this government is still sitting on its hands when they have been called on to not provide a visa. We know this minister for immigration won't be able to help himself, because not only are they pandering to south-west Sydney, pandering to their own far-left pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel elements within the Labor Party—they've got to keep the unicorn farmers up the end happy. But we absolutely have a problem with antisemitism in this country. It is getting worse and is absolutely disgraceful.

We know those opposite won't do it. They'll come here in their keffiyehs and they'll stand for solidarity, completely ignoring that there was a ceasefire on 6 October. They endorse the views of people who somehow think of 7 October as a pogrom—the worst deaths of Jewish people and Israelis since the Holocaust. Yet we have a senator in this place now smiling at the pogrom, smiling at what happened to people in Israel on 7 October. What a disgrace!

Yet Home Affairs are going to sit on their hands and allow this absolutely disgraceful terrorist into this country. I'm sure we'll see the Greens and those of the pro-Palestinian left in the Labor Party there cheering her on. But don't worry, Australians: not only are we getting a terrorist in the country; if anyone who comes here wants to spike the drink of a woman and conduct indecent acts, then, as long as he's a signed-up member and mate of the Labor Party, Andrew Giles will let him out. The minister will say: 'Off you go! No ankle bracelet for you—no conditions for you—because you're a Labor mate.' We're just interested to know: Is he enrolled to vote in Dunkley? Are you that worried about Saturday?

Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having had to endure the sheer falsehoods in those statements and the accusations as to our government—which has been responsible, from day one, in dealing with the issue in the Middle East and in dealing with every single issue that has arisen—and then having been faced with accusations, one after another, I will just set some records straight and put the facts into the Hansard. There has been no visa application from Leila Khaled. So, to Australians out there listening to this: do not listen to those opposite. They love fearmongering. They thrive on it. When they smell it from a mile away, they will latch onto it. It is not correct.

There is no place for terrorism in this country. We, as the Australian government, will never—I say 'never'—advocate for it or allow anyone to advocate for it. We would not allow anyone like that to come to our country and incite hatred and division and that sort of propaganda. It is unacceptable.

I think those opposite are actually very confused about what they stand for. They have no idea what they stand for. They think they're representing the people of Australia, but they're wrong. They find themselves chasing their own tails, going around in circles, and I feel they get a great sense of relief by running to Sky News and using it as a go-to channel to vent and whinge about issues that they couldn't solve in the last decade.

Instead of offering solutions to the rising cost-of-living pressures, they are committing to undoing the good work that our government is doing. We've heard—I asked the question in question time—that Senator Hume has promised that, if the Liberals and Nations are re-elected, they will go back to the drawing board on tax cuts. They absolutely refuse to believe that the Labor government can be such good economic managers that they are able to provide relief to the 13.6 million Australians who will be receiving a tax cut from 1 July this year. They don't realise that 70,000 taxpayers in Dunkley, who are facing a by-election on Saturday, will be receiving a tax cut.

What do Mr Dutton and those opposite want? They want you to work more for less. They don't want you to keep more of what you earn. They have no plan. They literally have no plan, and all they're good at is fearmongering and creating division amongst us. From the Voice referendum and the questions asked at question time, to the High Court's decision on the NZYQ case and the housing Help to Buy scheme, I don't understand why those opposite can't face the facts and respect them as they are. They just have to conflate issues, and it's absolutely unreal. Perhaps it would be important and useful for those opposite to spend less time on the media and more time on the ground to hear from real Australians about real issues that are impacting their lives.

I want to use my last minute or so to take the opportunity to talk to the people of Dunkley. You have experienced the great loss of the amazing member that you had, Peta Murphy. She was an incredible friend and a great support for me as a first-term senator. She'd met Jodie Belyea through the Women's Spirit Project, a not-for-profit organisation that Jodie had founded. Knowing that Peta handpicked Jodie, I have great confidence in Jodie standing for the people of Dunkley and being a strong advocate and voice here in Canberra for you.

We know that it's going to be close. By-elections are always tough; let's face it. But what we do know is that Jodie, as part of the Albanese Labor government, is going to do what's best for you and put your interests first. A mere example of the tax cuts that we passed last night: a retail worker in Dunkley earning $73,000 a year will get a tax cut of $1,504. That's $804 more than under the Liberals.

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

I too rise to take note of answers provided in question time today by the government. I was somewhat incredulous, and then I wasn't, when I heard a senator opposite say they couldn't understand why we were asking questions about cost-of-living pressures on Australian families. I thought that really said everything about how out of touch this government really is. I can assure them that everybody on this side of the Senate chamber knows and understands, because we are out there talking to Australian families and Australian workers every day.

There is not a day, not a visit, that goes by in my home state of Western Australia where Western Australians are not saying how much they have been impacted by the cost-of-living rises that have occurred in less than two years under this government. And it's not just one or two areas where they're coming under cost pressures; it is in everything that they buy and spend money on. Food is up nine per cent. Petrol is up 27 per cent. There have been 12 interest rate hikes in just over 12 months under those opposite, and, on average, Australians and Western Australians are now paying at least $24,000 extra per year in their mortgage payments.

In Western Australia, in particular, housing is so expensive. It's not just the extra $24,000 a year on average in mortgages; those Western Australians who rent know just how expensive it now is. Rents have increased by over 26 per cent, and first home buyers and new approvals remain at their lowest levels in more than a decade. In WA the median house price has risen over 21 per cent, and rents in Western Australia have risen by nearly 50 per cent under those opposite. That is a complete disgrace. Just to afford the average mortgage in Perth, families will need to earn over $115,000 a year, all at a time when real wages have decreased under those opposite. To make it even worse, in Perth we have the lowest rental vacancy rates in Australia, at less than 0.4 per cent.

Not only have those opposite federally made it incredibly difficult for Western Australians to afford to eat and buy the necessities, but now, with their proposed taxes for cars, people will be paying $25,000 more for a Toyota LandCruiser, $17,000 more for a Ford Ranger and nearly $15,000 more for a Toyota HiLux. These are the tools of trade of families and workers in Western Australia.

Question agreed to.