I have received a letter from the honourable Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The need for the Government to be clear with Australians as to why they are worse off.

I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Each and every day during question time, we have to look across the chamber at a prime minister who has no respect for the truth. For this prime minister, a broken promise is never a broken promise; it's a change in position. For this prime minister, a fall from the stage isn't a fall from the stage; it's a step back. For this prime minister, an insulting gesture about a foreign female leader is not an insulting gesture; it's a misinterpretation. For this prime minister, a dodgy grant to the Marrickville Golf Club isn't a dodgy grant; it's standing up for an organisation in his electorate. For this prime minister, a best mate and Labor adviser sacked for disgusting social media posts isn't a best mate; he's a distant Labor staffer. When it comes to this distant Labor staffer, I am reminded of Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes, who always knew nothing! For this prime minister, it gets worse, because a botched policy like cutting health funding for older Australians and veterans isn't an opportunity to do the right thing, override his ministers and say they were wrong; it's an opportunity to double down on doing the wrong thing, because that's what he does every day.

Now, a prime minister's tone sets the tone for a government. The Prime Minister's tone sets the tone, sadly, for the nation, but what we see is a direct link between the tone he has set and the behaviour of those opposite. We see it every day with the Treasurer, with the Minister for Home Affairs—that loose association with the truth, that lack of respect for the truth. We see it every day. Let's look at a few examples of the Albanese government's complete inability to admit failure. It can't admit that it has lost control of the economy. Fifteen interest rate increases? A lot of bad luck—15 pieces of bad luck, one after the other! But we're looking at two more. That's what the markets think. That's what the commentators think. I'm sure it will just be more bad luck. You can see the Treasurer here today just setting himself up to say it's all someone else's fault. It's Xi Jinping. It's Vladimir Putin. It's Donald Trump. It doesn't really matter who it is; it'll always be someone else.

This treasurer and this prime minister also told us that they had beaten inflation. That's what they told us before the election. They told us they'd beaten inflation. But we know what has happened since the election—inflation and high interest rates have beaten this government. We're about to see that in spades. We know that this economy is not working for Australians. There has been no growth per person in this country since those opposite have been in power—zero, absolutely zero. The only thing driving growth in the economy is population growth, and that is immigration. That's all it is. There's nothing else there. There's no productivity. The BCA pointed this out:

… Australia is now staring down the barrel of its worst decade of productivity … since … records began …

Labor also can't admit that their budget was an absolute and utter disaster. Since May, we keep seeing new hidden taxes—the widows tax, the babies tax and the death tax. What has been the Treasurer's response? Not to scrap his toxic taxes. It's to double down every single time. We know that those opposite behind the Treasurer are now knifing him in the back in the media. We saw it today. The member for Parramatta no doubt was part of it. People are quite worried now. Make no mistake about that. I tell you Australians are a lot more than worried right now.

Labor also can't admit that the toxic taxes they brought in at this budget, the changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax, have put the housing market into freefall. It's a trifecta of failure: rents going up, construction collapsing and confidence in freefall. New home sales have crashed by 20 per cent in just three months. We see them up gaslighting every day, saying how wonderful it is, but Australia doesn't believe them. The gaslighting is not working. Rents have risen more than 24 per cent since Labor has come to office, and we know there's a lot more to come. On current trends, Labor will fall 330,000 homes short of its 1.2 million-home target, its own target—not even close. But I'll tell you about another target it has—its target to bring down immigration. I'll tell you what—it got up to 550,000 on their watch. They have not met a single target that they have set. We know it's been sitting around 300,000, way above what's sustainable and way above what our housing market can support.

Labor also can't admit that its net zero policies have been an absolute utter failure. They are an economic wrecking ball. The Whyalla wipe-out has happened a few years after it was celebrated by one of those opposite, of course. This is a very serious point because the hundreds of workers at Whyalla have learnt in the last couple of days that they have lost their jobs at the Whyalla steelworks. The minister for energy told us that he was going to fix Whyalla with green hydrogen. That's what he said. He said the Kurri Kurri generator was going to have green hydrogen going into it as well. In fact, he sacked the chief executive of Snowy Hydro because the chief executive told him it couldn't happen. But the reality is—and, finally, we saw it just the other night on the ABC; he said, 'I never believed the hype around green hydrogen.' Well, he sure did!

Under Labor we have seen the net zero policies and those sneaky carbon taxes they've imposed on vehicles, on the electricity grid and on industry. We've seen the closure or bailout of some of the most important industrial facilities in this country, like Whyalla, Tomago, Nyrstar, Boyne, Glencore, the Boyer paper mill, Bell Bay, Oceania Glass, Nickel West—one after the other. Those are failures from those opposite because they are always failing to respect the truth.

Labor can't admit to failing to keep Australians safe. Labor can't admit to the fact that it has failed to keep Australians safe. We know from an AFP whistleblower that there has been a shortfall on counterterrorism funding under those opposite. We know from the ASIO director-general that terror warnings were ignored in the lead-up to that tragedy, that mass murder, that terrorist attack from Islamist extremists before Christmas last year. We know that antisemitism is out of control because the government didn't come down hard enough after those vile scenes at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2023.

Australians expect their Prime Minister and their government to be honest with them, to admit their mistakes and to acknowledge their failings. We've had to do our fair share of that. We know that's a necessary part of leading. But, just as important, you have to have a plan. Our plan is to fix our economy and protect our way of life. We know that, to do that, we have to axe Labor's toxic taxes, we have to scrap net zero, we have to replace mass migration with skilled migration and we have to put Australians first. That is how we will ensure that we restore our standard of living, that we see incomes rising faster than prices, that we see young Australians able to get into a home, that Australian citizens are given priority in programs like the home deposit scheme and in welfare programs, and that industry and Australians are able to get ahead. That is our plan to fix our economy and protect our way of life here.

It's normal that the opposition leader comes in on Thursdays at the end of a sitting and takes the MPI to send the troops home with a buzz, but, obviously, he's playing to the gallery. That was objectively terrible. In case he wants to rewatch it on the camera, the backbench looked dejected, despondent and definitely downcast at that performance.

It is important to read the topic. The topic, word for word, says: 'The need for the government to clear with Australians as to why they are worse off.' I presume the opposition leader read the topic before he signed it—attention to detail. It's missing a word. Is that an accident or is it a cunning plan? We can presume he has attention to detail; he was a minister for energy. He had great attention to detail before the 2022 election, when he literally changed the law to cover up the electricity price rises that were coming down the pipe to Australians; that took attention to detail. He presumably had great attention to detail when he was a McKinsey consultant selling those multimillion-dollar PowerPoints to the big corporate clients. Presumably, he was very focused on detail when he set up a company in the Cayman Islands that booked a $52 million profit from selling overpriced water to the Commonwealth taxpayers. Presumably there was a lot of attention to detail with the Eastern Australian Agricultural Company. So we can presume that he left the word 'be' out on purpose—to be or not to be? Well, it's pretty obvious from that performance in the last few weeks that they are choosing not to be—and they're right on track to not be there after the next election as they sell their soul to One Nation.

I'm very happy to have a debate on the economy, on the cost of living and on standards, rather than the smears and the cuddles with One Nation which have constituted their question time for the last two weeks—more than that. Golf clubs. Melons. Is the member for Canning a traitor or is he not? I say he's a patriot—I don't agree with him on policy, but I can say that without hesitation or qualification, unlike some of his colleagues in the One Nation party. But this is a serious topic. This is a difficult time.

Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia. There was the global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East and Iran, which rolls on with the rolling oil shocks through the global economy, and, of course, the threat of climate change, which is the single biggest cause pushing up insurance premiums around the country for small businesses, for consumers, for farmers, for all parts of the economy. I know the member opposite would be hearing from his constituents in the farming community about the fear of a drought to come with El Nino. This is a difficult time. It feels like, just as Australians start getting back on their feet, there's another global shock coming at us, and that is what has happened in recent years.

The government is shielding Australia from the worst of the crisis, but we are not immune to global inflation pressures. Things don't stop at the Australian border like in the magical fantasy world that we hear about in question time, for those opposite. The truth is they don't. And it's about time that MPs, politicians and so-called leaders, including the opposition—the opposition has an important job. They're not doing it, but it's to hold the government to account for its exercise of power and to actually put forward costed policies and behave like an alternative government so people have a choice at elections. They weren't a very good government, and they're no good at opposition. But I genuinely hope they improve.

The single biggest thing putting pressure on Australians and household budgets is inflation. Prices are rising too fast. People feel it when they go to the shops—it feels like things are dearer than they were last month, and, in too many cases, that's the case. When we came to government, the mess we inherited was big. Inflation was rising at over six per cent and galloping away. It peaked at over eight per cent. It's now down to 3½ per cent. It has moderated every month for the last four months. But it's still too high. No-one's denying that. But this is a global problem.

The single biggest factor hitting household standards and the single biggest risk next month, next quarter and into next year is the war in the Middle East. The end of the war can't come soon enough, and the parties to the conflict need to bring it to an end. The longer it lingers, the more concerned global markets become. We heard in question time and you can see in the media growing speculation about interest rate rises in the next few days in the United States and every major economy. The oil price is an especially pernicious thing.

It is. We heard yesterday the opposition pretend that there isn't a war going on in the Middle East. They pretend that nearly 20 per cent of the world's oil supply is not choked in the Strait of Hormuz because of the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel and growing throughout the region. The truth is that, last week, the Saudi Arabian east-west oil pipeline was bombed. The world doesn't know the extent of the damage. But you saw the oil price spike.

The thing with oil is that it doesn't just put upward pressure on fuel and petrol, which is what it will do in the coming weeks globally, because it's happening in every country; it flows through to the rest of the economy, whether it's PVC piping, housing, diesel or transport and logistics. The grocery companies have to pay more to transport the food, which pushes up prices. It is a diabolically difficult thing, and the world hasn't experienced an oil shock like this since the 1970s.

The government's responsible economic management means, frankly, that Australia is well placed and well prepared to confront the global turbulence now and in the months to come. We have substantial advantages naturally because we've actually done the hard work to put us in a better position despite these serious challenges. When you turn on the TV and look around the world, there's nowhere else you'd rather be than here in Australia.

The truth is that, in the four years we've been in government, we've made a lot of progress together. But there is more work to do. Of course, Australians are under pressure. But we should acknowledge the progress that Australians have made. We have the lowest average unemployment rate for any government in half a century. Average unemployment in the previous decade was 5.6 per cent. It has been four per cent under this government, the lowest in 50 years. Over 1.3 million jobs have been created, most of them full time—stronger jobs growth than that of every major advanced economy in the world. When we look around the world, we should never take for granted the fact that, overwhelmingly, Australians can go and get a job.

Annual growth has been faster than that of every major advanced economy except the US. Annual wages have now grown above three per cent for 16 consecutive quarters. They had 35 consecutive quarters in government, and in not one quarter did wages grow at that rate, because, as the former finance minister said, they had a deliberate policy—it was 'a deliberate design feature' of their economic management—to keep wages low. The cost of living is two things: it's the price of things and the money you're earning. It's money in and money out. Their economic management was to push workers' wages down.

Well, we have a different view, and it's working. Business investment is booming. Business investment is now 12.7 per cent of GDP, the highest in nearly a decade. That's important because it's a lead indicator of where things will go in the coming years. Average monthly company registrations are the highest for any government on record, and the budget is $44.9 billion stronger right now than the mid-year update and $264 billion better than we inherited. There's been a bit of talk about debt. Debt was down almost $200 billion last year compared to what we inherited. That means that the country has avoided more than $70 billion in interest payments in the coming decade, and gross debt is less than half the average of the G7.

These are facts, these are strong fundamentals, and they're strong achievements, but they're not enough when Australians don't feel like they can get ahead, which is why the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 government priorities are to do everything we humanly can in a responsible way to help Australians, families and households who are struggling with cost-of-living pressures. That includes tax cuts for every taxpayer, cutting tax in five different ways—the new working Australians tax offset, an entire new part of the tax system to target tax cuts to those PAYG earners who go to work and earn a living. It doesn't go to people who are living off their wealth and investments; it goes to workers—a new way of cutting tax. The opposition, of course, in their genius moment, went to the last election actually promising to raise your income taxes and raise the deficit. Genius!

It includes cheaper medicines. It's $25 for a PBS script. In my electorate alone, people have saved more than $1 million a year in their pocket since 1 January. That's $130 million saved nationwide. That's real help, putting downward pressure on inflation and helping families. Medicare urgent care clinics are permanent. GP bulk-billing rates in this country have jumped five per cent in the last quarter to 84.1 per cent. The investments in GP bulk-billing and fixing Medicare are working. That means more than eight in 10 visits to the doctor now in Australia are free, with no out-of-pocket costs. Record public hospital funding is now flowing.

There's six months of paid parental leave. One Nation want to cut it. The opposition call them 'double dippers'. It's what they said to parents. There's boosting affordable housing. We're actually having a crack finally, after decades of decline at helping first home buyers into the housing market. The only people in this parliament who seem to think that the housing market's not cooked sit over there. We're having a crack: five per cent deposits, 270,000 Australians helped. There's relief for students. The credit card surcharges are being banned from 1 October. The $20,000 instant asset write-off for small business is permanent. There is more to do. There are challenges ahead, but the foundations are strong.

I think the scary thing about all that is that I actually believe in the good intentions of those opposite. When they say how well things are going and how well they're doing, they actually believe it. That, to me, is actually terrifying. They actually think they have done a good job. They actually think the decisions they have made over the last—they're coming up to five years in government. They actually think the legislation they've passed, the taxes they've increased, the decisions they've made around energy, the decisions they've made around migration—the decisions they've made around all these things—are actually making things better or have made things better.

Does anyone on the other side seriously think that things are better for anyone, any family, any business today than they were 4½ years ago? Give me a call and tell me who they are because I want to work out how they think that or why they think that with what's going on with their own budgets, with their business or whatever. We all know, and I think those opposite actually do believe in their heart of hearts that things are a lot worse today than they were 4½ years ago. I actually believe they know that. They don't say that. They don't ever admit it in here, but they know that's the truth.

Now, I'll give them one thing. Not everything that happens in an economy is the government's fault. I will give them that. What you say around oil, what you say around other things around the world—some of those things a government can't control. I acknowledge that. But, gee, you've got to acknowledge that people, businesses and family budgets are worse than they were 4½ years ago. I don't always have to yell like those opposite—for the other side. They know that. I know that.

But I'm just going to highlight a few decisions that this government has made—that you have made. You've all been part of it. You've all been part of these decisions, and you've actually made it worse.

Direct your comments through me.

Deputy Speaker, they've made it worse. All those opposite have made it worse. You all were deceiving when you ran at the last election, because you didn't run at the last election saying you were going to increase taxes. What you've done with increasing taxes—and you know this; you talk to small businesses and to people around your communities—is that you've killed off the entrepreneurial spirit in this country. It used to be Deputy Speaker, as you know—not you personally but those opposite—

I know, but you need to direct your comments through the chair.

I will remember that. What's happened, of course, is that the risk-reward ratio used to be that, if you had a go in Australia, you got the reward. But the changes to capital gains tax mean that that has killed off the entrepreneurial spirit in this country. And those opposite—not the rest of the world, the Strait of Hormuz or anything like that—have been at fault for the decision; it's the government opposite. They that sit opposite have to own that. That's one thing.

Energy prices, Deputy Speaker, as you know, have gone up. They keep going up. And a lot of that is the result of the decisions and the policies of the government. There's net zero. The classic one this week—Deputy Speaker, you would have heard this—is that the energy minister has now said he was never into the hype of green hydrogen. Well, gee, he spent $9 billion of taxpayers money on that hype. I'd hate to think, if the climate change minister believed in green hydrogen, how much money he would have put into it, given he doesn't believe in it, has said it's all hype and put $9 billion into it. Again, this is taxpayers' money. This isn't Monopoly. This is $9 billion of taxpayer money that has gone into projects that aren't going to happen. Through the whole process of this Labor government, energy prices have gone up.

I just remind those opposite that the two biggest emitters in the world are China and America—I'll just throw in India as a big emitter as well. Those three countries are not signed up to net zero by 2050. And you might just remind yourselves of that when you keep spending taxpayer money on trying to achieve a goal that the big emitters aren't. Also remember that when the government makes those policies, it is adding a cost to energy bills across Australia. That's why there's no surprise that you have companies like Tomago, a business that I know you know well, Deputy Speaker, and a lot of big energy users like that being unable to afford their energy bill. Things aren't good. The government needs to wake up to it.

The faux outrage from those opposite! The Leader of the Opposition is coming in here, once again propagating a cheap political tactic off the back of an utterly disingenuous argument. I mean, it's quite the claim to suggest that this government has somehow not been clear with Australians about what we do every da we are in this place, because every day we're in this place we are focused on them. We are focused on the Australians out there in our communities who are struggling, who are finding it very hard under cost-of-living pressures at the moment.

Let's actually get some facts straight and be clear with Australians about the work of this parliament when it comes to supporting them through this cost-of-living pressure. On a tax cut for every taxpayer, those opposite voted no. On Help to Buy, those opposite voted no. On Same Job, Same Pay, they voted no. They did so twice. They've committed to scrapping our five per cent deposit scheme, which is getting young people in my community into their first home. So when the Leader of the Opposition tells us he's worried and he's genuinely concerned about the state of Australians, I think he's saying something more about his concerns of his own political future, which are coming for them in terms of One Nation.

I'd like to remind the leader, if he's genuinely worried about struggling Australians, he had 13 years in this place to actually do something about it on the government benches. But what did he do? He backed, in the 2014 budget, a GP tax to make it harder and more expensive to go see your GP. Do you know what we're doing? In my electorate, we have now doubled the number of fully bulk-billing GPs, so, when someone in my community goes out and sees their GP, they get to do so for free.

Jumping back to where the Leader of the Opposition was when he was in government—he sat in the party room when they chose to freeze the Medicare rebate for six years. Bulk-billing was in freefall before we came to government. Again, as my previous colleague mentioned: as energy minister, the Leader of the Opposition made a point of changing the rules so a 20 per cent rise in power prices would not be made public until after the 2022 election. Talk about making things clear and being transparent for the Australian people: that's a great example of that.

But, as I said, we on this side of the House understand Australians are struggling. We understand they are finding it hard with everything going up, interest rates making it difficult, the state of the global impacts of the conflicts in the Middle East and the impacts of all of that. We understand that. We on this side of the House are not caught up in this idea of faux outrage and cheap political tactics. We are focused on actually delivering the real change that people in our community need.

I think about housing. We heard from those opposite around the impact of housing, and it astounds me every time they bring up housing as something that we should be concerned about from this side of the House. The biggest investment into housing in generations is because of this government, and what that has delivered for my community is, in fact, that the number of social and affordable homes built in my electorate of Maribyrnong is over 1,000 in just the last couple of years. Do you know what? Those opposite had nine years in government, and 300-odd social affordable homes were built across the entire country. We have delivered three times as many in just my electorate alone. So when you talk about this focus, 'Can't we be clear with Australians about how they are struggling at the moment? Won't there be a focus?'—I think that is a clear example of the contrast between us and those opposite.

I also think about what we're doing for people in our community. I got to hang out with some incredible early childhood educators today who have just seen their 15 per cent pay increase locked in by this government. That is making a real and substantial difference to the lives of those educators and the work that they are doing. So I implore those opposite: do away with the cheap politics and actually focus on doing your job.

This matter of public importance debate is entitled 'the need for the government to be clear with Australians as to why they are worse off', and I could think of no more important thing to be discussing today than Australians out there who are hurting—Australians who are wondering how they are going to meet the costs of today and, certainly, tomorrow. And Australians are hurting. They are juggling all sorts of financial responsibilities and hardships with energy. We heard so often from those opposite, including the Prime Minister on no less than 97 occasions, that there'd be a $275 electricity price cut. Well, that has not materialised. In fact, it's quite the opposite, because power costs have just gone up and up and up.

Then, of course, we heard that the economy was the big issue and the cost of living was the big issue. And yet, for its first term, this Labor government talked about the Voice and very little other than that. Of course, that failed. That referendum went down. And then, indeed, the government started reflecting on the fact that there was a cost-of-living crisis. But, by that stage, the genie was already out of the bottle.

Then, of course, we had the government initially against gas. I know I'm sitting opposite the Minister for Resources now. They've suddenly had this nirvana and gas is important. I will give the Minister for Resources her due. She was there with the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Lia Finocchiaro, just the other day to look at, talk about and talk up, indeed, the Beetaloo Basin. It is a crucial development. Whatever can be done to enhance that project and bring it further to bear, then we're all well and good. We know the crossbench are against it, but, let me tell you, gas is the answer to many of our energy woes. There are a whole host of things that we need to do in the energy space that this Labor government does not want to go anywhere near.

Yet we also know that we have a housing crisis, and we do. Since coming to office, this Labor Party has overseen the construction industry in freefall. There are fewer homes as well. Australia is completing just 173,000 homes per year against the roughly 240,000 needed to meet its own target. At the current rate, Labor will fall around 335,000 homes short of its 1.2 million homes promise. I would almost argue that's pretty close for Labor; it doesn't ever get figures too close. Builders are going broke. Almost 13,000 construction businesses have become insolvent since Labor came to office, which was May 2022. That's an average of around 60 businesses every week at exactly the same time Australia desperately needs more homes.

In the state of Victoria, they're locking up the timber industry. You just cannot make this stuff up. It's not just the construction industry; it's the transport sector. When trucks aren't able to do what they need to do, Australia stops. They deliver every good known to humankind. I can hear the chatter up there from the back from the member for Hasluck. I know she's agreeing with me. I know she's absolutely getting behind what I'm saying about the transport sector because she comes from Western Australia, and I know how large Western Australia is. It needs a viable, profitable transport sector. It does, but, under Labor, every cost to deal with the construction sector and the transport sector has gone through the roof, and it's simply not good enough.

Then, of course, we're also talking about Australians being worse off: look at what we're doing with veterans. I would implore the government to, once again—the member for Maribyrnong did plenty of imploring, and I'm going to do some of my own—scrap that cap. We need to make sure that we scrap that $5,000 allied health cap.

It's not a cap.

It is a cap. Call it a threshold, call it a limit, or call it whatever you like. It is a restriction on allied health services for our veterans—those who've worn a uniform proudly and courageously for this country. They deserve better than what they're being served up by this government.

So full of sincerity for the wellbeing of Australians are the opposition that they couldn't even stick around for the MPI debate. So full of sincerity for the wellbeing of Australians are the opposition that they couldn't proofread the question without leaving a word out. So full of sincerity for the wellbeing of Australians are the opposition that they can't be straight with them about the challenges that our global economy faces—about the realities of a war in the Middle East and about the need for a government who is going to back them in when times are tough.

If we want to talk about economic track records, then one thing is clear: let's have a look at the highest deficit. It was a coalition government. The highest spending government was a coalition government. The highest taxing government was a coalition government. Those are three dubious records. While we're talking about records and numbers, three isn't the most they've got. Let's talk about five. Five times have the Liberals and Nationals sat across us in this chamber and voted against a tax cut for every taxpaying Australian.

One time voting against a tax cut could be a mistake. Three times voting against a tax cut is starting to sound like a trend. Five times voting against a tax cut sounds like it's a central pillar of the Liberal Party's manifesto. I think it's important to remember that Australians deserve better than a coalition who would cut everything from health to manufacturing rather than cut their taxes.

We know that, right now, Australians are doing it tough. It's rough out there. When people put groceries into their basket and wheel them up to the check-out, they're doing it tough. When people drive up to the servo, pop the bowser in and watch the numbers tick over, they're doing it tough. When young people want to get into that first home—one to call their own and help plan for their future—they're doing it tough. But here's the thing: higher taxes will not put them in a better position, and nor will a half a trillion dollars worth of unfunded promises.

As I said, there's no question that the global economy is in a challenging, tough and uncertain time. We know that higher interest rates and inflation across the globe are impacting us back here at home. It's why the Albanese Labor government has got a responsible economic management plan. It's why, when you look in the budget, you'll see the savings package and you'll see the productivity package. And it's why our focus is on shielding Australians from those incredibly challenging global economic conditions. As the Treasurer said earlier, it's not just us saying that. The IMF has said that we have one of the strongest economies across the globe. Three credit-rating agencies reaffirmed the AAA credit rating in August and July this year—something that cannot be said of the Queensland government back in my home state.

When you look across the deck, you will see that Australia and this Albanese Labor government have the lowest average unemployment rate in half a century, have an average growth faster than every other advanced major economy with the exception of the US, have had wages growing at more than three per cent for 16 consecutive quarters, have a budget that is $264 billion better off than what we inherited from those across the aisle and have gross debt that is less than half of the average of the G7. Our motto on this side of the chamber is not to bury our heads in the sand and not to obfuscate the realities of the global economy but to reinvest in the health, housing and cost-of-living relief that Australians deserve every single day.

Australians don't need this government to tell them how they are doing. They see it every time they open their power bill, every time they pay their mortgage, every time the rent goes up, every time they walk through the supermarket check-out and every time their pay packet buys a little less than it used to. The question before the House today is why this government has failed to be honest with Australians about why they are worse off.

The numbers tell a clear story. Inflation is running at 3.8 per cent, housing costs have risen by 6.8 per cent, rents are up 3.6 per cent and electricity prices have risen by 22.4 per cent. Yet wages grew just 3.2 per cent. For Australians with a mortgage, it gets worse. According to the ABS, after interest rate rises in February, March and May, mortgage interest charges jumped 8.2 per cent in the June quarter alone. The Reserve Bank says mortgage and consumer credit payments are consuming almost 12 per cent of household disposable income. Australians were promised something very different. They were promised electricity bills would be $275 lower by 2025. Instead, electricity prices are now 22.4 per cent higher than a year ago. That is not $275 lower.

And look at how we compare internationally. The OECD reports that, since the beginning of 2021, real hourly wages in Australia have fallen by approximately five per cent—five per cent. That is one of the steepest falls amongst OECD nations, while the OECD median recorded a slight increase. The OECD said Australia's real disposable income declined markedly as inflation eroded real wages, bracket creep increased the tax burden, and mortgage repayments rose. Australians aren't imagining that they're feeling poorer. Their purchasing power has genuinely been eroded.

And then there is housing. New dwelling prices rose 5.8 per cent over the past year, while rents rose 3.6 per cent. The OECD identifies high mortgage rates, construction costs and rapid population growth among the pressures on housing affordability. Australians who own a home are watching the value of their biggest asset fall. Since the housing market peaked in March, national home values have fallen for five consecutive months and are 3.6 per cent below that peak. In Sydney, values have fallen 7.1 per cent, while 93 per cent of capital city suburbs recorded falling home values over winter. The Reserve Bank says the weakening housing market reflects interest rate rises, weaker sentiment and tax changes announced in the Albanese government's May budget.

Australians are caught between a rock and a hard place. Those trying to enter the market face high interest rates, and living costs make it harder to save for a deposit. Those who already own a home face high mortgage repayments while their biggest asset is falling in value. Yet Australians have struggled to get straight answers about migration levels and the pressure that population growth places on housing, infrastructure and essential services.

Australians are also paying more tax through bracket creep. When wages rise but tax thresholds don't, Australians can pay a greater portion of their income in tax without becoming genuinely better off. They earn more on paper and still go backwards in the real world. While households deal with all of this, they have watched this government change positions on issues that they were assured would not change—negative gearing, capital gains tax and superannuation tax. Governments are entitled to propose tax reform, but Australians are equally entitled to compare what they were told before an election with what happens afterwards. That is why honesty matters.

Governments should explain why changes are necessary and be upfront about what they mean for households. That is how you take Australians with you. You don't build confidence by leaving people in the dark. You build it by trusting Australians with the facts. When Australians are worse off, they also deserve transparency about decisions affecting their lives. Whether it's taxpayer funding for Marrickville golf club, migration levels or the return of Australians with links to Islamic State, people deserve clear explanations about what the government is doing and why. When families are struggling with mortgages, rents, energy bills and declining real wages, the concerns cannot simply be blamed on social media algorithms.

The proposed digital duty of care legislation may help the government with what is said about it online, but regulating an algorithm won't reduce the mortgage repayment, it won't reduce the rent, it won't bring down the electricity bill, it won't restore lost purchasing power and it won't rebuild trust in government. Australians are worse off where it matters—in their household budgets. Australians don't need spin or to be told an algorithm is responsible for their frustration. They need government to level with them about the state of the economy, the consequences of its decisions and where this country is heading. (Time expired)

What we've witnessed today is a lethargic grumble unencumbered by self-awareness. Not a single structural issue in our economy has come as a surprise. We've got productivity issues, we have got a need for tax reform, we have an ageing population and a need to improve aged care, and we have energy and climate challenges—all of which were predictable for over a decade. There was not a single structural issue in the Australian economy those opposite left undealt with.

We had nine years of coalition government and absolutely not one single structural issue was dealt with. If there was a problem, they would kick it down the road every single time. They talk about energy policy. They watched Hazelwood close in my home state of Victoria. They replaced it with nothing. They had this weird ideological obsession with opposing anything renewable. They were basically talking about how wind farms were turning dolphins into drag queens or something like that. They'd bring out the crazy every time renewable energy came up. They said how much they love coal. They even cosplayed as coal miners, but they didn't even increase coal. They don't even love coal enough to build anything. They simply did not do anything to address the energy needs of Australians. We're paying for it now, as we are for so much of their inaction over the course of their government.

Unlike the coalition, we deal with the challenges before us. We take action. We prioritise the interests of the Australian people and we will continue confronting the long-term structural challenges facing our economy. We will deal with the need to increase productivity. We invest in the skills for tomorrow, we invest in the infrastructure for tomorrow and we make tough decisions around tax and revenue to make sure we set Australia up for success in the long term.

Now, they've talked about, as well, radicalisation. They have before them a proposal for a digital duty of care—in other words, a responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure your product doesn't cause foreseeable harm. That doesn't sound unreasonable. We know that the algorithms bring out the crazy. They promote radicalisation. They pose a serious security risk. Decent, normal human beings asking decent, normal human questions are being pummelled with propaganda, with nonsense and with extremist material. And yet they propose more of the same, which is, as usual from the coalition, doing more of nothing and kicking the problem down the road.

This is a consistent pattern of the coalition. They'll express outrage over any solution, but they'll do nothing about the problem. They'll hold up a pamphlet, they'll hold up a booklet, but they'll tend to ignore the substantive stuff. They'll ignore it when the Productivity Commission says, 'Get on with dealing with productivity early in the game.' They'll ignore the 2015 Intergenerational report, which highlighted productivity, the ageing population and other long-term challenges. They ignored that. Then they ignored integrated systems plans for our energy renewable build-up and creating energy abundance for tomorrow. They ignored that. They had 22 energy policies but kicked them all down the road. They had policy paralysis, year after year. They were compulsive nonachievers in government. There was not a single problem they wouldn't leave completely unsolved, because they're lazy in government. They were too busy eating each other's heads to do anything for the Australian people.

When you look back, what are the great accomplishments of the Morrison, Turnbull and Abbott governments? Bugger all, because they didn't achieve a single major structural change for the future of our economy. They did nothing to set us up for success. They allowed our training system to be decimated, leaving us without the skills we need to ensure a productive economy tomorrow. They let the energy system fall apart, and their only solution now is more kicking the can down the road. They're like, 'Oh, well, let these coal-fired power plants be sweat out.' That's code for 'leave them to become more unreliable and more expensive, and leave the danger of blackouts again and again'.

We're getting on with the job because we're not afraid of renewables. We don't have conspiracy theories. We can go out without putting on a tinfoil hat. This is about taking sensible, logical steps to ensure that we have the energy we need for an economy of tomorrow, and we should stop treating this as some kind of conspiracy theory. We need electricity. There are lots of different ways to make electricity. We have made a choice because we know how to create a policy and then implement it, rather than come up with 21 more. So leave it to Labor to deal with the long-term structural challenges, and leave it to the Liberal Party to pummel itself into irrelevance.

What we saw from the Leader of the Opposition was an example of why the Liberal Party is failing. They are, structurally, a leader-centric party without leadership, and that's why we're seeing the numbers we have today. When the Leader of the Opposition looks more like a senator from One Nation than the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, we know we've got a problem. They are directionless, they're in disagreement and they have no vision for the future—just another blue pamphlet they hold up, another blue pamphlet full of nonsense, with all the creativity of a Dr Seuss book, but absolutely no real capacity to look after the interests of the Australian people into the future. Labor is onto the job and the coalition are once again failing the Australian people.

That was five minutes from a government member who focused on the opposition. Now, you would think that, if you had a record to stand on, you'd stand up in this place and you'd actually speak to the motion, you'd speak to the people in the galleries and to the people watching, and you'd talk about everything that the government is doing to address the issues that you have raised in your speech. So I say to the member opposite that perhaps the next time he comes into this place to contribute to the conversation he should come with something productive about what he and his government have done in the last four years, because it has been more than four years since those on this side of the chamber were in office.

Quite frankly, Australians are sick of this. They're sick of hearing their politicians speaking about 'when the other side was in power, this is what they did'. We're living in 2026 and we're focused on the future. Australians at the moment are really struggling. They're doing it very tough, whether it's small businesses, individuals or families. The reality is that they want to know that their government is doing something to make their life better. They don't want to hear the political rhetoric that is coming from those opposite.

This MPI, matter of public importance, goes to the need for the government to be clear with Australians as to why they're worse off. I commend the Leader of the Opposition for moving this, because it goes to something that we're seeing all too commonly at the moment. It goes to the fact that the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and those opposite have no respect for the truth and no respect for the Australian people. They're not being upfront and honest with the Australian people about the situation that we're in as a country.

I think Australians are looking for the leadership that the member previously spoke about, but we're not getting that. We're not getting that from this government—whether it's the dodgy grant deals, whether it's the PM not admitting to falling off the stage, whether it's the fact that he's distancing himself from his best mates and saying that they're distant Labor staffers, or whether it's the issues about intergenerational fairness that the Prime Minister always speaks about, which are really important to Australians.

I've spoken in this place many times—the Prime Minister has used this concept of intergenerational fairness that he's talking about to justify his changes to the CGT, his changes to negative gearing, his changes to the private health insurance rebate for Australians who are 65-plus and his abhorrent treatment of veterans when it comes to implementing a $5,000 cap on their allied health. At the end of the day, those opposite need to reconsider that term 'intergenerational fairness' and perhaps replace it with 'intergenerational fraud' because Australians at the moment, especially young people who are trying to get into the housing market, are not finding it easier.

If you're speaking to people in my electorate on the southern Gold Coast, these changes haven't given them a leg up into the housing market. They've locked them out. The government is creating a generation of permanent renters. That's why this motion is so important today. It goes to the ethic of what those opposite are speaking about in this place and are speaking about across the country. It goes to the fact that they have no respect for the truth and no respect for the Australian people.

This is after a situation where the Prime Minister said—and I think those on this side of the chamber will remember; those on that side seem to have selective memories. But on this side, we all remember when the Prime Minister said that nobody would be left behind. Whether it's veterans, whether it's young people trying to get into their first home, whether it's people who are 65-plus or whether it's renters, all of these people are falling behind faster than before under this government. The government cannot admit to the consequences of their budget. We see the consequences every day, and Australians live and breathe them every day.

We're seeing rents up more than 24 per cent since Labor came to office. We're seeing the clearance rates crash through the floor over the last couple of months. Like I said, we are seeing first home buyers struggling to get into the housing market. This is a serious problem, and it demands a serious solution. For those opposite to get up and speak for five minutes of their contribution while they're in government about us, not about them—I think there's something inherently wrong with that. The government has failed on so many different things, and it's going to affect our most vulnerable, whether it's our older Australians or whether it's our families.

I speak to so many mothers across my electorate who speak about the struggles that they have, especially the single mothers. All those opposite can do is focus on the opposition. They don't have a solution for this country. They're letting us down, and I commend the Leader of the Opposition for putting this MPI forward.

When the MPI arrived, I got to read it, and then I read it again. Then I read it again—

I'm going to interject the whole way through!

Member for Wright. Order!

and it wasn't actually a complete sentence. It was a noun phrase. It lacked a verb, and this is a problem.

Member for Wright, we're not having a debate here. You heard me call order to the other side; now I'm calling order to you.

The lack of verb made the reading a bit awkward, a bit difficult. That's pernickety, but in this place details matter. Details are an important part of things. For example, if you're going to celebrate a surplus, make sure you get a surplus. If you're going to promote nuclear power, then make sure that the technology that you want to use actually exists—small details. But the reality of it is the details will get lost.

Things are wild at the moment. The world has been going through, for the last 10 years or so, unheard-of change. None of us were ready for COVID. Everyone who was a parent, who understood homeschooling for the first time in their lives, who didn't prepare their youngest child for what it's like to not go to school after building them up to go to school—I think my youngest daughter was five. What it felt like, as a parent, to feel like you were failing them every day as you were trying to balance work from home and looking after the kids—what the fear felt like. Then, when everything opened back up again, we thought it was going to be okay, but inflation was high. If you stop something that is moving, it takes a while to start it back up again. The world economy stopped. It takes a while to start it back up again, and there are going to be knock-on effects to that as everything ramps straight back up again. Anyone who's tried to start up an old diesel tractor will know that as a fact.

So we're working through it, we're making progress, we're getting better—and a war happens in Iran, and the thing that we are most dependent on gets taken away. The diesel skyrockets, impacting right across the economy. It now costs more money to move things around. It costs more money to build plastics. It costs more money for fertiliser. It has impacted absolutely everywhere. You've got to tackle these things head on. Nothing here works in a vacuum. We have to acknowledge what's happening in the rest of the world. We have to acknowledge the challenges that the last decade have produced and what they mean going forwards. What that means is that we need to take action, and that is what this government is doing, not just on the economy but all around us.

I grew up before mobile phones. It was lovely. If somebody called your house, they didn't ask where you were. They knew because you were in your house and you had answered the phone. There was no tracking, and if you weren't in your house you didn't get the call. Perfect. Now we have Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter. It follows us around everywhere. It follows our children. It attacks our children. It is designed specifically to addict and keep. There's an old saying: if you don't know what the product is, you are the product. These tech giants have turned our children and, dare I say it, have probably turned a lot of us into the product. So when we try to make things better, when we have to take responsibility, as a government, it starts in the economy, but it also has to include humanity. The digital duty of care will protect our children. I did not raise a product. I raised two beautiful daughters who I am proud of. I think everybody in here is also proud of and loves their children. They are not products to be sold. They are not products to be bought. They are not products to be exploited.

Our responsibility to the next generation includes fixing the housing market, giving young people that opportunity to have what my parents had so that they're not priced out and that they can see that hope. Every single young person I speak to who comes through my office or comes to this place speaks of hope. They speak of hope because they see this government making steps that will make this world a better place for them. They care deeply about climate change. They care deeply about their freedoms. They care deeply about their economic opportunities. And they know, inherently, that this Labor government is on their side, will back them in and will get it done.

The time for this discussion has concluded.