Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the member for Chisholm, I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is helping Australians with the cost of living;

(2) notes that on 1 July 2025, the following measures started rolling out:

(a) more energy bill relief for every household with $150 off energy bills; and

(b) a 30 per cent discount to home batteries to permanently cut power bills; and

(3) welcomes the Government delivering the better future Australians voted for.

When it comes to cutting their power bills and helping the environment, the people in my electorate on the New South Wales South Coast are really switched on—people like Michael at Dolphin Point, who I visited on Friday with the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. A former banana farmer, Michael recently retired to the South Coast, bought a cute beach cottage and has just installed 40 solar panels and a solar battery. Michael said he was thrilled to have saved 30 per cent as part of the Albanese Labor government's new Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which kicked in on 1 July, and he is about to buy an electric vehicle which he will also charge using his home battery.

I am thrilled that, across Gilmore, there have been more than 33,000 rooftop solar panel installations, and I'm so proud to shout out that Gilmore is charging ahead and boasts the highest number of home solar battery installations in the state. How good is that? We are giving all Australians a leg-up, saving them 30 per cent, or around $4,000, off the cost of a typical home battery. By installing a battery under our Cheaper Home Batteries Program, households with existing rooftop solar will save an extra $1,100 off their power bill every year, and those installing a new system could save $2,300 a year, which is around 90 per cent of their family electricity bill. Switched-on Australians like the people in Gilmore are taking control of their own power bills while reducing their reliance on the grid. As more people install solar batteries, it's also helping to drive down power prices for everyone and slashing bills for good.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is part of our plan to create a fairer, cleaner and more reliable energy system. We're not forgetting social housing tenants, with 100,000 properties being upgraded with thermal shell improvements, efficient electric appliances, solar and batteries to reduce power costs. And we're making solar more accessible to apartments and renters through our solar bank scheme. In Gilmore and across New South Wales, eligible owners, corporations and strata managers can install shared rooftop solar systems thanks to our partnership with the Minns state Labor government. Whether people live in a house or an apartment, everyone should be able to take advantage of cleaner, cheaper solar to bust their bills.

I'm really proud of the way Gilmore residents and businesses have embraced solar. I know families and businesses are doing it tough. That's why from 1 July we've started rolling out another $150 in electricity bill relief. Building on that, we're switching on community batteries to drive down power bills and boost energy reliability for households in places like Maloneys Beach in my electorate. Community batteries absorb excess rooftop solar during the day and feed it back to local homes during peak times. They can also avoid costly upgrades to the electricity networks, poles and wires, benefiting all consumers through reduced network tariffs. The Maloneys Beach Residents Association wanted a community battery, and I'm so pleased to have delivered it. It will help reduce power bills and, importantly, store clean, renewable energy from the sun for when it's needed most.

This government continues to help businesses cut their power costs by becoming more energy efficient. Caterina in Kangaroo Valley, Cupitt's Estate in Ulladulla and Dangerous Ales brewery in the iconic Milton Hotel are among 15 local businesses across Gilmore that have slashed energy costs and reduced their carbon footprint thanks to Commonwealth energy efficiency grants for small and medium-sized enterprises. After being hit hard in the Black Summer bushfires, the grant has enabled Caterina catering to replace their old and second-hand kitchen equipment with new, energy efficient appliances. I was pleased to deliver a grant to Cupitt's Estate, a champion for regional tourism and producers and a large local employer, for a new hot water system and an energy efficient beer chiller for their craft brewery. The innovative boutique brewery Dangerous Ales has set up new digital tank-monitoring technology which will help reduce their energy costs by monitoring their glycol brewing system remotely using an app. I'm extremely proud to be part of a government whose No. 1 priority is helping families, businesses, community organisations and all Australians with the cost of living, and that's what we're delivering.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to be honest. When this motion came up, I was very happy to speak—the cost of living is a huge issue in my community—but, after I got the motion, I did get my team to double-check it. I thought that maybe the second part of the motion was missing—there are two notes pumping up their own tyres on the cost of living—but, no, the government are talking about how it's their No. 1 priority and they bring up two measures. That's it. That's all the government have to talk about when it comes to the cost of living for the Australian people.

In many ways, this motion sums up everything about this government. It's symbolic. It talks a big game, but, when it comes to delivery, they're not there for the Australian people. My community knows that. They know that every time they have a bill come in, they have to pay the power bill or they go to the supermarket. We have over $300 million of energy debt in this country—over $300 million that Australians owe to their energy retailers because they can't afford to pay their bills. What is the government's solution to that crisis? 'We'll give you $150; with $150 the job's done, we've sorted it out, there is no more energy crisis and no issue for the Australian people.' You're going to get $150 off your energy bill; that's it. It's the No. 1 measure that they've got, handing back taxpayer money without actually dealing with the source of the issue.

We then go to the second measure—the second of the two measures on the cost of living, which is supposedly the government's No. 1 priority. It's the battery scheme. The member for Gilmore just talked about how the battery scheme will save Australians $4,000 on average, because it gives them 30 per cent off. Those were the member for Gilmore's words. I'll do a very quick calculation—maths wasn't my strong point; I'll be honest—to see what that means for a household that wants to take up that battery. I'm a fan of batteries—I think they have a role to play in our energy grid—but to couch it as a cost-of-living measure in this motion and hear the Prime Minister stand up and talk about it as cost-of-living relief is asking the Australian people, based on the member for Gilmore's own numbers, to put up another $9,000. You at home are struggling to pay your bill, we've got $300 million of energy debt in this country and this government, this Prime Minister, is so out of touch that he's saying to you, 'We will give you cost-of-living relief.' But guess what? You've got to pay $9,000. I'm sure plenty of people in the Prime Minister's electorate, in inner Sydney, might have $9,000 in the bottom cupboard that they're happy to pay with. But to, with a straight face, move a motion asking the Australian people to put $9,000 on the table to get $4,000 back as a cost-of-living relief measure—how out of touch is this prime minister, this treasurer, and this government?

It's clear they have no agenda when it comes to the cost of living or to actually dealing with any of the economic challenges we face. We saw that at the productivity roundtable last week. We have seen the division that has developed between the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. It's clear they are not on the same page. One day it's a productivity roundtable; the next day it's economic reform, and then we're back to productivity. At the start, everything's on the table. The next day, the Prime Minister rules out any tax changes until the next term; they're going to take it to the election. The only problem with that is, the next day, the Treasurer comes out and starts talking about wanting to tax EVs—contradiction after contradiction. The Treasurer was out on the weekend saying, 'This will inform our tax policy and our tax changes for the next three budgets.' Hang on—didn't his leader, the Prime Minister, just say they weren't going to change taxes? This is all about the leadership ambitions of the Treasurer and about the Prime Minister defending his legacy and trying to serve as long as he can.

The sad part about this internal focus from this out-of-touch government is that it is the Australian people that are paying the price. It is about those in the community in Casey and all across the country who don't have $9,000 tucked away to pay for a battery but are contributing to this $300 million of energy debt. They get $150, because this government is more focused on itself, and it does not have any solutions to the challenges that the Australian people face.

Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in strong support of the energy bill relief plan. This plan delivers relief today and drives reform for tomorrow. It tackles immediate cost-of-living pressures while laying the groundwork for a cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy future.

Over the past 18 months, global energy markets have faced unprecedented upheaval. Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent wholesale energy prices soaring, creating volatility and uncertainty around the world. Australian families and businesses have felt these impacts directly. Bills have risen, budgets are stretched, and small businesses are facing harder choices than ever before. This plan provides a targeted, practical response, delivering immediate energy bill relief while driving long-term reforms to secure affordable, reliable power for all Australians.

On 1 July 2025, every Australian household and around one million small businesses nationwide automatically received an additional $150 rebate. In my electorate of Moore, that means support for more than 58,000 households. Importantly, this relief is automatic—no forms, no applications, no delays. It goes straight onto the bills, where it is needed most. For small businesses, eligibility depended on whether they met the definition of an electricity small customer, meaning an annual electricity use of less than 50 megawatt hours. That includes businesses in embedded networks like shopping centres, provided they fell below that threshold. For families in Moore, this support means being able to keep the heater on in winter without worrying about the bill. For small businesses, it means keeping the doors open and staff employed without cutting corners elsewhere. This package is designed to help where it is needed most: households under the greatest cost-of-living pressures and small businesses most exposed to rising energy costs. While the rebate is temporary, it gives families and businesses breathing space now, while broader reforms and clean energy investments take effect.

Alongside immediate relief, we're also making the energy market fairer and more transparent. From 2026, new rules will stop the sneaky price hikes by preventing retailers from increasing prices more than once a year; ban unfair fees and ensure every customer has a fee-free payment option; and guarantee that hardship customers get the best deal available from their retailer. Australians deserve a fair go, and these reforms ensure no household or business pays more than it should.

We're also helping Australians take control of their power bills with the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. This program provides a 30 per cent discount, around $4,000, off the cost of a typical home battery, helping more households store their own energy and cut bills. For households with existing rooftop solar, that means saving up to $1,100 per year. For those installing new solar and battery systems, the saving can be as high as $2,300 annually, slashing bills by up to 90 per cent. In just the first eight weeks of the program, over 30,000 homes have already installed batteries to store their sunshine. By 2030, this support is expected to drive over one million battery installations nationwide. More batteries means cheaper bills, more reliable power and a faster transition to renewable energy.

In Western Australia, we know the importance of getting energy policy right. Our domestic gas reservation policy has protected us from some of the worst volatility that has been seen on the east coast. With targeted relief, fairer energy rules and investment in solar, wind, hydrogen and battery storage, we've been securing WA's energy future while driving new local jobs and industries. Under those opposite, household electricity prices rose by nearly 20 per cent. They talked about cutting bills but delivered hikes. They failed to plan for the clean energy future Australians are demanding. In contrast, this government is acting decisively, delivering relief today, driving reform tomorrow and building a real plan for cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy. For the people of Moore, this plan means lower energy bills now, fairer energy markets and a clear pathway to cheaper, cleaner power in the years ahead. It's about ensuring families and small businesses don't just get by today but thrive tomorrow. I commend the motion to the House.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What bliss it is to be lectured by those opposite and the mover from metropolitan Melbourne about the Albanese government's energy utopia! In the glow of the Allan Labor government's shining achievements, like the multibillion-dollar cost blowouts on the Suburban Rail Loop and eye-watering amounts of debt, regional Victorians are living in darkness and oppression. They are invisible to the member for Chisholm and her Labor colleagues. Worse still, regional Victorians are the targets of a radical ideology and energy experiment untried and unproven on the scale the Albanese Labor government are driving. Every Australian is paying for it on their power bills.

I notice the motion doesn't quote the line parroted by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy that renewables are the cheapest form of energy. No, now it's the bubblegum phrase 'the better future Australians voted for'. I can tell the member for Chisholm and those opposite that, in Mallee and across regional Australia, farmers and their communities are wearing the pain of the radical and reckless rollout of renewables. The proportion of regional Victorians who support a renewable energy transition has plummeted from 66 per cent to just 44 per cent now. Regional Victorians are out of sight and out of mind, and the Labor government has zero care factor.

Mallee residents are in the firing line for the Allan government's legislation which will fine farmers $12,000—or $48,000 if they're a corporation—for refusing Transmission Company Victoria access to build the new VNI West transmission line. I hate to break it to the member for Chisholm, but it's not a dreamy energy utopia Labor are building. It is a net zero dystopia. Already the Allan government's transmission plans will take up at least eight per cent of Victoria's landmass, in part because they are having trouble building offshore wind. Who knows how much prime agricultural land that eight per cent of landmass actually represents?

I continue to highlight that in 2022 the Victorian government proposed that up to 70 per cent of the state's prime agricultural land would be used for energy projects if offshore wind was not achieved—what a statement! They took that document down from their website and refuse to speak about it now, just like this motion is not speaking about renewables being the cheapest form of energy. But I kept the evidence, and I remind regional Victorians every chance I get that up to 70 per cent of prime agricultural land is in the Allan Labor government's sights for energy projects. And what about the remaining 30 per cent? With multiple mineral sands proposals in my electorate, you have to wonder how many farmers will remain unaffected.

Mallee is being turned into an industrial wasteland of transmission lines, turbines, panels and mines, and, most importantly, this is taking place without social licence. I've conducted a survey of Mallee voters, with more than 5,000 respondents so far, and the sentiment is very clear: energy projects do not have social licence. Mallee voters want farmers to be able to keep farming, oddly enough. And why would an energy company, many of which are made up of cowboys, bother with social licence when the behaviour of the Victorian government, which theoretically should act as a model corporate citizen, is to threaten farmers with $12,000 fines for refusing access?

Victorian Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and I met with locals at Marnoo in my electorate last Monday, the day after the Allan government released their Victorian Transmission Plan on Sunday, under the cover of the penultimate round of the AFL. Marnoo and other Northern Grampians residents weren't fooled and quickly mobilised farmers and their tractors for a symbolic event, burning the Transmission Plan and saying VNI West will not be going ahead through their farms, whether there are $12,000 fines or not. The message is clear. Labor's Victorian and national renewable energy generation targets, and net zero itself, are simply unachievable.

Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The start of the 2026 financial year, on 1 July 2025, heralded the continuation of the Albanese Labor government's determination to decarbonise the economy and make a sustainable transition to net zero, underpinned by a focus on renewable energy: wind, solar, small storage and large storage. It also heralded the continuation of the government's ambition to deliver cost-of-living relief to Australian households and businesses. Data tells us that inflation is continuing to trend downwards. We have evidence demonstrating the unemployment rate is at historical lows, and the proof is in the pudding with respect to interest rates, which are continuing to fall. The name of the game under this government is a stronger economy and cost-of-living relief for all Australians. Increases to minimum wages, new incentives for apprentice builders, cheaper medicines, and longer and fairer paid parental leave all form part of this cost-of-living regime as does energy bill relief.

Energy bill relief has been delivered to Australian households and businesses over three rounds. But, equally importantly, education is being delivered to Australians to ensure that they are equipped to check that they are on the cheapest energy plan available. Data recently produced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission suggested that 80 per cent of Australian households were paying too much for their energy. Education in relation to how and where to make the cheapest and most fit-for-purpose arrangements can be found on the government's energy.gov.au website, as well as the Australian Energy Regulator's Energy Made Easy website. Critical investments in renewable energy are also continuously being made, because the generation costs of solar and wind energy are next to nothing and because of the urgent need to decarbonise the economy and push forward with the sustainable transition to renewables.

We all need energy. That means we all need a fair energy marketplace, and the Albanese Labor government is doing the reform work to ensure energy retailers are being fair to the Australian people. In 2026, changes to benefit consumers will come into play, including banning unfair fees and card surcharges and ensuring that customers who are experiencing hardship are being offered the best and fairest deal by their chosen retailer. Further, and importantly, in 2026 the Australian Energy Market Commission will implement new rules that will prevent retailers from increasing prices more than once a year.

In addition, the Albanese Labor government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program is acting to help households, businesses and community facilities slash their energy bills for good, with a 30 per cent discount on the upfront cost of installing a typical battery. Households with existing rooftop solar are estimated to be in line to save up to $1,000 off their power bill every year, and those installing a new solar and battery system could save up to $2,300 a year. That is up to 90 per cent of a typical family electricity bill. Again, data told us that, although one in three Australian households has rooftop solar, only one in 40 have a battery. The government looked at that data and acted. Not only does a discount of 30 per cent off a typical home battery equate to a saving of around $4,000 once installed but also a household battery reduces reliance on the energy grid, which then helps to reduce prices for everyone.

And Australians are listening and acting—like Dr Corinne Ang, who lives in my electorate of Sturt and who I met with in June this year to talk about her and her family's ambition to take advantage of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. A trained dentist as well as cofounder and chief executive officer of Asian Australians for Climate Solutions, Corinne also talked to me about her plans to electrify her household appliances, reducing reliance on gas and helping our planet. This will be done through the Asian Australians for Climate Solutions program Electrifying Everything for Everyone. Corinne is also passionate about educating her community on the importance of renewable energy and how to reduce energy costs as the same time as retaining traditional methods of preparing culturally important cuisine. Corinne and her family are one of 30,000 Australian households that have installed solar batteries since 1 July 2025. That's 30,000 Australian households in just eight weeks. Australians are listening and they are acting.

That 30,000 figure includes 574 in my great electorate of Sturt. With this rate of investment, by 2030 the data could tell us that one million Australian households have taken advantage of the Albanese Labor government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program. This will mean, when Australians continue to listen and continue to act, cheaper energy bills not just for homes with batteries but for the entire energy grid.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion on the cost of living because it is of great interest to me, as it is to 27 million Australians who have never been doing it tougher than they are today. You see, when Labor were campaigning for the last election they promised Australians the world but have given them an atlas. They promised Australians that they would have a better quality of life and a better standard of living, but what they've delivered and continue to deliver is more and more and more hardship.

For the bulk of Australian families, there is more month at the end of the money. They can't make ends meet anymore. And why? There are a multitude of reasons, but one of the main reasons is this government's energy policies. In the 2022 election campaign they promised that Australians would see a $275 price reduction in their energy bills. Three years later, we've seen energy prices go up by 30 per cent—over $1,200 a year. So instead of getting $275 off, Australians are paying more than $1,000 than they were under the coalition government.

Australians just cannot fathom why this government continues down its all-renewables policy when it is impacting upon them and their businesses. So many Australian businesses—a record number of businesses—have gone broke under Labor's watch.

I want to send a shout-out to the member for Fairfax. The member for Fairfax endured a three-day love-in session here last week at the roundtable. I want to give the member for Fairfax a shout-out not just for his patience but for calling out the Treasurer on the fact that this government has overseen a significant increase in government expenditure. We've gone from spending 24 per cent of GDP on government expenditure to 27 per cent in just this last term of government. This government is addicted to spending. Now it poses these questions at this roundtable about how to somehow provide a better quality of life and a better standard of living for Australians. Well, I've got a tip for them: stop spending.

This government is due to hit $1 trillion of government debt by the end of this year. By the end of this term, it'll be around $1.2 trillion. That's the estimate: $1.2 trillion. And, as every Victorian would be able to point out, at some stage the music is going to stop. Governments can keep spending and spending, but at some stage it has to be paid back. At some stage the music will stop and Australians—particularly Victorians—will know that their Labor governments have driven them into the depths of despair and poverty.

The Victorian state is now a basket case, just as it was when I left it back in the early 1990s after the collapse of the State Bank of Victoria in the Joan Kirner and John Cain days. What we are seeing today under this Labor government is a repeat of that. It's a repeat of what the Labor government has done in the state of Victoria over the last dozen or so years. We do not want to see that replicated across the country, but that is part of the reason why Australians' standard of living is dropping so markedly, why Australians can't afford to pay their fuel or energy bills and why they can't afford to put food on the table anymore. Australians are being called upon to make a decision as to whether they want to heat their homes or whether they want to eat. That is a decision that Australians should not be having to make in 2025, but they are because of this economically lazy federal Labor government.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's no doubt that the cost of living is one of the greatest challenges of any government, but especially for this government. We are focused on doing everything we can to ensure that the Australian working people have relief when it comes to cost of living. There are many things that we're doing. For example, the minimum wage has increased since we've been in government, after we saw it stagnate for many, many years. Interest rates have come down. Productivity is going upward. These are measures that will be in place to help with the cost of living.

Of course, energy is one of the big issues when it comes to costs for the average Australian. And, when you look at energy bills, it is tough. It is hard. You can see the increases. But, I've got to say, we spent the last 12 years stagnant, not doing a single thing about energy costs. I say that because, when you look at the issue of where we are today—not only the number of renewable projects taking place but also the amount of investment in them—you see that the more investment we have in renewables, the more energy can be produced, which means there's more competition out there, which brings prices down.

What we had for the last 12 years under the coalition was a government with no energy policy and no renewables policy. So, if you were an investor wanting to put money into renewable energy, why would you, when there was total uncertainty? I wouldn't have, if I were an investor. Investors in renewables needed certainty. They now have it, and we're seeing it. We're seeing more players in the market, we're seeing more renewables and we're seeing that investment taking place, which will bring down the cost of energy for average households. Certainly it won't happen overnight, or within 12 months, because we've wasted nearly 20 years on this topic.

From 1 July this year, we've been rolling out billions of dollars worth of responsible support in this area. This includes, as I said, the increase to the minimum wage, longer paid parental leave, the energy bill relief and new incentives for apprentices, builders et cetera. This government has taken strong action to provide energy bill relief to Australian households and businesses while those opposite have opposed those measures at every step.

The government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program will help bring down the cost of a typical battery, which will be discounted by around 30 per cent. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is part of our plan to create a fairer, cleaner, more reliable energy system but also to ensure that Australian households have cheaper energy, with an additional $150 in direct bill relief for every household and business also commencing. This will save households with existing rooftop solar up to $1,100 off their power bills every year, and those installing a new solar and battery system could save up to $2,300 per year. That's up to 90 per cent of a typical family's electricity bill. One in three Australians have rooftop solar, but only one in 40 have a battery. As a proud South Australian and the member for Adelaide, I'm delighted to see that five of the top 10 electorates for the take-up of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program are in South Australia. Adelaide, my federal seat, is No. 7 in the nation with 495 installations as of 18 August, just a couple of days ago.

I was very pleased to welcome Minister Bowen to my electorate earlier this month to discuss the new program. We heard firsthand from residents what an enormous difference this scheme will make in their quest to electrify more of their household items and motor vehicles et cetera. In South Australia, we've got a wonderful group called Electrify Adelaide, who attended the forum and answered questions from attendees about how to navigate the journey to energy independence. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Matt Martin, Jasper Lee and the team from Electrify Adelaide for their passion and enthusiasm.

This will save households with existing rooftop solar up to $1,100 off their power bills every year. (Time expired)

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a very friendly warning to the member for Adelaide: I'd be very careful having the member for McMahon in my electorate. Your high vote will go down, in fact, if you have him visit too many times. He has wrought destruction on regional Australia. Whilst the Minister for Climate Change and Energy may well have a mandate to lower emissions, he does not have a mandate to destroy regional Australia, and I will stick up for regional Australia every day of the week. I heard the member for Adelaide talking about the importance of renewables and the fact that Labor is bringing down power prices. No, no, no, Labor is not bringing down energy prices. In fact, the opposite is the case. When you have a town in your electorate, as I do—Crookwell—which is surrounded by wind towers and provides somewhere in the order of 50 to 60 per cent of New South Wales's renewable energy projects but which has to have diesel generated backups for its power supply because of the number of times that it just goes off the grid and has blackouts for up to six or more hours, you know something is palpably wrong.

Labor can come in and talk it up all they like, but the fact is that Labor is not reducing the cost of living, and that's what this motion talks to. It also talks to the fact that this is their No.1 priority, the cost of living. Well, I call bunk. Labor's first priority was the Voice. How well did that go? Kowtowing the unions was high on the list, and that continues unabated. The implementation of an unrealised capital gains tax is something they never spoke about before the election but is something that is going to cruel our farmers, my farmers, who have their land connected to their superannuation. It doesn't take too much to have $3 million in your superannuation account when your land is connected to it. They are going to get a tax bill on farm land that they haven't even sold—call that fair? How is that going to reduce their cost of living?

Then we go to all the other things that Labor is obsessed about at the moment, like Palestinian statehood. How about Labor actually concentrates on real and meaningful cost-of-living policies? It won't, because Labor's always about the politics. It's never about the policies. Labor does the politics very well—I must admit that—but there are people out there who are hurting. There are people out there who are doing it really, really tough. Labor promised cheaper power. It hasn't happened. Labor promised 1.2 million more homes, but the only policy they've brought in that may well help is a pause on the construction code, which is something that we fought for prior to the election. It's a coalition policy.

Did you hear that coming out of the Labor ministers' mouths this week when they announced it? They had it as part of their productivity roundtable, a talkfest that did nothing for productivity—go figure! All it was was a talkfest for the unions. Housing targets are being missed. Our out-of-pocket costs are skyrocketing, and there are people living in their cars. There are older Australians who have worked so hard to build this nation to what it is today that cannot afford to turn the heater on in winter or the air conditioner on in summer because of the energy costs and the bills they are being forced to pay. That's on Labor's watch.

I heard the member for Adelaide talk about the interest rates. 'They're coming down,' he says. Yes, they're coming down off 12 increases. The great Australian dream of owning their own home is a pipedream for young Australians. Some of them will never own their own home because of Labor's policies. This is so cruel; it is so unfair. You've got parents out there working two and three jobs. You've got kids being looked after in childcare centres, and anybody who watched the 60 Minutes episode last night knows what a crock that system is at the moment. There should be a royal commission into child care, and I'll say that right here and right now. There should be, and that's not just on the back of that episode but on the back of what's happening in the childcare system. It is a system which is broken.

Free visits to the doctor and lower taxes, the Prime Minister going out there with his green Medicare card—again, it's a crock. It's not right; it's not true. Labor might say it is—and they can say it all they like—but they know deep down in their own hearts that the cost-of-living crisis is the result of their policies.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.