Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise to speak on the stage 3 amended cuts, which, as we know, will amount to about, on average, $804 per year or about $67 a month. If anyone had been listening to these speeches over the past couple of days they would think there were stories of two different worlds: on that side, a utopian existence where everybody is better off over the past two years; the promised land has been delivered. On this side: the reality of what is actually happening.

I was speaking to a young fellow the other day—in fact, my nephew, Matt. He is a good young fellow living in Newcastle who works hard, who has saved a deposit over many years for a house. He was looking for my guidance. Having listened to what has been put forward, the submissions by Labor—if you were to believe them—my advice would be buy in a Labor seat, because everything is better in a Labor seat. I have not heard one thing about the reality of what is happening, not one submission by Labor that the average person is paying $22,000 more in interest on their mortgage—$22,000! That is reality. Not one person across that floor made that submission. That is after tax on an average mortgage. Where does somebody find that?

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