Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Angus Shepherd completed his PhD last year with a HECS debt of $48,000. He was set to pay back around $1,500 of his debt in his next tax return. But with Labor's indexation his debt will rise by about $2,700. He will end up about $1,000 further in the red. Can the Treasurer justify why Labor thinks it is good to push students further into debt and raise more by increasing HECS debt than from changes to tax on gas corporations?

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

It's characteristically dishonest of the member to pretend that there has been some change in the budget on Tuesday night.

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

Order. The Treasurer will pause. I'd like to hear from the Leader of the Australian—

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! Who is constantly laughing on my right? If it continues, it is highly disorderly and you'll be asked to leave without warning. I want to hear from the Leader of the Australian Greens.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was a very clear reflection on a member, and the Treasurer should withdraw.

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

The Minister for Home Affairs is getting very close to being removed from the chamber. I'm going to ask the Treasurer to withdraw and continue with his answer.

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

I withdraw. I say to the member for Griffith that he should not come into this place and pretend that Tuesday's budget had any changes to the repayment arrangements around HECS debts. Ask all the questions you want, important questions, about the cost of living for students and young people, but don't come in here and pretend—

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

Order, the Leader of the Opposition.

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

You're voting with them. You're voting with them in the Senate. The Leader of the Opposition interjects about arrangements between major parties and the Greens. This is not the best day to do it, I say to the Leader of the Opposition. Today is not the best day to point that out. Those opposite are engaged in an unholy alliance with the Greens to knock off social and affordable housing in the Senate. So to bring up, in this typically ham-fisted way, a relationship between a major party and the Greens—today is not the day to do it, my friend. Today is not the day to do it.

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

The Treasurer will pause.

The member for Dunkley will leave the chamber.

The member for Swan then will withdraw from the chamber. The member for Dunkley may stay; I misheard. The member for Swan will leave the chamber. Somebody's leaving!

The member for Swan then left the chamber.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order. There is far too much noise in the chamber. I know everyone is very exercised. I need to be able to hear what the minister is saying in answering the question. I'm going to give the call to the member for Griffith.

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The question was specifically about indexing student debt and why the government justifies it.

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

I thank the member. The point that I'm making is that the member for Griffith shouldn't come in here and pretend there has been a policy change in the budget when it comes to the repayment of HECS debt. There hasn't. This is the longstanding arrangement that is applied to the indexation of student debt. His time in this place would be better spent not making up stories about Tuesday night's budget but instead voting for social and affordable housing. The member wanders around his electorate pretending he is for social and affordable housing and then comes down here and votes against it.

When it comes to students and young people—and I answered this question when the honourable member for Fowler asked it—this government is backing in students and young people with an increase in Commonwealth rent assistance, Austudy, youth allowance and the base rate of JobSeeker. These are important ways that we demonstrate our support for students and young people, like I told the member for Fowler. I understand that the member for Griffith will get all over his social media feed and pretend that Labor have made some kind of change when it comes to the repaying of HECS debts, but we haven't.