Matt Gregg (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. How is the Albanese Labor government helping with the cost of living and boosting retirement incomes? What are the alternative approaches to cost-of-living relief and superannuation?

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

I thank the member for Deakin for all the great work that he's doing as the newish member for Deakin and also for his question. We saw in the data last week that headline inflation was steady in January: much lower than it was under the Liberal Party but still higher than we would like. And that's why it's so important that we're getting the budget into better condition and also, at the same time, rolling out cost-of-living relief for people who are doing it tough. We've got income tax cuts coming this year and next year. We're boosting superannuation for people on lower incomes. We've got student debt relief, cheaper medicines and also more bulk-billing, because we know that more bulk-billing means less pressure on families.

If you think about all the foundations of a decent society in this country, they are Medicare, superannuation, decent pay, the ability to balance work and family responsibilities. They are the foundations of a decent society, and I think it's worth the parliament understanding that the new shadow Treasurer opposes all of those things. Of the three shadow treasurers that I have faced in the last nine months, this one is easily the most extreme and the riskiest of the lot. This is a guy who has called for the privatisation of Medicare. He has said that superannuation should be dismantled, and he's described working from home as apartheid.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my right will cease interjecting. I'd like to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I know you ruled on correct titles, but the Treasurer just then referred to you as 'this guy'. I think he should refer to people correctly, using their titles.

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

Yes, we've had this before, and the Manager of Opposition Business is correct: that title was used in a disparaging way. It was the other side that was doing it in another moment. If we can cease using that way to describe members of parliament from both sides of the chamber, it will greatly assist. The Treasurer is being directly relevant; he's in order, but, because it is clearly important to members, it is important he refer to all members by their titles, including the Speaker.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's feeling the heat!

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

The member for Goldstein does not need to comment on this. Trust me.

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

He can't even get a question! The new leader of the opposition was expressing some surprise about the shadow Treasurer's views. He might have appointed him, but it seems he hasn't googled him, because all of these views are well known and on the public record. But I think the other interpretation is that the new leader of the opposition agrees with the shadow Treasurer. The shadow Treasurer has called for the privatisation of Medicare, said super should be dismantled and described working from home as apartheid. Two days into the job, he said the Reserve Bank should push for higher unemployment and higher interest rates by ditching the dual mandate.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! We're going to handle this in a respectful way. The member for Goldstein is entitled to raise a point of order. The last point of order was dealt with, but—

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order, Mr Speaker.

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

The member for Goldstein.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer is misleading the House. He's verballing me completely. This is a man who—

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

Resume your seat. The member for Goldstein knows you simply can't get up here and say what you'd like. That wasn't a point of order. There are forms of the House, as he well knows. If he thinks he's been misrepresented, he may take that, but if he does that again—that is an absolute abuse of the standing orders. Everyone saw that, and that is not acceptable. I know it's the first day back for everyone, but I'm asking everyone to step up their behaviour and follow the rules of the House. The member for Goldstein is warned. We'll get the Treasurer to conclude his answer.

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

All of these views from the shadow Treasurer are on the public record. Some of them are in the book that he wrote, some of them are from Hansard, and some of them are from his comments in the last couple of weeks. My point is this. At a time when Australians are under pressure, the absolute worst thing that we could do is what the shadow Treasurer proposes, which is dismantle super, privatise Medicare and end work from home—all of the things that he has called for. What we've got here is a weird combination of the worst minister in the Morrison government and the most extreme shadow Treasurer we've seen in memory, and they agree on these disastrous, unhinged ideological policies.