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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Released today Foodbank's hunger report reveals that nearly 200,000 Queensland families went an entire day without eating in the past year. Prime Minister, why are people going hungry under Labor when the Prime Minister promised 'no-one held back and no-one left behind'?

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

I thank the member for his question. As the Treasurer has just told the House, it's somewhat perplexing how, in tactics committee, when someone came up with the question to ask about Foodbank, someone didn't go, 'Actually, what might be a little bit uncomfortable is the fact that we ripped out $20 million per year out of funding for Foodbank.'

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The members on my left are going to cease interjecting. There's far too much noise in the chamber. The Prime Minister's been asked a question. He's going to be given the respect of being heard in silence.

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

Of course, you've got to listen; sometimes it's the interjections where you get the 'unplugged' views of those opposite. This is about a report from Foodbank, from the Leader of the Opposition: 'Don't worry about the fact that we ripped money out of Foodbank'—unlike this government, which have provided additional money for services to make a difference.

It is just like in my previous answer, when the member for Durack interjected that paying people in aged care to look after our oldest Australians better and in child care to look after the youngest Australians is unsustainable. That was the interjection by the member for Durack. She nods correctly there. That was the view. And it's just like yesterday, when the member for Wright interjected that funding public housing, looking after people in the housing sector and increasing rental assistance wasn't necessary under the former government because there wasn't an issue—we didn't need a housing minister under them!

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister will pause and I'll hear from the Leader of the Opposition.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order on relevance. Sledging the opposition does not answer the question.

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

Oh, resume your seat. I've been trying to deal with points of order precisely. That kind of language is completely unacceptable. When a broad question about 'no-one held back and no-one left behind' is part of the question, of course the Prime Minister is going to go pretty broad with his answer. These questions all week have been completely broad. If you're asking a very broad question and then you want me to do relevance, but you want me to do relevance on a narrow question as well—the Prime Minister is being directly relevant, and if you ask a very broad question, you're going to get a very broad answer.

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

Sometimes they're a bit beyond help from the hints. What we hear from those opposite, when they get off the script that they stand up and read and when they interject across the chamber, it's their real views. Their real views are contemptuous about the needs of the Australian people. Whether it's about housing, whether it's about Foodbank or whether it's about paying aged-care and childcare workers properly, they're contemptuous of the needs. Then they come in here—having voted against every cost-of-living measure that we have put forward—and pretend to care.

The truth is that the Australian people are onto them. That's why on 3 May they voted for a government that would actually protect people and look after people's living standards, not just oppose every cost-of-living measure. (Time expired)