Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dickson for her question, and of course a highlight of the first fortnight was the first speeches by all the new members in this chamber, particularly, if I can single out one, the member for Dickson, who was quite extraordinary, I think, in outlining her life story and what's brought her to this place and why she will be an outstanding contributor as the member for Dickson.

Our focus this fortnight has been very much on delivering—delivering to improve the living standards of the people we represent: strengthening Medicare, through cheaper medicines; protecting penalty rates, which passed the House today; and cutting student debt, which passed the Senate today. This week we've also learned that inflation has come down to 2.1 per cent on an annual basis. That figure of 2.1 per cent is the same as for the last quarter of March 2022, in which the coalition were in government—that is 2.1 per cent in just one quarter, compared with 2.1 per cent across an entire year. We are making a difference, getting inflation down, at the same time as we've got wages up and have kept unemployment low. That is the Labor way. That's the Australian way.

I'm asked about the alternative agendas that have been pursued in this parliament. Well, the opposition have certainly been pursuing their own agenda—or, should I say, agendas, because there's more than one over there: fighting publicly over whether climate change is real and over whether they support net zero.

At one point this week, I had the TV on in the background. I said last week that the Nats had taken up occupation of the Sky News studio, but it was particularly good this week because they had two shows running on Sky News at the same time. There was the Nationals leader in the studio with Laura Jayes, but in the corner, in the little box there, there were all the Nats renegades out the front along with one or two Liberals. It was a split screen showing a split party.

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