Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion goes to one notion that is really effective in politics at the moment but also really destructive. It goes to the concept of trust. It goes to the concept of this government having repeatedly broken promises to Australians on the cost of living, on energy prices and on housing affordability, just to name a few. This goes to the heart of the Australian democracy, because we're seeing a time where Australians are not trusting their government, and that lack of confidence in our democracy is a result of the people who sit on the frontbench and make promises that they cannot keep.

Let's have a look at the track record of this Australian government. What we're seeing is that families are worse off. They've been worse off over the last 3½ years. Increasingly what we're seeing is that it's not because people are doing the wrong thing. It's not because they're not working hard. It's because we've got a government that is not translating their hard work into results and rewards. Australians are working hard. They're working harder than they've ever had to work, but they're going backwards. Now, that is a serious problem and a serious economic issue that this country is facing. We're seeing families who are paying more for groceries, more for rent, more for their electricity bills and more for their fuel. That sounds a bit odd when considering that, a couple of years ago, we had a prime minister and a Treasurer who went out to the Australian people and campaigned time and time again that life would be easy and it would be easier under their government. They promised that we would see a reduction in energy prices by $275. It's almost laughable because what we're seeing is the absolute opposite of that. We're seeing CPI still running at 4.2 per cent. Wages are growing at 3.3 per cent. What that actually means is that pay packets aren't keeping up with prices, and Australians are getting a pay rise on paper, but they're actually losing it at the checkout. That's not restoring living standards. That's eroding living standards, and Australians are seeing it for what it is. The $275 cut to household power bills by 2025, which was promised, is something we're still waiting for, but what have we seen? We've seen electricity costs go up 22½ per cent over the year, and, over the course of the last 3½ years, they've gone up even more than that. It's a broken promise that Australians can see in black and white. Families know that the opposite of what the Prime Minister told Australians is happening. The power bill on the kitchen bench tells everybody what the real story is.

On housing affordability, another addition to the litany of broken promises that we've seen from those opposite, they promised that housing would be more affordable in this country. But when I speak to young Australians—and I'd say the same would be the case for my colleagues who are in this place at the moment—I don't get young people coming up to me saying, 'Jeez, it's so good we've had this government come into power, because we're actually able to get into our first home,' or, 'Rents are actually going down; have you noticed that?' It's fanciful, it's fictitious, and it's an absolute broken promise that Australians are having to bear the brunt of as a result of this government's absolute mismanagement of the Australian economy.

We're seeing that on paper as well, because housing costs are up 6.3 per cent over the year, rents are up 3.5 per cent over the year, and new dwelling prices are up 4.7 per cent over the year. I can say to Australians and young Australians who are watching that the genius of this government is that they're going to go up even more. What they've actually done through this most recent budget is pitted investors against first home buyers because, Deputy Speaker Buchholz, as you and I know all too well, state concession schemes, when they come to the incentives that are given to young people to buy their first home, are geared towards new properties. What we've seen in the most recent budget is this government being totally oblivious of that. That will also result in housing affordability continuing to go backwards, which is another broken promise by this government.

In closing, this government has failed to manage the economy, and Australians are paying the price. We need a government that is going to be accountable and take responsibility, and the right thing for this government to do would be to put forward policies that are actually going to do what they said, and they should get into this place and apologise to the Australian people.

Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

People in my community of Bonner know that cost-of-living pressure is real, and, at times like this, people expect their government to step up with practical help. That is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is doing. We are delivering tax relief for workers, we are backing higher wages, and we are making things like medicines cheaper. We are strengthening Medicare and helping more Australians into housing, because our priority is clear—helping Australians with the cost of living while building a fairer economy for the future.

For people in my community of Bonner, one of the clearest things we have delivered is tax relief. Labor has delivered tax cuts for every taxpayer, and we are going further through this budget that has just been handed down, with $250 working tax offsets as well as the $1,000 instant tax deduction to make tax time easier for so many of our local workers. Taken together with the tax relief we have already delivered, we have now cut income taxes five times in five different ways, putting nearly $3,000 a year back into the pockets of a worker on average earnings by 2028. That matters in Bonner. It matters to nurses heading home after a long shift, it matters to the tradie filling up at the local petrol station, and it matters to the retail workers, teachers, childhood educators and the aged-care workers trying to keep up with bills while still trying to get ahead. Labor believes that, if you work hard, you should be able to earn more and keep more of what you earn. That is what Labor stands for.

But cost-of-living relief is not just about tax cuts; it's also about wages. Since coming to government, the Albanese Labor government has backed higher wages for nearly three million workers. Many of those are Australia's lowest paid workers. Real wages have been growing, and the national minimum wage has now risen to over $12,000 a year since we came to office. That matters enormously in my community of Bonner, where so many people do work in child care, aged care, retail, hospitality and other essential industries. These are the people who care for our children and for those who are most vulnerable in our local community. They deserve fair pay, and they deserve a government that backs them every step of the way.

We know that, for many families, one of the biggest cost pressures is health care. That is why we are making medicines cheaper with $25 scripts, and it's why we are building more urgent care clinics. Two have opened in my community of Bonner, with the Carina-Carindale and Capalaba urgent care clinics now open and having serviced over 10,000 people already since they opened their doors. These are practical changes that are making a real difference.

When it comes to housing, the Albanese Labor government is taking that challenge seriously. We set a target of building more than 1.2 million new homes. We are helping more Australians buy a home with lower deposits, and we are supporting more housing supply. We're also reforming the tax settings so that more investment goes into building new homes instead of simply pushing up prices on homes that are already there. Housing is not an abstract policy in my community; it is about whether young people can move out of home. In Queensland, we are seeing 20,000 homes that are being built exclusively for first home buyers.

While Australians and working families are under pressure at the moment, we have ensured that we are delivering for them. We are investing more in things like aged care, we are funding permanent urgent care clinics, we are supporting community housing for young people at risk of homelessness and we are making sure that the child support system is safer and fairer so that single parents and their children get the support they are owed.

We know that people are under pressure, and we know that global events are having an impact here at home. We also know that Australians expect more from their government than just commentary from the sidelines. That is why we are delivering real tax cuts for workers and backing higher wages. It's why we are making medicines cheaper and making urgent care clinics permanent, as well as ensuring there are more bulk-billing GP practices. It's making sure that if you work hard, look after your family and contribute to your community you have the chance to genuinely get ahead. That is exactly what this Albanese Labor government is committed to—today and every day.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting for Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

Since Labor was elected, Australia has faced the largest fall in living standards in the developed world. Families are struggling, with costs skyrocketing across the board, and, as a result, the dream of homeownership for the average Australian is now sadly out of reach. While Australian families struggle to stay afloat, Labor can't shake their uncontrollable spending addiction. Their budget is now forecast to be in deficit for a decade, and debt is about to pass $1 trillion. Because Labor can't manage their money, they're now coming after yours.

Their unrestrained spending doesn't just mean higher taxes; it punishes Australians and fuels higher inflation. Higher inflation has meant real wages are declining, rents are increasing, taxes are compounding and people are taking home less in real terms. No wonder people are frustrated and losing faith in government. Adding insult to injury, this government decided to double down on their efforts, reaching further into the pockets of working families in their latest budget.

Feeling like they hadn't put Australian families under enough pressure, they proposed the largest tax increases in Australian history. How those opposite thought record taxes are conducive to increasing living standards is anyone's guess. Australians, however, know that higher taxes are not the answer; they're an assault on aspiration. Young Australians continue to work hard and do the right thing, but higher taxes lock them further out of homeownership. Even the budget papers themselves show Labor's taxes will lead to fewer homes being built and to higher rents. Australians are being punished for working hard. It puts a ceiling on ambition at the very time Australia needs more investment, more enterprise and more reward for effort.

It has taken far too long but, thankfully, the Prime Minister and Treasurer have realised, at least in part, their latest budget is a failure. Labor overreach is now trying to solve the headaches it created for itself by making tweaks at the margins. Unfortunately, this budget is not a partial failure; it is a complete failure. This government's toxic taxes don't require a tweak or a carve-out or any other Canberra policy fix; they need the axe. You don't fix a bad tax by making it more complicated, you simply scrap it. More complexity does not fix bad law. The Albanese government needs to withdraw the bill and start again.

The budget must be reworked to build an Australia where living standards are restored, where workers are rewarded and where young people can get ahead. It should be our duty to ensure that the next generation is better off than the one that came before it, and to help this I've got a few ideas for those opposite. To restore living standards, Australians deserve a government that puts them first. That's exactly what the coalition plan to do. We've got a plan for lower taxes, for low inflation and an economy designed to back the self-starters of the nation, not kneecap them.

We believe that if Australians work, if Australians take risks, then Australians should get ahead. We plan to take the pressure off the housing market by capping migration based on how many homes Australia builds. It's a simple supply-and-demand calculation. If we can't meet supply, we won't hurt Australians by artificially increasing demand. We will rein in inflation and bracket creep by providing an automatic tax cut, and that, of course, will be done via ending bracket creep. When your wages rise to keep up with inflation you shouldn't be punished and taxed more.

We'll provide affordable energy by backing technologies that can provide it. History is clear: you can't grow living standards without access to affordable, reliable energy. That, of course, has been the history of Australia. We don't want America's living poor, but we can't have high wages and high energy costs at the same time. Ultimately, we are an energy rich country and we need to capitalise on that wealth.

We will also support small businesses by providing an instant asset write-off of $50,000—not the $20,000 that those opposite have suggested. That will buy you half a ute, if you are a tradie, but that doesn't get you very far down the road. Our $50,000 will get you that second-hand ute; it will give you a start; it will get you ahead. Only then can you grow the economy and properly begin to address declining living standards. Our plan is for a fairer, freer and better Australia, restoring living standards and rewarding aspirations. I hope those opposite have a good look at that idea.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The problem with what the member for Barker said is simply that the coalition failed to deliver one surplus budget, despite having promised a surplus budget each and every year they were in office. They did not do it once. The biggest-spending government in the history of the Commonwealth of Australia was the Morrison coalition government. Since we've come to office, government debt is down $45 billion and the deficit is down $7.8 billion. We have delivered two budget surpluses. So don't listen to what they say, look at the record of the previous coalition governments. Look at their failure and look at how they have voted in the House of Representatives.

I'm sick and tired of the faux outrage from those opposite on cost-of-living relief when, in fact, they have opposed almost every single bill that the Albanese Labor government has brought into this House to assist people with the cost of living. Inflation was at 6.1 per cent under the previous coalition government, before we came to power, and going up. It is now down to 4.2 per cent. So look at the facts, not at what they say. Just because a coalition spokesperson at the dispatch box says something, it doesn't mean it's always true.

They opposed every minimum wage increase we supported. They opposed student debt reduction. They opposed free TAFE before the last election. And who can ever forget their former leader, the former member for Farrer, saying that, unless you actually pay for things, you don't appreciate them? They opposed every single bill we ever put into this House to provide energy bill relief for Australian consumers. They voted against every piece of legislation that we brought in to provide tax cuts. They opposed cheaper child care.

Ben Small (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Electoral Matters) | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on relevance. The motion is very clearly about living standards, not the coalition, and I'd ask the member to be directly relevant to the question before the House.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the point of order. The member for Blair has the call.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

How can energy bill relief, tax cuts, cheaper child care and Medicare support be not germane? The fact that this intervention was made by a coalition member shows the failure of them to understand—that's a frontbencher in the opposition—what cost-of-living relief really is for the Australian public.

They opposed cheaper medicines and 60-day scripts. Remember, they said the pharmaceutical industry was going to collapse if we provided 60-day scripts. They opposed the $25 scripts for non-concessional income earners and the $7.70 scripts for concessional income earners. They opposed every bill on housing we ever introduced, including the $47 billion Homes for Australia plan, delivering 1.2 million homes for Australians. They opposed rent assistance for the poorest people, who need rent assistance. They opposed our Medicare urgent care clinics and were going to close them down after the last election if they won office. That's free primary health care for Australians. They opposed the mental health centres; that was part of our package which they voted against.

They went to the last election with an economic plan for higher taxes, greater deficits and higher debt. That was their policy at the last election. They actually wanted to ban people from working from home! That goes to show how out of touch they are. Again and again they opposed cost-of-living relief and voted against the kinds of support that we provided in this place for Australians.

The fact is the coalition members have all anger and no answers whatsoever. It's all simplistic nonsense from them and no solutions. Their record over the nine years they were in power was appalling, and since they've been in opposition they've done nothing to assist Australians. If they had any genuine concern about cost-of-living relief, they would have voted with us on energy bill relief. They would have voted with us on tax cuts. But again and again they failed.

The budget we handed down last month was about housing affordability and included another round of permanent tax cuts, which those opposite opposed: the working Australian tax offset. They opposed $250 going into Australians' pockets. And there was the $1,000 instant tax deduction. Those opposite opposed that as well. Again and again we provided tax relief to help with cost-of-living relief for Australians, and those opposite opposed it. Since we came to office, those on the minimum wage are $12,000 better off, and the coalition, if they'd won power at the last two elections, would have opposed that.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the motion moved by the member for Fadden. Under the Albanese Labor government, Australia has gone backwards, and families are struggling more than ever. Our living standards have fallen more than any other developed country, according to the OECD. We know that inflation is out of control, fuelled by Labor's spending addiction, resulting in 15 interest rate rises under this Prime Minister. And it is that spending addiction which is pushing our national debt towards $1 trillion.

At the 2022 election, Labor promised that our power bills would be $275 lower by 2025. The Prime Minister repeated that promise countless times, but Australians know the reality: instead of cheaper energy, households are facing rising electricity costs and continued financial pressure. This is not the outcome that Australians were promised, and it is yet another example of a government failing to deliver on its commitments. Families are feeling the pinch right across Australia. Small businesses are finding it harder and harder to keep their doors open and are being offered no relief by the Albanese government. The result: 41,000 small-business closures under this Prime Minister.

In the last sitting week the government had the opportunity to give Australians a bigger automatic income tax cut. Instead, they voted against the coalition's tax-back guarantee 11 times. Labor talks about cost-of-living relief, but in this chamber, only two weeks ago, they voted to make Australians pay more. In fact, Labor's secret inflation tax will cost taxpayers $200 billion more. It's shameful.

In the last four years Labor have done nothing on housing or housing affordability. They pretended it was not a problem until this recent budget, when they had to act as if something was being done by breaking more promises, introducing their toxic taxes on housing. We saw the Labor spin machine go into overdrive, trying to sell the changes to the capital gains tax and negative gearing as a positive for housing, when in fact Labor's own budget papers clearly stated that there would be 35,000 fewer homes available, not more, and higher rents as a result. Remember, this is the Prime Minister who promised there would be no change to negative gearing. It is time for the government and the Prime Minister to take responsibility for their blatant mistruths and for misleading Australians.

Let's face it: Labor's budget is in tatters, and now the government is planning to plug some of these bad policy holes. Well, these carve outs are not going to fix the problems. Across regional Western Australia, small businesses are unable to attract workers, because there is nowhere for them to live. Severe housing shortages are costing businesses and preventing regional communities from thriving. Further to this, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, this government has hit our older Australians with more cost increases.

How can they claim to be doing everything they can to help Australians when people over the age of 65 are now paying more for private health cover? It is such a callous and uncaring government. Our senior citizens have done exactly what they were told to do: work hard, take out your private health insurance, go without something else just to make sure you've got the cover you need to make sure we keep the pressure off our public health queues. Labor wants to prioritise politics and reduce the private health rebate for senior Australians. It is shameful. Effectively it's a 21 per cent increase for essential health care for our older Australians. I've heard from seniors who are on fixed incomes that it is going to be nearly impossible to keep their private health insurance while managing rising living costs. So many of my constituents in Durack are choosing between keeping their insurance and paying for essentials like groceries and electricity.

There is a consistent theme here with this government. They don't care for Australians, especially our older Australians. They don't want us to get ahead. They do not want to support everyday Australians—just cutting them down, piece by piece, taxing them harder and making life harder and harder. We all know that Australians deserve much more. They deserve a government that keeps its promises, takes responsibility when it falls short and puts the cost of living front and centre. That is what we will do. (Time expired)

Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Durack paints a pretty broad fantasy in her words today. I will tell you what is 'callous' and I will tell you what is 'uncaring': the fact that the member for Durack is part of a party that wanted to see something that more than a thousand people in my local electorate on Brisbane's south side benefit from—five per cent deposits, to get them into their very first home—cut. They wanted to cut that. It is the fact that 16,416 visits to my local urgent care clinic in Oxley wouldn't have happened under the member for Durack. And it is the fact that students and people going to TAFE would have been 20 per cent poorer if the member for Durack and her political party were in government. This is the stark reality.

When you talk about what is important to the cost of living, it's not just about talking in this place. It's about doing something about it, and this is a government that has been hard at work doing something about it while the coalition seeks to block at every opportunity, while the coalition tries to unpick critical services like Medicare and while the coalition stands in this place and talks about young people without ever backing it up—and not only not backing it up but sitting there and voting against a budget designed to rebalance our taxation system so that young people can get a fair shot.

The other day I was at the Yeronga Park Swimming Club awards. I was there with a young person, a very young person—a toddler, in fact. She was barefoot, she had face paint of a tiger that was melting off her face and she had taken off her shirt. That was my toddler, Margaret. When I looked at Margaret and saw the pity but also the shared understanding from the parents who were around me, I think that we shared more than just that kind of experience. I think that what parents share right now is concern and worry. I think what people wonder is: will my child be able to afford a home, will my child be able to have the same opportunities that I had and what is the world that they will grow up in?

I think that, when we talk about what people are feeling in our local community, it's that. They don't need discussion in this place. They need action because it's really tough out there. People are feeling cost-of-living pressures. They're feeling it at the bowser. They're feeling it when they pay their bills. They're feeling it when they pay their rent. Young people feel like they won't be able to buy a home in their lifetime. That's why this is a government that has introduced five per cent deposits. It's why this is a government that has introduced the help to buy scheme. It's why this is a government that is making sure that the relationship between our taxation system and our housing system is fair for young people.

People in my community are worried about the cost when they pick up the pump. That's why this is a government that has been driving more supply. This is a government that has been underwriting shiploads of fuel being brought into this country so that we have more fuel right here at home. That's why this is a government that has brought our fuel reserves home.

People are worried, because they want affordable health care, and that's why this is a government that has introduced urgent care clinics and has made them permanent in the budget. It's why we have $25 scripts. I was out at a pharmacy just a couple of days ago in Eight Mile Plains talking about the impact that that has made to people, particularly those who have chronic illness. It's why we've increased bulk-billing rates. In my electorate, we've almost doubled the number of places where people can go where there is only bulk-billing. It is tough out there, and the Australian people need the action of a Labor government.

Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This is the first time in Australian history where the next generation of Australians will be worse off than their parents. It's absolutely outrageous. The overarching theme of this Albanese Labor government is also undeniable regional neglect. Consider the Nyrstar smelter in Port Pirie. Finally, we welcomed a $150 million transitionary package from the federal and state governments. This was a sigh of relief for this resilient community, but why were our proud smelter workers and their families left in a state of limbo for over a month? Furthermore, the previous package expired on 1 May, yet the minister for industry only found time to brief my office in early June. These delays are worrying. The hardworking people of Port Pirie must never endure another period of cruel uncertainty. They need full momentum and growth to plan their long-term futures in this town.

These living standards and this regional neglect bleed into our community sport, where Labor delivered a devastating $182 million blow to grassroots. Ignoring expert advice, the government is slashing ongoing funding to vital programs like Sporting Schools, Local Para Champions and Local Sporting Champions. They are gutting the sports grants budget from $331 million down to just $151 million. Local sport is the heartbeat of regional South Australia. It keeps our country towns united. Olympic champions like Kyle Chalmers and Dean Lukin from Port Lincoln started their sporting journeys in local clubs. Cutting these grants directly hinders young, aspiring rural athletes, and it is families who will take the hardest hit, right when rising costs are already hurting their hip pockets.

Regional families are also suffering because this government cannot properly manage our economy. That is clear. Inflation data confirms that regional South Australia is being left behind. South Australia recorded the highest monthly inflation increase of any mainland state, maintaining an annual inflation rate of 4.6 per cent.

The minister claims renewable energy is driving down power bills, but this is a complete fantasy in my electorate. South Australia has 80 per cent wind and solar penetration in the grid, yet, depending on how this metric is used, we suffer the most expensive power bills in the developed world. Under Labor, households have endured a 36 per cent increase in energy prices since 2022, and over 18,000 households are on energy hardship programs. This failure to lower power prices directly threatens the very survival of energy-intensive regional employers like the Whyalla steelworks and the Port Pirie smelter.

With a South Australian based federal health minister, you'd think regional SA would get some support in the health space. Wrong! The decision to divert birthing services from Jamestown and Crystal Brook to Port Pirie until July 2026 has shaken my electorate. Expecting mothers are worried. They are being forced to travel over an hour to give birth, stripping away their long-established relationships with their local midwives and destroying continuity of care. Kapunda lost its services two months ago, and my community fears these temporary closures will become permanent.

I want to assure my constituents that I have demanded the state Labor government outline its long-term strategy immediately, but this is not just a state failure. I'm putting federal Labor and SA's own Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, on notice today. You must stop burying your heads in the sand. Our workforce crisis is crippling our regional healthcare networks, and the silence from Canberra is deafening. Minister Butler needs to step up, intervene and work with the state to deliver genuine solutions for our regional communities. Regional mothers deserve safe, consistent care, not empty promises and closed doors.

The hardworking citizens of regional South Australia demand and deserve so much more than this neglect. That is why I will continue to fight for the best interests of regional South Australian families.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I will remind the honourable member to use correct titles when addressing health ministers.

Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no doubt right now that right across the country there are many Australians who are doing it tough. Families are feeling the pressure of higher bills, global uncertainty and the ongoing consequences of conflict in the Middle East. In the face of these challenges, the Albanese Labor government has acted decisively and responsibly to ease the burden on households and to lift living standards, not just for today but for the future.

On 12 May, the Treasurer handed down a budget that is about practical help now and lasting reform for tomorrow. This budget delivers real cost-of-living relief through tax cuts, cheaper medicines, stronger wages and targeted support for those who need it most. Our government is helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn through another round of permanent tax cuts, including the $250 working Australians' tax offset and a $1,000 instant tax deduction. These tax cuts are putting money directly back into the pockets of working Australians. Combined with previous tax reforms, we are cutting income taxes five times in five different ways. By 2028, a worker on average earnings will be nearly $3,000 a year better off. This is meaningful relief and demonstrates a government on the side of working Australians.

But we know tax relief alone is not enough. That is why we are also tackling everyday costs. Yesterday our government announced that we will extend fuel excise relief for another month, making petrol and diesel 16c per litre cheaper versus normal prices for July, saving Australians around $11 per tank. This is more temporary support that will help take the sting out of petrol prices and help Australians with the cost of living. At the same time, we are empowering the ACCC to crack down on price-gouging and unfair practices, doubling maximum penalties to $100 million and investing nearly $68 million in enforcement. Australians deserve a fair go at the checkout, and this government is making sure they get it. We are also strengthening essential services. We are making medicines cheaper for millions of Australians and locking in bulk-billed urgent care clinics as a permanent part of Medicare so families can access free walk-in care when they need it most.

At the heart of our approach is fairness. Since coming to government, we have backed higher wages for nearly three million of Australia's lowest-paid workers every single year. As a result, the national minimum wage has risen significantly, helping workers keep up with the cost of living, and we are looking to the future. Our tax reforms are pro worker, pro aspiration and pro investment. They will reduce the tax burden for more than 13 million Australians, help 75,000 more people into home ownership and drive productivity through innovation and business investment. We are building a tax system that is fairer, simpler and fit for the future.

The contrast could not be clearer. In opposition, three right-wing parties—the Liberal One National Party, if you will—have consistently opposed measures designed to ease pressure on households and working families. Their approach leaves Australians to fend for themselves and without the support they need to get through challenging times. Following the One Nation leader's speech at the National Press Club last week, it is clear that her party offers no credible economic plan. The only thing One Nation offer Australians is cuts, division and wacky concepts dressed up as policies that would leave Australians worse off. Their approach risks undermining wages, weakening essential services and abandoning the very people who need support the most.

In contrast, this government is focused on delivering real outcomes. We understand that Australians are under pressure and we are doing something about it. We are providing immediate relief where it is needed, while building a stronger and more resilient economy for the future. This year's budget is about helping Australians get ahead, earn more, keep more, access essential services and achieve the dream of home ownership. It is about fairness, opportunity and security. At a time of global uncertainty, Australians deserve a government that acts to protect their living standards, and that is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is delivering.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allocated for this debate has now expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made in order of the day for the next sitting.