Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to ease the cost of living and to strengthen Medicare after a decade of cuts and neglect? How does this compare to other approaches?

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

Thanks to the member for Werriwa for her question but, much more importantly than that, thanks for being a champion for Medicare in your local community to the south-west of Sydney. Even with the progress we've made, getting inflation down to half what we inherited from those opposite, getting real wages growing again, keeping unemployment low and seeing three interest rate cuts already this year, we know that Australians are still under pressure. But, more than acknowledging that, we're doing something about it. We're delivering cost-of-living relief, we're securing our triple-A credit rating, and we're managing the budget and managing the economy in a responsible way.

One of the most important ways we are delivering that cost-of-living relief is by strengthening Medicare in every community. As the Minister for Health said a moment ago, Saturday was a really important day, because we started expanding bulk-billing incentives and started bonuses for practices that bulk-bill every patient. We are strengthening Medicare because more bulk-billing means less pressure on families. It's the same reason we're building more urgent care clinics. It's the same reason we lifted the low-income threshold for the Medicare levy, and why we're making medicines cheaper, at the same times as we're protecting penalty rates, boosting wages, cutting student debt, helping with electricity bills and making batteries cheaper, and at the same time as we've got two more tax cuts on the way. It's why we're boosting super balances, and the LISTO, and getting the super guarantee to 12 per cent. It's why we're paying super on paid parental leave, paying it on payday, making super fairer from top to bottom, as the Prime Minister said a moment ago.

The progress we have made together in our economy has already given the Reserve Bank board the confidence to cut interest rates three times this year. When we came to office, interest rates were coming up; they've gone down three times this year. The interest rate cuts that are already in the system are saving a household with a $700,000 mortgage about $330 a month, or around $4,000 a year. So, we are delivering cost-of-living help and responsible economic management, and that's the difference between this side of the House and that side of the House. They are divided, they are divisive and they are in disarray. The have net zero credibility on the cost of living, on the budget and on the economy.

But we won't be distracted by the hunger games that are playing out on that side of the House. We will continue to deliver for the people who sent us here to represent them. Strengthening Medicare and delivering cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way we can is a really important part of that effort.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Western Sydney suburbs of Campbelltown, Mount Druitt and Liverpool have two things in common: (1) more than 90 per cent of mortgage holders are struggling to pay their mortgage and (2) they're represented by Labor MPs. Prime Minister, why do Australian households have to suffer because this government can't control its reckless spending and inflation? Does the Prime Minister have any plan to address mortgage stress in these Western Sydney suburbs?

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

I thank the member for her question. As the Treasurer has just outlined, since we have come to office inflation is half what we inherited. Interest rates have gone down three times this year. They started to rise under those opposite. We went to an election promising much lower spending than those opposite, which is why they had two higher deficits going forward. At the same time, of course, what matters to a household income is money coming in as well as money going out. What we've done is increase real wages. Quarter after quarter after quarter after quarter, we have increased real wages, opposed by those opposite. They opposed all of our industrial relations measures. They opposed commonsense measures, such as same job, same pay. I've met people in those electorates, such as workers in the aviation sector, who are literally earning five figures more than they would have, as a direct result of our same job, same pay legislation.

We've created 1.1 million jobs. Three on five of them have been full time. Under this government, the gap between women's wages and male wages is the lowest it has ever been. We have record women's workforce participation as well. We've produced tax cuts for every single taxpayer, and there are two more rounds to come. We want people to earn more and to keep more of what they earn. That's something that we've said repeatedly, which I've noticed has been repeated without the substance by some of those opposite as well.

We'll continue to roll out cost-of-living support. I'd ask the member for Lindsay to think about supporting some of it some time—supporting energy bill relief, supporting cheaper child care, supporting cheaper medicines or the 60-day dispensing, supporting the measures that have come in today, which will allow for increased GP appointments, supporting the batteries that are being rolled out in the member for Lindsay's electorate and supporting free TAFE. Do you remember free TAFE, something that those opposite said, from the top down, people don't value if they don't pay for it? Let me tell you that 685,000 Australians have benefited from free TAFE. Those opposite opposed it.

They opposed, as well, student debt relief for more than three million Australians. This government will continue to stand up for a strong economy and continue to stand up on issues like cost-of-living relief. Those opposite will continue to just oppose everything, whether it's opposing what we're doing or opposing what each other are doing. (Time expired)