Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Three! Three surpluses were delivered by this Labor government. This was at the same time as we were paying down the debt that you left behind.

When we talk about the cost of living—which is an important issue that we are working on every single day—let's just remind those in the gallery, those who are listening and those who will read the transcripts that those opposite went to the last election promising to increase taxes. What did they do in this chamber when we put through the legislation for each of our tax cuts for Australian workers so that Australian workers could actually keep more of the money that they earn? They voted against it. They talk about our investment into Medicare to provide real cost-of-living benefits for the Australian community. Australians can go and see a GP or they can get urgent care at our urgent care clinics. We've reduced the cost of medication so that mums, in particular, don't have to say, 'I can't afford to fill my script, because my kids need medicine more than I do.' We have lowered that. They're the real measures of a government that understands what's happening in the community.

When we talk about Australian workers, what did you do when we passed legislation to increase the pay of some of Australia's lowest paid workers—aged-care workers? You came in here bleating about aged care because you wanted to make political points. What did you do when we wanted to support early childhood educators? What did you do with those two pieces of legislation? You voted against them because you're all very hypocritical in what you do and say.