I think we've got a new record. We got nine minutes and 50 seconds into the assistant minister's speech before he even attempted to talk about government policy. The government's policies are so weak that the minister had a platform of 10 minutes to talk to the Australian people about what they were doing to help them when they are struggling in this cost-of-living crisis and how they're bringing inflation down and we got 10 seconds, at nine minutes and 50 seconds after the speech had started. That tells you everything about this government. They're obsessed with politics. They're obsessed with attacking the opposition.

On the coalition side, we've got a plan to help the Australian people. We have our fuel price shield. Right now, oil is over $100 a barrel. If we had the fuel price shield implemented, which is the coalition policy, we would halve the fuel excise, giving relief to Australians but also giving relief to businesses. If you take cost pressures out of the supply chain for businesses, guess what? That helps take the pressure off inflation.While those opposite throw insults, the coalition will build policies that will help the Australian people. It's 18 months until the next election, and the coalition have put $31 billion in savings on the table, responsible savings to support the Australian people, because that will take pressure off inflation. It will reduce public demand. The member for Moreton this week said that we need to 'throw the kitchen sink at savings'. I look forward to the member for Moreton coming out and supporting our $31 billion in savings, because there are no savings from this treasurer. This treasurer, in his own words, has an excuse for everything.

We appreciate and understand that we live in a global market. It is a global market. We're a global country, obviously, but, when there are things outside of your control, you don't complain about them, and you don't blame them. You focus on what you can control, and you take actions around what you can control. What can this treasurer control? He can control government spending. If you reduce government spending, it gives the RBA more headroom, it gives the private sector more headroom as they grow, and it mitigates the international factors that are outside of our control. That is economics 101. That is a treasurer's job 101. If the Treasurer does not understand that, the Treasurer should resign, and, if the Treasurer is not prepared to resign, then the Prime Minister should replace him. He needs to take responsibility. The Australian people do not want to hear excuses. They do not want to hear a treasurer at the dispatch box blaming everyone else but himself. If you want to sit on those benches and you want to take responsibility for the Australian economy and take the title Treasurer, stop blaming everyone else.

The backbench of the Labor Party know it. An unnamed backbencher told the Treasurer, 'Stop sounding like a used-car salesman.' The backbench of the Labor Party have lost faith in this treasurer because they're potentially talking and listening to their communities. Now the challenge for this backbench is if they are going to back their communities, hold this treasurer to account and put pressure on this prime minister. I'll give them this little tip. This prime minister will preach unity to you. This prime minister will tell you to be unified. I say to you: show this prime minister the same unity that he showed to Prime Minister Gillard, because he stood there every step of the way building his career next to Kevin Rudd by undermining Prime Minister Gillard. He now asked this backbench to give him unyielding loyalty, loyalty that he did not show to leaders. He is leading you off a cliff, but, worse than that, he is destroying our economy. He is making the Australian people pay. He is making small businesses pay the price.

When we have community members and small-business owners in tears in our office, they want action. They want support from this prime minister and from this treasurer, and they do not receive it. They do not want to hear excuses. There are global factors that no-one can control. There are always factors you cannot control. True leaders understand that, they focus on what they can control, and they make decisions in the national interest to support all Australians. They don't sit here and spin and spin and abandon every Australian. We've got a prime minister and a treasurer that have spent their life in politics. They've got no answers for the Australian people.