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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Kim, the owner of Barenz Cafe in my electorate, says patronage is lower, power bills are higher and cost-of-living pressures are holding back everyday spending. Will this out of touch Prime Minister finally admit that—

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

The member for Macarthur is warned.

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

Australian families and businesses always pay more under Labor?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the honourable member for his question. It's all I can do to get a question from the shadow treasurer, Mr Speaker. I acknowledge, as you did, Mr Speaker, the delegations from Townsville and Brisbane, and say particularly to the group from Townsville how much I enjoyed catching up with them through the course of the week. My advice to the shadow treasurer is to get on the blower to Kim and explain to Kim why when the shadow treasurer and all of those members over there had the opportunity to vote for a little bit of help when it came to a higher energy bills they left them hanging. Those opposite completely abandoned the people in every suburb of this country and every small business which will be eligible for the energy bill relief that was passed through this parliament no thanks to those opposite.

It is especially galling to get a question from Australia's worst ever energy minister about energy prices. He was the worst performing minister in the worst performing government since Federation.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

I have to have silence from both sides of the chamber when I hear these points of order. I give the call to the member for Hume on a point of order.

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

The question was very specific. It was asking whether the Prime Minister would admit that Australian families and businesses always pay more under Labor.

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

The member for Hume, it is not an excuse to read the question again just FYI. The Treasurer needs to be relevant. The question was about energy prices. I'm going to direct him to go to that part of the question. He has been going for over a minute now.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was talking about energy prices, of course. The point that I am making is that when Kim and the other small business owners of this country, when the families and pensioners of this country, needed the Liberal and National parties to support the government in providing them a bit of assistance with their higher energy bills those opposite left them hanging. Those opposite completely abandoned the small businesses, the families and the pensioners of this country. When the parliament had the opportunity—

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

The member for Spence.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to give them a little bit of help, those opposite went missing. Unfortunately, particularly when it comes to the member for Hume, there is a pattern of behaviour here. The now shadow minister—the former minister—is more responsible than anybody else in this place for the fact that we've had this energy market chaos for too long, which has made us more vulnerable to shocks in global energy markets. The guy that tried to hide price rises from the Australian people during the election, the guy that voted against helping small businesses and families and pensioners—

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

The member for Groom.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and the guy that complained that that assistance wasn't arriving fast enough, is the guy that has the nerve to ask us about energy prices and the cost of living. If those opposite genuinely care about the cost-of-living pressures on Australian small businesses and families and pensioners, they wouldn't have abandoned them in their time of need like they did in December in this place.

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

The member for Longman is warned. There is far too much noise. If it continues, I will issue a general warning on both sides of the chamber.