Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Whilst we have made good progress on the economy, we know that progress is still to be made. The job is not done. People are still under stress. Real annual wages have grown for eight consecutive quarters, the longest run in almost a decade. They went backwards for five quarters before we came into office. If those opposite had won the election, the cost of living would have been on the chopping block. It's ironic that those opposite are now interested in energy and climate policy. I heard they tried energy policy a few times in the last term—over 20 times, apparently. They're not doing any better currently. Theirs is a truly divided party room. They can't even agree on whether climate change is real or not. They are the definition of out of touch. If they spent as much time talking to Australians as they did fighting with each other, maybe they'd realise that the majority of Australians do believe in climate change and want a net zero target. The coalition dropping net zero isn't a policy shift; it's an identity crisis. They've now got fewer long-term commitments than most of my exes. If the coalition think scrapping net zero is a vision, I'd hate to see what they call an actual plan. The rest of the world is moving forward, and they're doing doughnuts in the car park.

Those on this side of the aisle are actually trying to assist with energy bill relief. We put in place the Energy Price Relief Plan. The coalition voted against it, then they complained bills were too high. That's like refusing sunscreen and then blaming the sun. This government actually has your back. Why don't those opposite want to take accountability for their actions? Twenty-four of the nation's 28 coal-fired power stations announced they were closing within a decade, all under those opposite. The stats do not lie. You were the ones that went to the last election proposing to increase taxes—bigger deficits, higher taxes and bigger debt, all because they were caught up in their weird nuclear fantasy. The lights may have gone out during question time, but, not to worry, we had the luminescent egos of those opposite.

Just today, I met with the Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders Network, and we discussed climate change at length and how it'll impact the Indo-Pacific region, because, after all, we share an ocean and we share a future. We care about the future, the next generation and the future of our Pacific neighbours. That's why Labor is committed to what we're doing to ensure that we tackle climate change. We know that the coalition doesn't care about our Pacific neighbours. This was summarised 10 years ago by the former member for Dickson Peter Dutton, who was caught laughing on a hot mic when he said, 'Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door.'

Those opposite are worried about the cost of COP. What we are worried about is the consequences after a decade of inaction. The Albanese Labor government will go to COP next year with true credibility. The coalition rocked up for years as the bad cop—with no evidence, no plan and no intention of solving the case. Whilst those opposite continue to blame us for inflation and continue with their climate denialism, we are committed to delivering change and assisting with cost-of-living relief.