David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I hope the Mad Max reference wasn't to any of the members of this House with the prefix 'Mc' to their names. I have due respect for all those members!

This evening I'm looking forward to attending the routine by acclaimed Canadian mime artist Joylyn Secunda down at the Tuggeranong Performing Arts Centre in my electorate. It's been described as 'Death of a Salesman meets Mr Bean'. What I know for certain, though, is it will be more impressive than the routine we have witnessed across the aisle today.

It is crucial in times of uncertainty that this House comes together and acts, and the Albanese Labor government is doing just that. The recent conflict in the Middle East has compounded uncertainty in the global economy and led to significant volatility in oil and petrol prices. We're not immune from that uncertainty and volatility across the global economy, and that's why our priority remains addressing inflation, productivity and that global uncertainty. Our work on fairer petrol prices and stronger supply chains is an important part of these efforts.

Legislation passed through this House earlier today that will help consumers get a fair go at the petrol pump—with bigger penalties for misconduct, including for the fuel sector. Nobody—no organisation, no sector, no member of this parliament—should be using such volatile circumstances to profit off Australians. That's not in the spirit of this country and it cannot be permitted to occur. That is why we are putting petrol companies on notice. It's time for the Liberals and Nationals to put their money where their mouth is, and, for a change, stand with the Australian people instead of standing divided against them. They may love to come into this place and grandstand, and make grand speeches to clip for their socials and websites, but, when it comes to making a difference for their communities, they are missing in action. Every opportunity they have had to support cost-of-living relief, they have opposed.

I remind people in this House that often the best way to determine future behaviour is remembering the words that people have used in the past. Here's a bit of a game for the House late on a Thursday. Who was it that derided work-from-home arrangements as 'professional apartheid'? That'd be the shadow Treasurer. Who criticised better wages for frontline workers, including aged-care workers and early childhood educators, as 'borrowing from future generations'? That would be the shadow Treasurer. Who railed against paid parental leave, labelling it as 'a very bad scheme' and saying, 'It's not my choice that women have children, it's not; it's genetic'? That would be the shadow Treasurer. Who advocated replacing the progressive income tax system with a flat tax and broadening and doubling the GST to 20 per cent—in his words:

We must stop fiddling at the margins. … we have to move towards a simpler 20 per cent flat personal, company and consumption tax …

That would be the shadow Treasurer. It's getting a bit easy!

Who championed the privatisation of Medicare so there could be a transfer of the health financing burden, shifted from government to individuals? That would be the shadow Treasurer. Who criticised the Rudd Labor government's stimulus during the global financial crisis as a shameful act that did more harm than good? Who has consistently criticised low interest rates, claiming that 'nobody wins from low interest rates'? That's a message many people across my electorate would love to hear. Who advocated repealing the right to disconnect? That would be the shadow Treasurer. Who argued that Australia is no longer able to make things? In his own words:

The days of Australia being an island continent producing finished goods for domestic consumption are over.

You would have thought that maybe it's a description of the approach of the coalition to oil refineries in this country over the last decade.

What we know is that leadership isn't about the one to yell the loudest in the room, and I am proud to be able to stand on this side of the chamber—which is actually taking action, displaying clear leadership and supporting Australians right across the community. It's time for those opposite to do the same.

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