Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stood in this place last week and spoke about Labor's unwritten slogan that every MP, from the Prime Minister down to the backbenchers, has adopted over the past four years. That slogan is 'Divert, Deflect and Deny'. These tactics have been used by those on the other side of the floor to distract the Australian people into believing that they are better off than they were four years ago, and nowhere is it more pronounced than when they are answering questions about the economy right now.

I recall the Prime Minister saying in question time recently:

… I've seen the positive difference that our government is making in easing cost-of-living pressures, improving the lives of Australians …

Everybody out there knows that that is completely false, and I can say with certainty that the people in my electorate of Cowper on the Mid North Coast are definitely not feeling that their lives have been improved under this government. In fact, Australia has seen the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world over the past four years, so I find it absolutely remarkable that the Prime Minister can stand there at the dispatch box with a straight face and say that Australians are better off—'Divert, Deflect and Deny'. Australians are paying 39 per cent more for insurance, 38 per cent more for energy and 22 per cent more in rent. Health is up 18 per cent, education is up 17 per cent and food is up 16 per cent. Well, food's up 16 per cent right now, but, given the unfolding crisis in terms of fuel security, I think we'll see a definite peak in that statistic.

But the Treasurer will tell you one of two things when he is asked about his role here—firstly, that it's somehow the coalition's fault. This is a line that he has become so accustomed to using over the four years, or perhaps he's just forgotten he's now in government—he's now the Treasurer. To be perfectly honest, it's almost like he's channelling his inner Bart Simpson: 'I didn't do it. It's not my fault.' The second reason he uses is that it's due to global forces outside of the government's control, a line that doesn't hold up when you compare the performance of Australia's economy to those of similar nations. When things are so clearly wrong and the trajectory of the Australian economy continues to sink ever lower, this treasurer behaves as though he is a bystander or a commentator, not a leader.

Under this government and, more specifically, this Treasurer, government spending is at its highest level outside of a recession in 40 years, and Labor's debt is racing towards $1 trillion. What that means in plain English is that Australian taxpayers are currently shelling out $50,000 a minute to service that debt—to service Labor's debt. It's completely dead money, just like the repayments on your home loan and your mortgage. But, unlike your mortgage, this government isn't spending its money; it's spending your money, the taxpayer's money—the money that you pay every time you go to work. I know that, in my electorate of Cowper, the average household income is $1,500 a week. That's about $80,000 a year. So, in just two minutes, this government is spending more taxpayer money on servicing the debt than what the average household in Cowper earns in a year. I imagine it would be very similar in some of the Labor members' electorates. It's no wonder that Australians are feeling poorer than ever.

Now, to add to the household budget woes, we're seeing petrol prices go through the roof. Look, I'll be fair. I'll acknowledge that this is out of the control of the government; there are international forces at play here. But the government absolutely has some levers within its reach to mitigate the fallout of the war in Iran on Australian citizens. Right now, farmers across the country can't get the fuel they need to do what they do every single day. I found it remarkable this morning—and I will talk about this for a little period—that Minister Bowen and Minister Rishworth were in the media saying there is no fuel supply issue. If you go to any regional electorate and go to any independent station or large business, you will be told the exact opposite. 'Divert, Deflect and Deny' is this government's new slogan.

Remember we were told that there are 32 days of fuel security, and we're only at day 5 into the crisis. I can tell you that right now the service stations at Nana Glen, Glenreagh, Bowraville, Boambee and Coffs Harbour Marina have all run out of fuel or, in the case of the marina—and it's a large marina with a cooperative that supplies seafood up and down the coast—have been told that their fuel supply is not guaranteed. What we will see is job losses. What we will see is that freight will not be able to deliver those goods to supermarkets. What we will see is a shortage of food in supermarkets because of this government's failure to actually make sure that the fuel gets out there. It's no good sitting offshore. It's no good in containers where we can't access it.

This government needs to act right now, immediately. We don't want to see our frontline workers, our frontline services such as the police, having to act as security or enforcement because of this government's failings. Once again, the minister for energy has to provide assurances to the agricultural sector that there will be access to fuel in the near future and that operations won't be affected. We are only five days into the Iran conflict, and, despite the minister assuring us that fuel reserves are at at least 32 days, we've already seen chaos in the market implications. The net zero obsession that we've seen during the four years of Labor's reign has become all consuming for the minister for energy. He needs to spend his entire day defending it rather than putting forward sensible solutions. This is where we see 'Divert, Deflect and Deny'.

It is time for this government to come clean. It is time for this government to say, 'We have lost control of our economy.' It is time for this government to start dealing with the opposition and working in the interests of the Australian people rather than heading down the road of destroying the economy with $1 trillion in debt, no solutions and no answers.