Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Wong, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. I know people in my home state of Victoria are doing it tough, as they are across Australia. How has the Albanese Labor government used every day of sitting this year to progress cost-of-living relief for all Australians? And how have Mr Dutton and the Liberals and Nationals tried to block every single cost-of-living measure this entire year? How will government legislation passed by the Senate this week help Australians?

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

I thank Senator Walsh for her question. We know that Australians are doing it tough at the moment and we also know that when we came to office Australians were going backwards—higher inflation, rising inflation, falling real wages and $1 trillion of Liberal debt. Labor has been working hard to clean up the mess.

The Albanese government's economic plan is all about helping people with their cost of living, while fighting inflation to bring costs down. It is good to see inflation at around one-third of what we inherited. All year in parliament, we've been focused on the No. 1 issue, which is cost of living. Despite every effort by Mr Dutton to block, we are turning promises into progress. Last week the government's Help to Buy scheme was passed by the Senate—a shared equity scheme that means 40,000 households, including teachers, childcare workers and nurses, will be able to buy a home. It is Labor that is working to lift wages and bring down costs, delivering progress on Australians' priorities.

Last night, of course, the Senate passed legislation to deliver a 15 per cent pay rise for early educators and teachers. I salute Senator Walsh and the many union members, officials and secretaries on this side who ran the campaign that enabled the Labor government to deliver it. They are the ones who delivered it. The members and the Labor Party are the ones who delivered that pay increase. We passed legislation to give extra funding to our public schools, and we are wiping $3 billion in student debt for more than three million Australians. For someone in Senator Walsh's home state of Victoria, with a HELP debt of $27,000 they will see around 1,200—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Order! I remind senators that at the beginning of question time I talked about the disorder in this place. It is not the role of the opposition to yell over a minister. It is completely out of order. Minister, did you wish to continue?

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

Thank you. Unlike Senator McKenzie, we think it is a good thing to reduce the HELP debts of students in her state. Senator Walsh thinks that; Labor thinks that; I'm sorry that you have such a problem with that, Senator McKenzie.

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

Thank you, Minister. Senator McKenzie, I have named you a couple of times.

Senator McKenzie, you're not in a debate with me. Either sit and listen or leave. You are to sit in respectful silence. Senator Walsh, first supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President. Minister, what cost-of-living relief measures has the Albanese Labor government introduced to keep costs down, including at the supermarket checkout and for power bills?

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

Those of us on this side—rather than the cultural wars we've seen—are focused on cost of living. We're focused on how to help Australians with the No. 1 issue, and that is the cost of living, and how we can work to lift wages and bring down costs. That includes government initiatives like the tax cut for every taxpayer and the energy bill relief for every household that those opposite voted against. We are working to ensure that Australians do not pay more than they should, including at the check-out, by supporting the competition watchdog so it can crack down on bad behaviour, by working to improve competition through merger reform and planning, by taking action to fight shrinkflation and introducing big penalties for supermarkets which do the wrong thing and getting Choice to provide quarterly price monitoring.

The reality is that there's one side of politics which is focused on cost-of-living measures and ensuring that wages keep increasing, and that is the Australian Labor.

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

Senator Walsh, second supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After a decade of reckless neglect and mismanagement from the Liberals and Nationals that led to Australians being worse off, how is the Albanese Labor government working to clean up the mess and build a brighter and better future for all Australians?

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

This government is focused on ensuring that we deliver on promises and deliver progress, and this government, unlike those opposite, is working to lift wages and bring down costs. We on this side back Australians to get higher wages. On that side, they want lower wages. We on this side have backed Australians to get lower taxes. They wanted to call an election so they could have higher taxes. We on this side have backed Australians to deliver cheaper medicines, fee-free TAFE and more homes in every part of the country—all opposed by Mr Dutton's opposition.

People across this country are still under pressure, and there is more to do. But what we want to be very clear about is that Mr Dutton has blocked or tried to block every single cost-of-living measure this entire year, and we know he wants cuts to Medicare, to pensions, to schools and TAFE. He wants cuts to cheaper childcare and cuts to cheaper medicines, and his reckless arrogance has real costs for Australians. (Time expired)