Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Inflation is a challenge around the world. In the UK it's at 6.8 per cent, in Germany it's at 6.1 per cent, and in the US it's at 3.2 per cent—and spare a thought for Sweden, where it's sitting at eight per cent. It's a global problem caused by the war in Ukraine and global supply chain issues that haven't fully equalised since COVID.

And here in Australia we have not been spared. Inflation in Australia as of July this year is at 4.9 per cent, a drop of 0.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent in June. It's encouraging, but we know that there is more to do, as Australians are still under the pump. So I welcome the news today that the RBA has decided to keep the official cash rate at 4.1 per cent for the third month in a row. This will be a welcome reprieve for many mortgage holders, but we know that cost-of-living pressures can hit from many different angles—energy, rent, childcare fees and costs of medicines. So what is this government doing?

We know that inflation is still the main game in town, and that's why our primary focus is to take the edge off those cost-of-living pressures that many households are feeling, and, unlike those opposite, who talk a big game on cost of living, this government has got the action to match. First and foremost, this is a government that knows the best thing you can do alongside managing inflation is to make sure that wages are going up, because good wages are what Australian families need to address cost-of-living pressures.

On this front, there is an increasingly good story to tell. Data from the middle of August confirmed that the wage price index rose by 0.8 per cent in the June quarter to be 3.6 per cent higher through the year. This is the first time in three years quarterly wages have kept up with inflation and is much better than the fall of 1.5 per cent in the March quarter of 2022 before the previous election.

Since coming into government, wages have been growing at an annualised average of 3.6 per cent compared to 2.1 per cent under the watch of those opposite, and this hasn't just happened by accident. The previous government had low wages as a deliberate feature of their economic architecture. We don't, and that's the difference here. Wages are on the right track because of the policies put in place by the Albanese Labor government—supporting large increases in the minimum wage and low-paid awards, making sure workers in highly feminised industries like early education can bargain collectively for better pay and providing aged-care workers with a 15 per cent increase in their pay. This, when coupled with responsible economic management that keeps downward pressure on inflation, is what will get wages moving, but it's not all on the wages front.

With the introduction this week of the closing the loophole bill in this House, the government has made clear it that to improve wages we have to close the loopholes that undermine wages and conditions. But more than that, and I think this is often missed, this levels the playing field for workers and businesses. And I'm assuming here that the alleged party of business might be interested in this, because, when some employers try and use sneaky labour-hire tactics to undermine pre-agreed enterprise agreements, this distorts markets and penalises businesses who stick to their enterprise agreements.

We're also standing up for casuals who want to become permanent. We're closing the loophole that leaves people stuck classified as casuals when they actually work permanent regular hours, so this is good for market competition and makes sure that we protect the wages and conditions of some of Australia's most vulnerable workers.

There's a very human side to this too. I saw it during the election campaign. I was outdoor knocking in Lidcombe when I met Ashley. Ashley told me about her partner who had been working at the same company for 27 years. Despite this, he could never move to a permanent role. It was never offered to him. He was only ever employed as a casual worker. So that's 27 years of not being able to book a holiday on annual leave and of not having job security. That's 27 years of not having certainty of hours, of not being able to plan your life and of not being able to get a mortgage. So it's for people like Ashley and her family that we want to close these loopholes and get wages moving.

On energy prices, this government is getting on with the job of giving business the certainty of investment while also negotiating the transition to net zero. You give business certainty by having one energy plan, sticking to it and working on delivering it. This is a big contrast to the previous government. They had more than 20 attempts at an energy plan and they couldn't land one. Those opposite failed to back our energy intervention plan late last year when energy prices were climbing. They refused to back a plan that would provide relief to households. But the results are in: without the Albanese Labor government's intervention last year, the ABS estimates that the most recent six per cent July increase would have been 19 per cent. It is this government's intervention that is working to take the sting out of energy prices.

I talk about all these measures we are taking to address the cost of living, but I haven't even brought up cheaper child care, cheaper medicine and the work we are doing to lift JobSeeker and rent assistance that is going to provide direct financial relief for so many who are doing it tough. We know these are challenging times and there is much for the government to do, and we are getting on with the job of implementing our economic plan to ensure we are both helping with cost-of-living relief where we can and putting downward pressure on inflation. That's ultimately what is going to lay the foundation for a stronger economic future.

During this cost-of-living crisis, I had a really hard think about what I can be doing as a local federal member to help my community. Whilst the Albanese Labor government is doing all it can to provide cost-of-living relief, I, as a local federal member, needed to ensure I was providing that practical relief to my community. I have organised two cost-of-living help hubs. We've already held one in Burwood, which was a great success. We had 300 people come through the door. The idea behind the cost-of-living help hub was to ensure we were bringing in the government agencies at both the federal and state level who could provide the information the community needed about the rebates, vouchers and financial relief they could access. On the day, people were bringing in their bills—their electricity bills, their gas bills—and they were able to get concrete practical support from agencies about the rebates they were entitled to. Our next one will be at Lidcombe Public School. We're inviting the community to come on 18 September, and they will be able to speak to a range of representatives from Centrelink, Services NSW and Sydney Water, as well as the Western Sydney Community Legal Centre. We want to make sure that, during this period, people have access to the information they need as well as the support they need. Anyone who needs support is very welcome to come to our cost-of-living help hub.