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

I have received a letter from the honourable member for Hume proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The Prime Minister's claim that Australians have had a pretty good ten months.

I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

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

The PM reminded us this week on several occasions that it has been 10 months since this Labor government came to power. In the lead-up to the election, in the lead-up to the last 10 months, Labor made many promises and, sadly, in the space of 10 months—10 months that the Prime Minister has described as 10 pretty good months—we have seen a growing list of broken promises. We can only assume there are more to come.

I'm sure those on this side of the House remember the promise of cheaper mortgages—broken. We remember the promise of no changes to superannuation—broken. We remember the promise of lower inflation—broken. We remember the promise 'we are not touching franking credits'—broken. We remember the promise that 'industry-wide bargaining is not part of our policy'—broken. We remember the promise 'we are doing our bit to assist real wage increases'—broken. We remember the promise that they are not about raising taxes—broken. We remember the promise to cut the cost of consultants and contractors—broken. And, of course, we remember the promise of a $275 reduction in electricity prices—broken.

These are all broken promises from a tricky government, from a tricky Prime Minister who is incapable of showing any empathy for the real issues that Australians are facing.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Get out of here. You don't know what empathy is.

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

In fact, I will take that interjection because this Prime Minister wants to talk about anything—anything—except the pressures that Australians are facing in their families and in their businesses. In these last 10 months—a pretty good 10 months, he claims—we have seen interest rates rise for nine consecutive months. These are rate increases we have not seen in this country for 30 years. We have not reached these inflation levels since 1990.

Power prices are going up. We just heard the last DMO—20 per cent increases. The Prime Minister does not even know the difference between the DMO and the Victorian default market offer. He didn't know the answer to that today. He has no idea because, quite frankly, this Prime Minister does not care about the pressures Australians are facing. He does not care at all. This is not his problem. His problem is power. That is what he is interested in—getting into power and staying in power. That is all he cares about. I tell you what, he will have a problem with power in the next couple of years because there will not be a lot of it in this country, the way this government is going with electricity prices and electricity supply. We have also seen in the last 10 months increased taxes. We've seen people on double incomes asking for help from charities to put food of the table. These are families with double incomes, and they're going to charities, in my electorate and elsewhere, because they can't put food on the table. People are being forced to take second jobs to pay the bills. A record number of Australians are turning to Lifeline, and this Prime Minister seriously thinks that it's been a good 10 months under this government. How out of touch is of this Prime Minister?

As I said, interest rates have gone up nine consecutive times under this government, and this latest increase means that a person with a typical mortgage of $750,000 is paying $1,700 more a month than they were before the election. That's $20,000 a year. No wonder we have families going to Lifeline. Quite seriously, this is absolutely diabolical. It's a scary time for many Australians; that's the reality. It is a scary time for many Australians, and when asked questions on this, the Prime Minister stands up, scoffs, laughs and refuses to answer. He refuses to answer because he is an out-of-touch prime minister. The latest national accounts show it is getting much harder for Australians to make ends meet. In fact, we saw interest paid on mortgages grow by 23 per cent during the December quarter. Instead of working in tandem with the Reserve Bank to take pressure off interest rates, the government is putting all of its energy into breaking promises and taxing Australians more. That's its solution to the problem for all Australians—tax them more.

It's clear that the government isn't doing enough to make the Reserve Bank's job easier. Australians, as a result, are facing a full-blown cost-of-living crisis. Data from the Reserve Bank says that 54 per cent of Australians with a mortgage will see that mortgage go from a fixed rate to a flexible rate this year. It is very important for those opposite to understand—it's clear the Prime Minister doesn't understand this; I don't think he really cares—that those on fixed rates have mortgage payments now on an interest rate of 2½ per cent. That's what they're moving from, and then they are going to be moving onto a new rate which is many times that. When he is asked questions on it, the Prime Minister says, 'It's okay. It's been a pretty good 10 months.'

You can look at the broader cost of living. We've seen a report recently from Finder. It says that 43 per cent of consumers are stressed about their grocery costs. It says that one in three Australians have asked friends or families for financial help in the past 12 months. And this Prime Minister wants to talk about everything else, except for that pressure. A total of 87 per cent of parents have had to reduce their spending on at least one expense due to the increased cost of living. Research from Roy Morgan shows us that an estimated 1.2 million mortgage holders—that's 25 per cent of mortgage holders—were at risk of mortgage stress.

I mentioned Lifeline earlier, and it's worth looking in detail at the numbers here, because they've reported an increase of almost 50 per cent in requests for help. There was no empathy from the Prime Minister when he was asked questions on these issues. Canstar's research has shown that 54 per cent of Aussies are losing confidence in the ability of the government to ease cost-of-living pressures. They're giving up on the government, and why wouldn't you? They want to talk about everything else, except for this. Tragically, data from Suicide Prevention Australia shows that 46 per cent of Australians have reported feeling increased pressure as the cost-of-living pressures continue to rise—up from five per cent the previous year.

Honourable members interjecting—

I'm talking about suicide, and I think a little bit of respect is appropriate.

Now, we've heard many real-life examples of all of this this week. The member for Herbert has raised the story of Peter in his electorate, who's having to make a heartbreaking choice between heating and eating. That's where it has got to. The member for Petrie raised the power bills of Kazik and Tatiana, who've seen their bills rise by 72 per cent. The member for Cook highlighted the devastating story of Caruso's Italian, run by Rocky and Kerrin, who, due to the rising costs of doing business, have had to close their iconic small business. It was an absolutely iconic small business. And in my electorate, Kym, the owner of the fantastic Barenz—anyone who has been to Camden on multiple occasion will know Barenz—is seeing fewer and fewer customers. 'You can see the pressures of the cost of living,' says Kym. You can see the pressures of the cost of living.

These are the real stories of Australians struggling right now. These are the tough choices that Australians are having to make. And what has the Prime Minister said in response? Today, on being asked these questions, he simply refused to answer. He refused to take responsibility. He is a prime minister who promised to take responsibility, and the best he can say is: 'It's been a pretty good 10 months.'

Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After that performance, aren't we lucky we didn't have another 10 months of that mob in government—the 'not my job' coalition. We are so fortunate that the Australian people chose to give them the time in opposition to think about the failures that they left behind and what they need to do to reform themselves. If we want to talk about the first 10 months, if we want to compare notes, let's have a look at the first 10 months of the Leader of the Opposition when he was health minister.

In his first 10 months, health minister Peter Dutton offered Australia a $7 GP tax. He was trying to make it more expensive for every Australian to go to the doctor. It was a fundamental assault on Medicare. That was the first 10 months of the Leader of the Opposition when he was health minister.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a point of order? What is your point of order?

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance. The MPI is on the first 10 months of this government.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister is being entirely relevant to the very broad terms of the matter of public importance, and you know that as well as I do, Member for Page, so I wouldn't jump up again.

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

Member for Longman?

Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Hunter wants to keep interjecting, could he do it from his chair?

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll be the person who determines interjections from where anyone is sitting, and if you interject, even in your seat, I'll pull you up. Likewise, the member for Hunter will not be interjecting from his seat, whether he's in his proper or the one he's currently sitting in. Now, I'd really like to hear from the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister.

Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is entirely relevant, because in the last 10 months of this government we have been cleaning up the 10 years of mess that was left by those opposite, and that mess started when the Leader of the Opposition was appointed as the health minister. He offered Australia a $7 GP tax—a fundamental assault on Medicare. He tried to increase the cost of medicines by $5. And then he had his big, bright policy idea: that we would charge people when they rock up to emergency departments.

That was what happened in the first 10 months when the now Leader of the Opposition was in the position of health minister. No wonder one of his other achievements in his first 10 months was to be voted the worst-ever health minister.

But we can continue. Let's look at his 10 months as opposition leader. The Leader of the Opposition, in his first 10 months, couldn't even get invited to the campaign launch of the New South Wales Liberal Party. He showed his fantastic judgement in the first 10 months when he called the robodebt royal commission a 'witch-hunt', when, as it has turned out, it has exposed so much of the failure that sat underneath the Morrison-Abbott-Turnbull government. We found ourselves seeing the Leader of the Opposition defending the secret ministries. Then, when it came to whether or not there were any new policy ideas from the Leader of the Opposition, he found that he didn't even have his own policy ideas. He was still stuck with Tony Abbott's one-word policy prescription, 'no'—or, to turn it into a three-word slogan, 'no, no, no'.

I have to wonder why we are having an MPI about the last 10 months, because, if we were to talk about the last 11 months, maybe we would also be covering things such as the secret ministries scandal, which saw the then Prime Minister, the member for Cook, holding five secret ministries. There were two secret assistant ministers, which we only found out about last week. None of them had the guts to stand up and tell us about the two secret assistant ministers operating in the Morrison government. I thought it was interesting that the shadow minister opposite didn't mention that the inflation problem started on their watch, didn't mention that interest rates started increasing on their watch and didn't mention that, when they walked out the door, they left a trillion dollars of Liberal debt for the Australian taxpayers to repay.

Of course, I'm disappointed that the shadow minister is no longer here, because they also left us with a secret energy price increase. I'm fascinated by this, because what we know about the secret energy price increase is, firstly, that the shadow minister, when he was asked on 26 October last year whether he had known before the election that prices would rise, said, 'No, I didn't.' A week later, on 1 November, when he was asked if he had signed the regulation delaying notification of the price rise, he said, 'I did, as it was recommended by the industry department.' So we have someone who is lecturing the current government when his own record was one of deception, hiding things from the Australian people before an election, and then refusing after the election to even own up to it.

I will take the interjection from those opposite, who are saying they want to hear more about what the Albanese government is doing for the people of Australia. I take that interjection. Let's look at it. We supported an increase—again, because of a choice the Australian people made—to the minimum wage. We said, 'Absolutely we support it.' Those opposite went to the election saying they didn't support an increase in the minimum wage. We have backed a pay increase for aged-care workers, 15 per cent, so that they start to get the pay they deserve for the work for which we have for far too long said, 'Thank you,' but not given them the pay that they deserve. We've cut the price of PBS medicines down to $30, saving a family with two or three scripts a month up to $450 a year, and in 100 days from today we will see child care cheaper for 1.2 million Australian families. I will contrast that with what we saw from those opposite, who proudly presided over a 49 per cent increase in the cost of child care for working families in Australia over 10 years.

Also, when it was clear that we needed to take urgent action because of the challenges in the energy market, we brought this parliament back on 15 December, brought legislation into this place and asked every member: did they want to vote for cheaper electricity or did they want to vote for higher energy prices? Those in the opposition voted for higher energy prices. They voted against price relief for families in their own electorates. Then they come in here with stories about their constituents, and never do they say that they have explained to those constituents or to businesses that they voted against energy price relief. They simply ignore the fact that, when they were asked to act and to do their fundamental job of voting for legislation in this place, they chose not to vote for energy price relief.

I know that we have some fantastic speakers on this MPI coming—maybe not on that side, but I'm pretty confident on this side. As to some of the other things that have been achieved, I want to commend the work that the member for Macquarie has done in making sure that we once again value our arts and creative industries. I commend her and the minister for their work on the Revive cultural policy, a fantastic piece of work that had been missing for 10 years. We didn't have a national cultural policy. We didn't get rid of it; I don't know who did. But I'm pleased that we have a government that once again believes in making sure we have a proper cultural policy with new money.

I want to commend the work of the member for Jagajaga, who's been out there campaigning for cheaper child care. She knows it's not just about helping families with cost of living; it's about investing in our children and the productivity of our economy. She's been a leading campaigner for that.

I want to commend the work of the member for Lalor, as the Chief Government Whip, who has made sure so much of the government's legislative agenda when it comes to Jobs and Skills Australia, to those 20,000 university places, to legislation to open the doors of opportunity—again, people on this side are committed to making sure—

An opposition member: Give the member for Hunter a rap!

I will give the member for Hunter a rap. He never left a trillion dollars of debt! The member for Hunter didn't spend $3.4 billion on submarines that were never built. He's never spent a billion dollars on government advertising. He is a fantastic advocate for his region, and he is also a strong advocate for manufacturing jobs. He has been, in this place, time and time again, asking those opposite to back the National Reconstruction Fund so that we can once again back manufacturing in this country, as opposed to those opposite— (Time expired)

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can see some very big smiles—and so there should be—on some of the backbenchers opposite, because that was a woeful performance and there will be some opportunities open up the front benches after that terrible performance by the assistant minister. When you get an opportunity to talk about what your government has done in the first 10 months of its operation, you'd think you would spend some time saying with pride what you think the government has done. In that woeful performance he spent about 7½ to eight minutes having a crack at the other side—and some of it was on stuff from 10 years ago. There were some big smiles on some faces on the backbench because that was woeful.

Let's go to the first 10 months of this government's performance, which, as well, has been woeful. I'm going to start with one thing that is quite traumatic; I feel very strongly about this. When the Prime Minister says it's been a pretty good 10 months, it hasn't been a pretty good 10 months in those remote communities where the cashless welfare card has been removed. The cashless welfare card was having some real practical impacts on the ground. I know one of the communities quite well and have been to one of those communities quite a lot as well. Those communities were telling me they did think the cashless welfare card was working, and the stats prove it. Since that cashless welfare card has been removed from some of those remote and regional communities, domestic violence is up, child abuse is up—

A government member: Where's the source!

I take that interjection. I say: talk to the communities. I'm quite shocked about the ideology of those opposite. Their blind ideology means women are getting raped and children are getting bashed that weren't beforehand—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lalor, on a point of order?

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would ask the member to withdraw.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not withdraw. I encourage the member for Lalor, at 10 o'clock on Monday morning—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It would—

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to come to a meeting. I will tell the member where the meeting is, and the people at that meeting—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Excuse me! Member for Page, it would assist the House—

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not withdraw.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Would you like to defy the ruling of the chair?

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not going to withdraw that statement.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then you are moving dissent from my ruling. Is that what you're moving? I think you should consider your situation. It would be a courtesy to the House if you would withdraw.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will withdraw as a courtesy to you, Deputy Speaker. But I invite the member for Lalor, on Monday morning at 10 o'clock, to come to a meeting where there will be representatives of those communities who will be talking about the real impact of it. I invite you to come to that meeting if you so wish.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Excuse me! The member has withdrawn his statement, but do you have another point of order?

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happier with an unconditional withdrawal.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. I have accepted there has been a withdrawal, and—

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw it.

Th e DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Page, I am listening very, very carefully.

And I invite the other members opposite who said where are you getting this information from or these statistics from. I will spread the information about where this meeting is at 10 o'clock on Monday morning. There are going to be community members from these communities who will tell their stories, and I will invite you to come. It will be interesting to see which of you members do turn up to that who don't believe what's been going on in these communities. Again, I think the blind ideology that you have had about that card has caused great distress in those communities, and I think it certainly hasn't been a pretty good 10 months for those communities.

Obviously that topic has taken up more time than I thought it would, but there are other things I do wish to mention very briefly. This government said that its energy policy was the most modelled policy by an opposition in history. The Ukraine war had started, when they came into government, and they were saying they were going to lower everyone's electricity bills. Again, it hasn't been a good 10 months for anyone who has to pay an energy bill. The mortgages—they actually said mortgages would be lower under them when they came into government, and, again, it hasn't been a great 10 months for any mortgage repayment person in this country. So there's a lot that this government has to be ashamed of in its first 10 months.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It feels like 10 years with all the things we've done.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tell us how good you are!

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In AHistory of Delusions, author Victoria Shepherd takes readers back hundreds of years to investigate extraordinary and well documented cases of delusion. But she doesn't need to look back over hundreds of years of history; she only needs to look at those opposite, because to think that the past 10 months has been anything but chaotic is, quite frankly, delusional.

In this interesting book, and as the Washington Post's Lucinda Robb in her wonderful review writes:

It is quite a cast of characters. There is the clockmaker who thought his head had been chopped off and accidentally swapped for another (he wanted his original—and much better—teeth back). A London tea-broker interrupted Parliament to warn that a gang of villains was using a device called an "Air-Loom" to control the minds of British politicians—

Maybe there's somebody out there who's doing that to those who are writing the talking points for those opposite! The review continues:

A middle-aged housewife, immortalized in medical history as Madame M, showed up at a Parisian police station to report that her entire family had been replaced by doubles—

That could have happened to those opposite too!

Indeed, although the Prime Minister says it has been a pretty good 10 months, he didn't actually say it's been an outstanding 10 months, because he knows it hasn't. In his heart of hearts, he knows that it hasn't. Certainly it hasn't. If he and those opposite believe otherwise, they belong in the next chapter of history's most famous people who are delusional. It certainly hasn't been a pretty good 10 months for farmers, who, thanks to the Minister for the Environment and Water, are now faced with buybacks in the river communities. They are not saying that it's been a pretty good 10 months.

It certainly hasn't been a pretty good 10 months for businesses and families, because every time they turn on a power switch, they're paying more on their power bills. Indeed, we heard on 97 occasions that there was going to be a $275 cut to those bills. Where is that cut? Of course, it's delusional. It is delusional of those opposite, but they won't even mention the $275. Oh, no, you don't hear them mention that figure anymore, because it has been wiped from their talking points. It was in their talking points.

I hear the member for Hunter. It was in his talking points when he was running for that seat, but it's not there now. You won't hear them say $275, because they know they duped the Australian public.

Indeed, it hasn't been a good 10 months for those communities which had the cashless debit card. I know the member for Page mentioned this, but the cashless debit card had led to better communities. It had led to better outcomes. Certainly, the Aboriginal people who live in those remote communities were getting better outcomes from the cashless debit card, and that has been taken away. That is indeed so sad.

It hasn't been a 'pretty good 10 months' for truckies. I acknowledge the frontline medical professionals—the nurses and the doctors—and everyone else who played a part in saving lives during COVID, but it was the truckies who transported the vaccines and the personal protection equipment around the country and who did so much to keep the toilet rolls supplied when everybody thought they needed 10 toilet rolls every time they went to the loo. They were the real unsung heroes of the global pandemic right here in Australia. I was the minister who put the national transport freight logistics code in place—in hours, not weeks, months or whatever the case might be—with the state ministers, albeit some were Labor, and I thank them again. That's what the truckies did, and what are they getting in return? A 10 per cent rise in a truckie tax that they don't want, they don't need, they don't deserve and they certainly didn't expect. 'It's been a pretty good 10 months,' the Prime Minister says—not at all! It hasn't been a good 10 months, not for families, not for business, not for farmers, not for truckies and not for remote Aboriginal communities.

If this is what Labor is going to do in the first 10 months of government, then goodness knows what's going to come in the future. But Australians are onto this government; they know that they have been duped. They won't be duped again. They won't be duped twice. They won't be misled twice when they hear Labor candidates saying, 'We're going to cut your power bills,' because we know that under Labor you always pay more.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Hume for the matter of public importance today, noting of course that the member for Hume didn't stay for the discussion—nor did the member for Page stay for the discussion. I'd like to thank the colleagues on this side of the House who are here for the discussion and who've stayed for the discussion because we take our jobs in this place seriously. Five minutes is sometimes a long time in this place—as the member for Riverina leaves after his long five-minute contribution. Five minutes is a long time sometimes in this place, and 10 months can go just like that. And 10 years? Ten years can do so much damage.

We've had 10 years of a government that refused to acknowledge the need for action on climate change—so much damage. We've had 10 years of a government that refused to see education as an investment, seeing it only as a cost, and then chose to fund the private sector more than the public sector. We've had 10 years of a government that oversaw a rise in the cost of child care to 49 per cent, as we heard today from the education minister, a government which should be responsible for these things. We've had 10 years of a government under which the Australian public lost faith in the integrity of this place. We've had 10 years of a government that didn't come into this place every day with a razor-sharp focus on the Australian public and on building back confidence and belief in our domestic conventions and institutions. In 10 months, this government has been focused on all of those things.

It was 10 years of a government that cared so little about the cost of living for those who had ever accessed social security that it thought it was appropriate to introduce an unlawful system that targeted some of our most vulnerable. It wasn't just our most vulnerable that were targeted; it was young people. The government targeted people who had been students. People had accessed our safety net to support themselves while they were studying, only to find, as I did, sitting with many of them in my electorate, that when they got their first job they were hit with an unlawful and wrong robodebt. People were told, through the issuing of that debt and the skitching of debt collectors after them, that they had done something wrong. I said to young people in my electorate, 'You need to fight this, because in paying it back you're acknowledging that you defrauded the Commonwealth, when in fact you did not.'

That's the government we had for 10 years, and in 10 months this government has worked solidly on the commitments that we took to the election to rebuild the faith of the Australian public in this institution, to rebuild the faith of the Australian public that a federal government can exist and can do things about the cost-of-living crisis as well as introduce the things we promised to do. That's what this government is about. We can say they've been a good 10 months because what we've done in those 10 months is deliver on our promises. Cheaper childcare was a commitment. It's also a cost-of-living relief.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And power prices?

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear the interjection about power prices from over there. You know what this government sees? This government sees every challenge in this country as an opportunity, and the challenge of climate change is an opportunity to become a clean, green energy superpower. That's how this government sees the world. Every challenge is an opportunity. When we were elected only to find the hidden promise was a great increase in power prices, did we shirk it? No, we confronted it. We say: 'There's a challenge. What will we do about that? Let me think—we'll bring parliament back and we'll do something to support those families. We'll bring in legislation to this place and not waste a minute, not say it's close to Christmas, we'll deal with that in January.' No, no, no. We brought parliament back to pass legislation, only to find that in these 10 months those opposite couldn't bring themselves to support the Australian public and to support this government. We've been a good government because we've got on with the job. (Time expired)

Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the matter of public importance brought by my colleague the member for Hume today, and I thank him for bringing this matter to the House. The Prime Minister's claimed that Australians have had a pretty good 10 months, but I'm yet to have any Australian, besides maybe some of those that sit opposite us, saying to me that they have had a pretty good 10 months. Nobody in my electorate of Hughes has come to me to say, 'I've had a really good 10 months', or even a pretty good 10 months. Instead, I'm hearing that on average in my electorate they are now paying almost $2,000 a month more on mortgages—and 30 per cent of my electorate still have a mortgage.

What impact does this have on small businesses in my electorate and small businesses throughout Australia? Small businesses in my electorate are saying many things. Cafe owners will say: 'People used to come in and buy two cups of coffee. Now they're cutting down to one.' A local beautician in Sutherland only two weeks ago said to me: 'Discretionary spend is down. People are no longer coming in and getting the same amount of services that they used to get.' Cafe owners again have said: 'We used to have the Tuesday lunch crowd that used to come in. Now they're coming in and having coffees instead.' That is having a direct impact on small businesses, which has a flow-on impact on employment and on my electorate of Hughes. I ask that the Prime Minister explain which Australians he was referring to when he said Australians have had a pretty good 10 months. He's refused to answer questions this week about it. I asked the Prime Minister a question about the closure of what used to be a local institution in the Sutherland shire. This was an Italian restaurant, Caruso's. They closed their doors at the beginning of March and said they were closing their doors because of the escalating costs of power and the other living costs that have increased so much over the last 10 months. They'd been in business for 17 years, and now they've closed their doors and people have lost their jobs.

Families, over the past 10 months, have had nine consecutive rate rises under this government. I don't know how it can be said that Australians have had a pretty good 10 months. It just does not make sense. Older Australians having to choose between heating and eating would not agree with the Prime Minister's assertion that Australians have had a pretty good 10 months. Parents that are having to make tough choices about their budgets wouldn't say it's been a pretty good 10 months. And we just keep saying it.

I will draw some direct quotes from the Prime Minister. Indeed, at the Labor launch on 1 May last year he said:

… as your Prime Minister—I won't run from responsibility. I won't treat every crisis as a chance to blame someone else. I will show up, I will step up, I will bring people together.

What a beautiful statement. Ten months down the track that has not occurred.

On 11 April last year on ABC News Breakfast, he said, 'I will take responsibility. I'll show leadership. I'll deal with the challenges. And there are also opportunities that we can seize.' At a Sydney press conference on 10 April last year he said:

I think that Australians want a government that does its job, that doesn't always blame someone else, that accepts responsibility.

So why do we hear now that the increase in power prices is because of the war in Ukraine, for example? This Prime Minister, this government, continue to blame somebody else, even a war overseas, for problems within Australia that they simply cannot fix, that they do not have answers for. Under this government and under Labor governments forever Australian families, Australian businesses, Australians always pay more under Labor.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a difference 10 months makes. Ten months ago people were talking to me about how anxious they were that Australia would never take action on climate change. Ten months ago people were talking to me about aged care and the conditions people were facing. Ten months ago people were talking to me about their concerns about being able to follow the career they wanted because of concerns about TAFE. Ten months ago the world was a different place, and it was not a better place, because of the policies that those opposite had pursued for a decade. It was a decade of not valuing education. It was a decade of not valuing early education and recognising that the support we give our young people as their brains are developing in the preschool years is crucial. Not only that, but not supporting families meant that women weren't able to get back into the workforce in the way that they wanted to.

When I look back 10 months ago and think of the myriad of problems people were experiencing and raising with me—even I felt overwhelmed by the job that we would have if we won the election. And it turns out clearly we did win the election. I have been blown away by the determination of the ministers, the assistant ministers and the special envoys that we have. I have been blown away by the determination that has been shown to work methodically through, supported by, and I include myself in this, a terrific team of backbenchers.

I literally just looked at an email that had come through from a constituent. He's a constituent who doesn't always agree with me about things, but the words he used were: 'You've had a terrific first 10 months.' In fact, he thought it was a year, so he thinks we've been here a year. The keywords were: 'and you seem determined to press on', and that is what we're doing on this side of the House. We don't look at a problem and go, 'Oh, let's pretend it's not there because it might go away.' We don't ignore things. We don't ignore the fact that climate change is wreaking havoc on our community. Members across there know the experience I have had in my electorate and the experience my constituents have gone through, not just in the last couple of years, but back, just when they were elected in 2013, when bushfires swept through Winmalee and Mount Victoria. We know that this government was aware there were some issues, but what did they do? Absolutely nothing.

By contrast, every time we've seen a problem—some of them we knew about before the election. Others have emerged. Some were hidden from us, like the reality of what the power increases would be. That was hidden, not just from us but from the Australian people before the election. But we don't go, 'Oh, let's pretend—la, la, la—it's not really happening.' We tackle the issues, methodically working through them and collaboratively working through them. That's a word those opposite should look up in a dictionary and really embrace. We're collaborating across this parliament, wherever there is a willingness to do so. Every day you see evidence of that as we pass our legislation through this place.

I'm not going to have time, in the minute and 10 seconds that remains, to talk through all the things we've passed, but let's just take a look at a few of them. We now have a National Anti-Corruption Commission, about to start its work. In 100 days, we will have cheaper child care. That is economic micro reform. For many families that's going to transform their ability to work. We have made medicines cheaper. They are cheaper now. It's cheaper when you go to get a script filled, whether you're a pensioner, whether you're on a seniors health card or whether you're not on any of those. What's more, there are more people who have access to that seniors health card. We did it. We have 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave. It's there and operating. There's an electric vehicle discount that's been legislated. It's now law.

We have made more changes in 10 months than those opposite could even imagine. What would have happened had they still been sitting on this bench? Absolutely nothing.

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I'd like to speak about the Prime Minister's claim that Australians have had a pretty good 10 months. This claim is extraordinary. It's astonishing. It's remarkable. But the problem with it is that it's fictitious, because it just ain't true. I don't know anyone who's better off than they were 10 months ago. I don't know any Australian who is. It is absolutely unbelievable. There are rising insurance costs, rising fuel costs, rising power prices and rising mortgages, and the list just goes on.

What about Lee, my constituent, whose home is in Mackay but who is currently in the Townsville hospital fighting an aggressive cancer? He has been there since January receiving chemo treatment, unable to work, with no income protection insurance and 400 kilometres away from his wife, children and support network. This family is suffering from financial stress and, on top of Lee's medical costs, they are facing the pressures of rising living costs. These should not be Lee's worries to have at the moment. His priority should be his health and winning his fight against cancer.

I came to this place to make a difference. I came to this place to serve the people of Dawson, who were already going pretty well under the coalition—as a matter of fact, very well. But what I'm asking for is: can those opposite actually honour some of their commitments, because my people of Dawson are hurting? Rising mortgage costs and rising power costs are hurting my people. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about that from this stage, because I'm on the opposition. But I'm pleading with you folks, from the goodness of your hearts, to please help my people out and address the rising cost of living.

Take Ben, for example. Ben's a constituent of mine, and his business is refrigerated transport and refrigerated cold stores. His model is that he picks up fruit and vegetables from growers, takes them back to his place, cools them in the cold stores and then forwards them on using bigger trucks. He's rung me and said: 'Andrew, I cannot afford the rates that these electricity prices are going up by. I cannot make that work and, more importantly, I can't pass those costs on because my people simply cannot afford it.' He goes: 'What do I do? Also, can you tell me what happened to the $275 reduction in power prices that Labor promised before the election?' He is actually blown away by this, and so am I.

So, what is Labor's answer to this? It's to put price caps on electricity and gas prices. Now, hasn't that worked a treat! I'm proud that I voted against that, because ever since that happened prices have only been going up. It's simple economics. Look at what's happening with gas. When you look at the supply and demand situation, what you need to do to reduce the price is put more gas into the system. But, no. And I'll tell you what for those opposite: you've already had your sugar hit. If it hasn't worked so far, you wait to see what's going to happen in the future. No-one's investing in gas anymore because you have taken their certainty away. It's just simple economics. You need to get on board with this.

And the mortgage—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, yes, renewables. Don't they work well! I'll take the interjection. More unreliable and useless technology. Thank you very much. But in 10 short months, the trails of broken promises are everywhere to be seen. The $275 power relief—broken promise. No changes in superannuation—broken promise. A 24/7 registered nurse in all aged-care facilities—broken promise. No changes to the franking credits—broken promise. 'Your mining jobs will be safe'—you used to back the miners, or you used to back in the day, but now not at all. You back your old mates the Greens. What a turnout! You've turned your back on the people who have always supported you. What a turnout. Absolutely unbelievable.

As you can see history shows Labor are very good at making promises, they're just not good at keeping them. Australians are not better off under this Albanese Labor government. Australians always pay more under Labor.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank those opposite for bringing on this matter of public importance today that gives us an opportunity to talk about the first 10 months of the Albanese Labor government. I wish I had more than five minutes to talk about the changes that we have delivered, the changes for Australians that, in 10 months, are making such a difference. It's an interesting strategy from those opposite. I don't quite understand it, but I'm happy to speak on it.

When I talk to people in my community of Canberra, there is a palpable sigh of relief. A number of people have approached me and said, 'We are just so happy with the change of government.' There is a change of mood in this place. We'd come in here crying out for action on a whole range of issues—on climate change, on age care, on cost of living—all of these things that are so important to my constituents and all Australians—that the previous government took absolutely no responsibility for. As the member for Lalor was just saying, when we see a challenge now, we confront it. That is what government is about. We approach things by taking responsibility and getting on with the job.

I'd like to talk about a few of the key achievements in our first 10 months in government. As I said, I've only got five minutes, so I won't get to talk about them. In our first 10 months of government, we have established the National Anti-Corruption Commission—another thing that those opposite failed to deliver, even though they promised to do it. They never even introduce the legislation. We have passed a climate change bill and updated our climate targets, and at the moment we are trying to get through this House, in a very consultative manner, the very important safeguard mechanism that will begin transitioning our economy to a low-emissions economy and getting us to our target of net zero by 2050.

We are making child care cheaper and in 100 days time over a million Australian families will be better off with this policy—including so many in Canberra who struggle with some of the highest childcare costs in the country. We have made medicines cheaper. We have introduced legislation to expand paid parental leave. We have secured an increase in the minimum wage and a pay rise for aged-care workers—a much deserved and overdue pay rise. We have passed legislation to get wages moving. We have advanced a Voice to parliament, and I'm incredibly proud to be part of a government taking this on and getting it done. Today, giving the wording of the question that we will take to a referendum is an incredibly important moment for Australia. It's an opportunity to walk forward in reconciliation. The previous government initially sounded like, maybe, they were going to do it—and just shirked it.

We established a royal commission into robodebt. We are repairing our international relations. We have created 180,000 new fee-free TAFE places and are delivering 20,000 new university places. We have established 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave, one of our first actions in government, because no-one should face the choice of their job or their safety. We convened a Jobs and Skills Summit. We established Jobs and Skills Australia. We ended the cashless debit card, expanded the Commonwealth seniors health card and delivered the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee.

We've made it easier for pensioners to earn more without losing their pension and have acted to take the sting out of energy prices and ensure bill relief. We've green-lighted over $16 billion in renewable energy infrastructure in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania through Rewiring the Nation. We've introduced the first cultural policy in a decade, which we didn't even have under the previous government because they simply didn't care about the arts and culture in this country. I am very proud of that.

Yesterday we announced Australia's first endometriosis and pelvic pain GP clinics across the country, including one right here in the ACT. I was very proud to join the minister for that announcement. And, very importantly, for the people of the ACT and the Northern Territory, we allowed the debate on restoring territory rights, something the previous government would not do. It enabled the member for Solomon and me to bring a private member's bill and ensure that our constituents have the same democratic rights now as those in the rest of the country.

So I am very, very proud of our first 10 months of a government that is making the changes that matter for Australians—as Labor governments always do.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The discussion is now concluded.