Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you finding it harder under this terrible Labor government? Are you finding it harder to make ends meet? Is the cost-of-living pressure biting you? If it is, there's a good reason for it. Insurance costs are up around 40 per cent. Energy prices under this terrible government are up 40 per cent. Rents are up 22 per cent. Health costs are up around 20 per cent, and there's going to be more of that coming in the health sector very soon. Educating your kids is up 17 per cent. Food—just to put food on the table—is up 16 per cent.

To make matters worse, when we left office there were 412,000 trainees and apprentices in the system. Today, under this terrible government, there are 100,000 less. We were building 200,000 to 220,000 homes in this country every single year. Today, under this government, 30,000 fewer homes are being built. This is all in an environment where we've got record immigration to this country, with nowhere for them to stay. Can I suggest to the Australian Labor Party that it spend less time trying to bring ISIS brides home and more time focusing on the economy.