Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

TAYLOR () (): My question is to the Prime Minister. In 2006 the Prime Minister said: 'The government has failed to keep a lid on inflation in Australia's economy, and, as a consequence, interest rates have kept going up and up.' After eight consecutive rate rises on this government's watch, will the Prime Minister take responsibility for rates going up and up? Why do Australian families always pay more under Labor?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asked by the shadow Treasurer in 2023 about a quote from 2006. And people say they're backward looking! And they say they can't keep up with the times! I don't know where they get that from, but I'm sure that whoever faxed that quote to the shadow Treasurer—I'll accept that perhaps it's accurate, even though it wasn't detailed what was there.

We actually have a plan to take pressure off inflation, and that's the way you take pressure off interest rates. We have a plan also so that monetary policy works with fiscal policy, together, in order to achieve an outcome. That's why the Reserve Bank governor last week was talking about inflation as being at least half and perhaps even more—two-thirds—because of supply chain restraints. What are we doing about supply chain is part of our three part relief—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hume has asked his question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

repair, restraint. The relief is energy price relief, which they voted against, cheaper medicines, which they don't support, cheaper—

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Child care.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

child care, which they don't support, and fee-free TAFE, which they don't support. The repair is about supply chains—we have legislation for the National Reconstruction Fund so that we make more things here, and they're voting against that—as well as dealing with the skills crisis that we inherited. The restraint was shown by our returning those revenue gains to the budget. That's our plan. Those opposite have no plans except saying no and getting quotes from 2006 faxed through to their offices. The truth is that what we need in 2023 is a forward-looking government, and that's what you have right here, a forward-looking government that's looking at the challenges that we inherited—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Longman is warned.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

from the former government and the problems that they created. It's one thing to create problems, which you did—you left us with a trillion dollars of debt, a massive skills shortage, no industry policy plans and manufacturing going backwards—but then you stand in the way of solutions, as well. No wonder you won't ask the Treasurer a question. (Time expired)