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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Parramatta small-business owner Danielle has said, 'People are maxed out on their credit cards, and they're already skipping meals, sacrificing their own food for their children.' Labor's economic mismanagement is fuelling a cost-of-living crisis. Prime Minister, why do Australians have to skip meals in a cost-of-living crisis caused by this government's reckless spending?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. It goes to a constituent in Parramatta, and I'm sure that there are people in Parramatta like there are in my electorate and the member for Farrer's electorate who are under financial pressure. That's why we're doing something about it. Those opposite do absolutely nothing except oppose—

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

Order! The member for Fadden will cease interjecting.

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

every single measure. I hope that when they are engaged in their incessant talking to each other they actually come up with something—anything will do—which actually is a positive plan, but there are no signs of that.

There is actually a lot that Liberals agree on. They want to increase income taxes for every Australian taxpayer—we know that—they want to undermine renewables as the cheapest form of new energy, and they want to cut the services that Australians rely upon. I'm not sure, when they speak about spending, what it is that they oppose. Do they oppose what we did in July, which was to cut student debt by 20 per cent? They said they were against that for three million Australians. Do they oppose what we did in August when we legislated to protect penalty rates for weekend and overtime pay? We know they're against that. Is it what we did in September when we increased social services payments for five million Australians? We can guarantee that they would have opposed that. We know they oppose what we did in October when we expanded our five per cent deposit plan to every first home buyer, which has helped 200,000 Australians get into their first home. We know that in November, when we tripled the bulk-billing incentive, that made a huge difference, and we're on our way to installing more than 200,000 cheaper home batteries. We know they're against that. We know that whilst, from time to time, they speak about one urgent care clinic that they support, apparently—

Opposition members interjecting—

I wish I were that good with the fishing rod, Mr Speaker, I really wish I was. But we have 122 of them open. We promised 50 and delivered 87, and we're delivering another 50 which are well on the way. In December we opened them in Gladstone the Sunshine Coast, Woden, Burwood, Rouse Hill and Marrickville in particular. On New Year's Day they opposed the measures that we did as well—the cheaper medicines and the 1800 Medicare plan. All they have is complaints, no solutions. (Time expired)