Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

How can energy bill relief, tax cuts, cheaper child care and Medicare support be not germane? The fact that this intervention was made by a coalition member shows the failure of them to understand—that's a frontbencher in the opposition—what cost-of-living relief really is for the Australian public.

They opposed cheaper medicines and 60-day scripts. Remember, they said the pharmaceutical industry was going to collapse if we provided 60-day scripts. They opposed the $25 scripts for non-concessional income earners and the $7.70 scripts for concessional income earners. They opposed every bill on housing we ever introduced, including the $47 billion Homes for Australia plan, delivering 1.2 million homes for Australians. They opposed rent assistance for the poorest people, who need rent assistance. They opposed our Medicare urgent care clinics and were going to close them down after the last election if they won office. That's free primary health care for Australians. They opposed the mental health centres; that was part of our package which they voted against.

They went to the last election with an economic plan for higher taxes, greater deficits and higher debt. That was their policy at the last election. They actually wanted to ban people from working from home! That goes to show how out of touch they are. Again and again they opposed cost-of-living relief and voted against the kinds of support that we provided in this place for Australians.

The fact is the coalition members have all anger and no answers whatsoever. It's all simplistic nonsense from them and no solutions. Their record over the nine years they were in power was appalling, and since they've been in opposition they've done nothing to assist Australians. If they had any genuine concern about cost-of-living relief, they would have voted with us on energy bill relief. They would have voted with us on tax cuts. But again and again they failed.

The budget we handed down last month was about housing affordability and included another round of permanent tax cuts, which those opposite opposed: the working Australian tax offset. They opposed $250 going into Australians' pockets. And there was the $1,000 instant tax deduction. Those opposite opposed that as well. Again and again we provided tax relief to help with cost-of-living relief for Australians, and those opposite opposed it. Since we came to office, those on the minimum wage are $12,000 better off, and the coalition, if they'd won power at the last two elections, would have opposed that.

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