I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter of public importance because the cost of living is absolutely a matter of public importance. But what the Leader of the Opposition has presented today is not an economic plan; it's a political attack dressed up as economic policy, and there's one very important question that the Leader of the Opposition needs to answer: if the coalition is so concerned about the cost of living, why does it keep voting against every single measure put forward to actually help Australians with the cost of living? You cannot claim to stand up for Australian families while voting against tax cuts for those very same families. You cannot complain about the price of groceries while opposing stronger penalties for supermarkets doing the wrong thing. You cannot claim to be a party of aspiration while voting against measures to help young Australians buy their first home.

I represent my community of Bonner in Brisbane, which is home to hardworking families, pensioners, young people saving for their first home and small-business owners who work incredibly hard to make a living. I know that people are doing it tough, but the people of Bonner don't need another politician telling them that life is expensive. They need a government doing something about it. That is exactly what this Albanese Labor government is doing.

Yesterday's inflation figures showed that inflation has ticked up. We aren't pretending otherwise. We heard the Treasurer today and all this week talk about it, over and over again. Inflation and interest rates are rising around the world and the war in the Middle East has made Australia's inflation challenge harder. But let's remember what Labor inherited. Inflation was above six per cent and rising rapidly. Underlying inflation was around five per cent. Both are now substantially lower. While the opposition wants Australians to forget its record, we haven't forgotten. They had almost a decade to build a stronger, fairer economy. Instead they left us with longstanding productivity challenges and an economy vulnerable to global shocks. Now they want Australians to believe that every economic challenge began the day that they left office.

Our government is focused on jobs, with 1.3 million created since we came to office. Our government is focused on practical help and on things that make a real difference to household budgets—things like delivering a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer and cheaper medicines, with $25 scripts. We've strengthened Medicare, we've expanded bulk-billing, and we're helping Australians buy their first homes with five per cent deposits. In Bonner we opened not one but two Medicare urgent care clinics. Over 20,000 people have been through the doors since they opened just this year. We've seen the number of fully bulk-billed clinics in my community double under this government. These aren't just announcements; they are real investments making a real difference to everyday budgets in my community.

As someone who has owned and operated a small business, I know how hard small-business owners work. I know the pressure of paying wages, managing cash flow and keeping doors open. I know that small businesses need more than political slogans. They need certainty, confidence and practical support. That's why we're making things like the $20,000 instant write-off permanent. We're delivering tax reforms to support small business, cutting unnecessary red tape and backing investment and growth. In the last financial year alone, a record 385,000 new businesses were added to the Australian economy.

My community sent me to this parliament to fight for them—not to pretend that everything is perfect or to dismiss the very real pressures that they're experiencing but to work hard every single day to make their lives better. That's the fundamental difference between this government and those opposite. Labor is cutting taxes. The coalition voted against tax relief. Labor is strengthening Medicare. The coalition keeps standing in the way. Labor is taking on the supermarket giants. The coalition tried to weaken the penalties. Labor is backing small business with certainty and investment. The coalition offers complaints without a credible alternative. Through you, Deputy Speaker, I say to the Leader of the Opposition, if you want to talk about the cost of living, let's talk about it, but let's also talk about your voting record, about the policies you've opposed and about what you would actually do differently, because Australians deserve more than complaints from an opposition with no credible alternative. The families in my community don't need that, and we will continue to deliver.