Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, the government's one-off $300 rebate that you claim will help all Australians with their energy bills starts today. CPI is still around four per cent, according to the ABS. We know the rebate in tax cuts your government announced will not be enough to pay for the increases in food, energy, petrol prices, rents and housing needs which many families in Fowler are facing. Will you guarantee struggling families in Western Sydney won't go backwards with the cost of living from today due to your government's announcements?

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

I thank the member for Fowler for her question. I'm sure that she would welcome the support for the 62,000 taxpayers in her electorate who'll get a tax cut today. Now, I'm asked whether that will make them go forward or back. That's extra cash in the pockets of 62,000 taxpayers, and for an electorate like Fowler, which has far fewer taxpayers than the national average—than my electorate, for example—on the top tax rate and far more who earn less than $45,000 a year—

Ms Ley interjecting—

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition does not need to interject with those sorts of comments. The Prime Minister is being directly relevant in mentioning the member's electorate.

Ms Ley interjecting—

The deputy leader is warned, and the Prime Minister will continue.

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

The decision that we made to change the tax cuts and their direction from the Liberals' tax cuts, which would have seen people miss out, will directly impact, in a positive way, members of the Fowler electorate. Every single household will benefit from the $300 reduction, every small business in her electorate will benefit from the $325 reduction, and anyone who has a child on way will benefit from the additional two weeks of paid parental leave. The elderly people in her electorate who rely upon PBS medicines will benefit directly from what we're doing with the five-year freeze for people on pensions and fixed incomes, while everyone will benefit from the one-year freeze.

In addition to that, every single worker will benefit from the increase in superannuation. All of that—higher wages and lower taxes—will benefit people in her electorate, and all of them were opposed by those opposite. I'm sure the member for Fowler will support the other changes that we have in mind, which are stuck in the Senate—like the additional money for housing, which remains there, and like the plan that we have which will only impact those people who have $3 million in super, who are more likely to be in my electorate or the electorate of Wentworth than in the electorate of Fowler. I'm sure that the member for Fowler will support the government's initiatives because they are delivering for her electorate. (Time expired)

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering cost-of-living relief to regional Australians, and what has been the response?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hunter very much for that question, and I particularly acknowledge the great work that he does as the member for Hunter, as well as his championing for those of us who live in regions right the way across this parliament. As members of regional Australia, we know that our number one priority is delivering cost-of-living relief for every Australian, particularly those who are living in our regions. We do understand that people in our communities are under pressure and we do understand that some of them are doing it really tough. We're working hard to deliver that cost-of-living relief to ensure Australians, particularly in the regions, can earn more and keep more of what they earn.

That is why, from today, every single taxpayer across regional Australia is receiving a tax cut. A truckie in the Pilbara earning $77,000 is getting a tax cut of $1,604, a construction worker in the Hunter earning $110,000 is getting a tax cut of $2,429 and an apprentice in Gippsland earning $53,000 is receiving a tax cut of $1,000—tax cuts that help regional Australians keep more of what they earn. Also from today, 2.6 million Australians on award wages are getting another pay rise backed in by this side of the House.

From today, we are freezing the cost of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We all know that many people, particularly many older people, rely significantly on medicines, and that is significant cost-of-living relief for them.

From today, our energy bill relief begins: $300 in power bill relief for every regional household and $325 for regional small businesses.

When it comes to infrastructure and regional investment, we've increased funding across the country, and in particular—as I acknowledge the local government members that are here—we are increasing Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion, which means that every single local council across Australia, not just some, will have more money to spend on our local roads, and that reduces pressure on ratepayers—something that those opposite didn't do. Those opposite, frankly, put more pressure on councils through their freezing of financial assistance grants.

We know that there is more to do, which is why we are working every single day to make life better for regional Australia. That is how you deliver cost-of-living relief—not by pushing up power prices with expensive nuclear reactors. The opposition have nothing positive to offer. They are standing continuously in the way of cost-of-living relief for Australians. They want to build nothing, help no-one and take our country nowhere.