Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. The cost-of-living committee held more than 20 hearings across Australia. It received more than 1,500 submissions and responses to the community survey throughout its inquiry into the cost-of-living crisis. The overwhelming evidence is that Australians are poorer than they were 2½ years ago and we are in a national cost-of-living crisis. Will the government adopt the cost-of-living committee's recommendation to convene the National Cabinet to address the excessive government spending that is keeping interest rates higher for longer?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Order across the chamber. Senator Wong.

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

Thanks to Senator Hume for the question. She would know that the government doesn't require a Senate committee to understand the extent of the cost-of-living challenges facing Australians. In fact, the Minister for Finance, the Treasurer, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, all cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister, first and foremost, have been focused on what it is that we could do as a government to assist Australians when it comes to the cost of living. That's why you have seen, under this government, more people in jobs—more people earning more and keeping more of what they earn with our tax plan. I would remind those opposite that we have seen more than a million jobs created. We have seen a near-record number of women in jobs and women working full time. We have seen real wages grow more in the past 12 months alone than they did in the entire decade of the former coalition government.

We have the smallest gender pay gap on record and, of course, the cost-of-living measures that the government has put in place in order to make a contribution to the challenges Australian families are facing: bigger tax cuts for every working Australian, cheaper child care, energy rebates, student debt relief, free TAFE, more bulk-billed GP appointments, cheaper medicines, the largest increase to rent assistance in 30 years and the largest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade, as well as a fair go at the checkout and a crackdown on dodgy deals and tackling excessive surcharges on cards.

And, of course, what I'd be interested in is whether Senator Hume brought forward to that committee the evidence of what it would be like if she and her colleagues had had it their way, because we know that Australians would be paying higher taxes. We know— (Time expired)

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

Senator Cash, if you withdraw those interjections you made earlier in relation to Senator Wong about—

Senator Cash, we're not here to—

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

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

Thank you. Senator Hume, first supplementary?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The committee's final report found that Labor's antiproductivity red-tape agenda is contributing to the cost-of-living crisis, driving up costs for small businesses and prices for consumers. Will your government adopt the cost-of-living committee's recommendation to convene the National Cabinet to develop productivity-enhancing reforms to the economy, including establishing a national deregulation agenda?

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

Well, Senator Hume, I think the difficulty with you putting a proposition to us and to the Australian people that somehow you would have a different outcome on cost of living is that you really ask people to ignore the fact that you have voted against all of the government's cost-of-living measures. I know you want to try and shift the conversation, because you now want another committee—you want to have a discussion about what we do. But when you were tested, Senator, you and your colleagues made very clear that, actually, the cost of living was not your priority. There is no other way to explain the way in which you voted in this chamber.

Now, you might be desperate to come up with an agenda where you can say to Australians: 'Look, we're going to have this committee and it's going to talk about this, and we're going to do all of these things, but please forget about the fact we voted against energy price relief, please forget about the fact that we voted against cheaper medicines and please forget about the fact that we don't actually think your wages should—

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

Thank you, Minister. Senator Hume, second supplementary?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is in a cost-of-living crisis that requires an immediate response to get core inflation sustainably under control, as the RBA says it requires. You've had 2½ years. How can it be that this government is already out of ideas on how to sustainably lower inflation and fight the cost of living for all Australians, that don't simply involve spending more money or creating more red tape?

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

I would just remind those opposite—I'll just make a few points. We know that we have seen inflation increase over a period of time, prior to us coming to office, and we know that this government has had to try and work to bring down inflation. I would make the point that, when we came to office, inflation was higher and rising, and now it is lower and falling. I would make the point that inflation was 6.1 per cent at the time of the election and is now 2.8 per cent. It is less than half of what we inherited and about a third of its peak.

Now, you are right, Senator: inflation remains a key challenge, and one that this government is focused on. You are wrong in pointing to your own record as one that is anything to be proud of.