Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am privileged to have the opportunity to stand here and talk about this moment. It's interesting to hear the shadow treasurer lecturing the government on credibility. It is fascinating, considering that, during question time, he did not know how interest rates were set and that they're independent from the government. Neither did he read the RBA governor's statement on interest rates. If he had read the statement, he would have seen that it was a growth in private demand. The truth is that, if we have a shadow Treasurer that lacks credibility, what does that say about the coalition as a whole? But I won't talk about that, because what we really want to talk about is Australian families.

I am the member for Swan. I have an electorate which has many people that have households. I got to drop off my daughter at school yesterday. Sometimes those opposite talk about things in an esoteric way. I had the privilege of dropping her off for her very first day of full-time school, and what I would say is that I'm in touch with what's happening in our communities and I know that households are doing it tough, but what I also know is that people out there in Australia know which government or which side of politics has their backs, and it is indeed the Albanese Labor government.

We are a government that managed to deliver two surpluses. We have been looking for savings for every single part of our budget. I know that the Minister for Finance has been working very hard on this, and what I would say is that the finance minister and the Treasurer are a dream team. There is so much talent on this side of the bench. The truth is that, when we talk about dream teams, theoretically that should be the Liberal Party and maybe the Nationals, but they can't even decide on whether or not they're a team. It's fascinating that we're at a time in politics where the opposition and the crossbench have exactly the same numbers. When you talk about numbers, you want to trust a side that understands numbers, and it doesn't sound like that side understands the numbers—very, very concerning!

This government has been working very intentionally to bring down inflation, and we have been doing that for a long time—slaying that naughty inflation dragon.

I totally recognise that. It has been persistent. There are parts of it that have been persistent. But I'm going to say that we have done a better job of dealing with inflation than the other side. What our side of politics has been doing is looking at what sensible investment looks like, and I have seen that in my community. And an example is METRONET, where we have seen the elevated rail line, which is increasing productivity on our roads. It's also activating community spaces.

Also, last week, I got to attend the Chung Wah community centre, which will be a new project, again, in the heart of Swan. One of the things that we got to hear about is the Lunar New Year and the project that symbolises something bigger. The Lunar New Year calls us to remember that prosperity is not created overnight. It is built step by step, one brick at a time, one apprenticeship at a time, one community at a time. That is what responsible delivery looks like.

It also looks like strengthening Medicare so people can get care without a credit card. Medicare urgent clinics are providing fully bulk-billed care for urgent care but not life-threatening issues. We began this commitment with 50 clinics and we've already delivered 90, with a plan to expand the network further. This means that more families are getting seen sooner and putting less pressure on our hospital departments.

Cost-of-living relief also looks like the two tax cuts that are coming this way towards households, something that those opposite did not take to the last election. Yes, the Labor Party is the party of lower taxes. We are also moving on wages because the Labor Party fundamentally want to see incomes increase, something that those opposite do not believe in.

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