David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Stuart from Louth Park says, 'The cost of living is the biggest thing on our minds right now.' Stuart says that his wife had to go back to work sooner after the birth of their daughter because the cost of everything was going up. Why does this budget do nothing structural to help Australians like Stuart and Samantha get ahead, including losing the lower middle income tax offset, under which they would have been $1,500 better off?

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

I thank the member for his question. With regard to the last element of his question, regarding the LMITO, I hope that he tells Stuart that it was Josh Frydenberg as Treasurer who made the decision—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did you just hand down a budget or not?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is your budget!

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

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

If this is going to be the centrepiece of their response—wow. The member asks about Stuart's partner going back to work. One of the things that we've done has been to put in place an extension of paid parental leave. That's why we've done this. Those opposite were in office for nine years. They could have done it during any of that period of time, but of course they didn't. They could also have supported—and I hope that the member for Lyne is honest enough to apologise to Stuart for voting against this—the Energy Price Relief Plan.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Apologise for things you're doing?

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

The member for Deakin will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Deakin then left the chamber.

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

I hope that you also tell Stuart of your opposition to other measures, including our cheaper child care plan. I assume that their child will go into child care if the husband and wife are both working. Well, from July 1, they will get cheaper child care as a result of this government's position—again, like everything else, opposed by those opposite.

I hope as well that he tells Stuart about our cheaper medicines. He's probably already had benefit from it, along with so many Australians—six million Australians that will benefit from what we have put forward. I assume, therefore, the member for Lyne is going to vote for that support as well. I hope that this means that the member for Lyne will vote for all of the cost-of-living measures which we have in this budget, and I hope that the member for Lyne counsels members of the coalition about their rhetoric that says that providing any support is somehow damaging the economy.

You can't have it both ways. You can't say, 'People are doing it tough, but we'll vote against every single measure that is aimed at assisting them,' but that's what his colleagues in the coalition are doing. I hope also that the member for Lyne says that it's a good thing that the member for Watson is the minister in charge of fixing our industrial relations system so that wages actually rise.