Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given to questions from Senators Chandler, McGrath and Liddle in question time today.

What we see from the government is a continued attempt to walk away from the commitments that they made to the Australian people at the last election with respect to the economy. In the lead-up to the last election, the Labor Party promised a lower cost of living. They promised lower energy prices. They promised higher real wages. They promised lower mortgage costs. Yet, whenever we ask a question in relation to those matters in this place, they attempt to deflect. They attempt to blame someone else. They won't take responsibility for the promises that they made to the Australian people in the lead-up to the election.

We continue to have one of the highest inflation rates, particularly core inflation rates, amongst advanced economies. Economic growth is at half the OECD average. This government is destroying the productivity rate, through its relationship with the unions. All of those things are going backwards and none of the promises that were made by the government prior to the election are being kept. Flatlining GDP per capita, higher spending rates, higher interest rates—the government talk about their contribution to managing interest rates, and yet at estimates we heard the Reserve Bank governor say the budget 'hasn't shifted the dial'.

Therefore, all of the heavy lifting that needs to be done with respect to reducing inflation has to be done by the Reserve Bank because the government's doing nothing. They say they're making a contribution, but the Reserve Bank governor said the budget 'hasn't shifted the dial'. If you're not doing anything, you're not helping. That's why we've seen so many interest rate rises in a row; there have been 11 in a row under this government's watch.

They promised cheaper housing costs. They promised cheaper housing costs, not what the minister tried to do today, which is to put it into a sectional context. They promised a lower cost of living. They promised lower mortgage costs. They promised lower energy prices. We don't hear the term '$275 cut in power prices' from the government anymore. It was great before the election when they were looking for people's vote; it doesn't matter anymore as we see increase upon increase. They're now talking about 'putting downward pressure on energy costs', but before the election they promised a cut in energy costs of $275.

They promised higher real wages. They criticised the opposition for the period that we were in government, and yet, when we were in government, there was real growth in wages. Under this government, it's actually going backwards. This is another broken promise from this government, and yet we see minister after minister stand up in this place and try and deflect attention, demean the person who's asking the question and blame somebody else. It's simply not good enough.

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't think those on the other side heard anything that Senator Gallagher said in her answers today. She did say that our budget included $40 billion worth of savings across October and May. That's $40 billion. She also said very, very clearly that we understand that the rising cost of living is hitting a lot of Australians hard. We recognise that, and we are doing something about it. Our economic plan is carefully calibrated to take pressure off the cost of living, rather than add to it. There were $40 billion worth of savings in the last budget. Our government's cost-of-living package provides assistance with rent, assistance with energy bills, cheaper child care and cheaper medicines. Those are things that everyday Australians utilise and need assistance with. Much of that is now being rolled out. Those benefits will continue to flow for the next few months. Over the next weeks and months they will continue to flow out. Our policies to ease the cost-of-living pressures are expected to directly reduce inflation by three-quarters of a percentage point in 2023-24. We know that inflation is still higher than we would like it to be, but it's down from where it would have been and we're making a meaningful difference to families right around this country.

The coalition, those on the other side, oversaw a decade of wasted opportunities and warped priorities. That left Australians living with falling real wages, rising cost-of-living pressures and trillions of dollars of debt, without an economic dividend to show at all. They have the gall to stand up here and say we are doing nothing about it. On the other side, they voted for higher energy bills for millions of households and small businesses. They want more expensive medicines. They had the opportunity a few years ago to lower the cost of medicines, but what did they do? They turned their backs on Australians, so Australians have been paying a lot more for quite a few years. They won't support more affordable housing for Australians.

We are investing $3.5 billion to triple the bulk-billing incentive for the most common GP consultations for children under 16 and Commonwealth concession card holders. That will support 11.6 million eligible Australians to access a GP with no out-of-pocket costs, yet those opposite say we are not doing anything. It is the largest investment in bulk-billing incentives ever, making it cheaper and easier for Australians who are eligible to see a doctor.

We are reducing the cost of medicines by up to half for at least six million Australians. Six million Australians will be better off because they have their medicine costs reduced. Some patients will be able to receive two months' worth of their medicines per visit to their pharmacy, saving $1.6 billion in out-of-pocket costs over four years. That is not doing nothing; that's actually helping people with their cost of living. Up to $3 billion of electricity bill relief through the Energy Bill Relief Fund will take pressure off households and small businesses in partnership with state and territory governments.

The housing minister and I met with some business representatives on the coast of North West Tasmania last week. It was very strange sitting in a room with chambers of commerce and industry congratulating our government on the assistance that we are giving small business in energy relief and in a whole range of other incentives that we have provided for them. There were congratulations for what we are doing for them and also for what we are doing for the cost of living for ordinary Australians. Those on the other side want to sit there and have a go at us, but, I tell you what, the people out there that I talk to—yes, they are doing it tough—recognise that we are doing what we can within a budget to make the cost of living better for them.

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Anyone who knows me and those who have only known me for a short time would know I am deeply committed to seeing the gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians removed. It is completely unacceptable that we have a life expectancy gap, a child mortality gap, an educational gap. The prospect of any Australian having a long fruitful life cut short by any amount is completely unacceptable. The Voice proposal, the actual idea that you would listen to people that legislation or programs affect and tailor and respond to the advice that you are given, is a very sound idea. There is actually no denying that. But, simply, the idea that you would change the Constitution at law and create a division between Australians on the basis of race is fundamentally flawed. The idea and the proposal are flawed.

This government have an opportunity to actually get a mechanism to be able to listen to and respond to the needs of the section of the community that desperately needs change. They could do that through legislation. They should be starting at a local and regional level first, because that was actually the recommendation that came out of the Calma-Langton report—that that is where you would start, and you would develop it, if it was required, up from there. Let's face it, a lot of the issues that are on the ground are very local and regional. In fact, they are often within state jurisdictional responsibilities, things such as law and order, health, education, state related issues, even housing to a great extent.

This government is choosing to go down a path that, as we are seeing, is dividing Australians. You can blame those that are opposed to it as much as you like, and that is what we heard in answers to questions today from Senator Wong and from Senator Gallagher. There is a blame shifting that is going on and, frankly, it is unacceptable. You are the ones who have created this mess. What we have here is the situation where an idea has been put to the Australian people, and, sometimes, you have to actually stand up and maybe provide some frank advice. There is an old saying, 'faithful are the wounds from a friend; they are better than a kiss from an enemy', meaning to say that sometimes even issues that are sound that are brought to you need to be rejected because you know that they are actually going to cause harm. In this case, this Voice proposal, this proposed constitutional change, is causing harm within this community. We are dividing Australians on the basis of race, and it is unacceptable. Frankly, now that it's left the political elite class and it's going out there into the public, the public are judging it, and that's why there is this huge reaction to it. The polls are showing a trajectory towards this thing failing. What the government should do is stop, pause, reflect and listen to what the Australian people are saying and respond appropriately, which would be to cease with the referendum and legislate a model that starts at the grassroots, that starts on the ground.

If anyone wants to question me on what I'm saying on this, you need to come with me out into communities across Western Australia where I'm from and you will hear from people. I was in Fitzroy Crossing and the people in Fitzroy Crossing said, 'We don't even like people from Derby, just down the road, speaking on our behalf, so how can the 28 or 30 people that will come to parliament represent all of us—when we can't even get the representation from down the road?' We've got to start at a local and regional level, and this government is breaking the heart of Australians who want to see change.

The good thing that's come about from this whole debate is the one thing uniting us—people that have maybe never really thought about Indigenous disadvantage are now thinking about it for the first time and are saying, 'We must do something.' But what's being planned by this government is all wrong.

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We don't need those opposite to tell us that inflation is hitting Australians hard right now, today. That's why it is pleasing that we are seeing inflation starting to moderate down from the highs of last December. We know that inflation remains too high and that inflation hurts lower-income Australians the most. That's why it was also important that, in the last round of Senate estimates, both the RBA governor and the Treasury secretary acknowledged our energy plans are taking 0.75 per cent off inflation.

There are the energy plans that those opposite voted against. So it really does take some gall for the opposition to come into the chamber today and ask about our fiscal strategy and ask about the cost of living when you voted against measures which would have cut inflation and cut the cost of living, when you on the opposition benches voted against building 30,000 social and affordable homes in the next five years. You sided with the Greens to do that; you sided with the Greens to block homes for the people who need them the most—30,000 social and affordable homes, including for women and children who are fleeing violence.

Our fiscal strategy has been to bank the majority of the surplus exactly so that fiscal policy is working hand in glove with monetary policy. Having done that, we are able to direct $14.6 billion into our cost-of-living package—targeted, measured, effective relief for those who need it the most. We are providing help with power bills. We are bringing down out-of-pocket health costs. We are making early learning more affordable. We're investing in free TAFE, which is absolutely transformative for those people who want to upskill and get back into the workforce and earn a better wage. We are boosting wages, funding a historic pay rise for hundreds of thousands of aged-care workers, including women doing it tough, who need it the most. As Senator Gallagher said today in the chamber, we are making medicines cheaper. She outlined our plans today, and I think she said that in just seven months Australians have saved $118 million on cheaper prescriptions. This is what Labor governments can do. She talked about 60-day prescriptions and how that will assist six million Australians, giving them two months of medicine for the price of one month and delivering much-needed cost-of-living relief. Again, this is what Labor governments do. Those opposite chose to ignore the advice to make these changes and make medicines cheaper. As a result, people have been paying more for medicines for longer.

We really have to ask what exactly the opposition can point to that they think they delivered to Australian families in their 10 years of government. What did they deliver to help Australians in any way with their daily life? Was it the lower wages as a deliberate design feature of the economy? Was it more people than ever piecing together two or three jobs to make ends meet? Was it skyrocketing childcare costs, with no plan to bring them down? Was it a plan to simply hide rising energy costs before the election, after a decade of failure to invest in cheap renewable energy? What can you on the opposition benches point to that you delivered to help Australian families? Was it a broken Medicare system with rising out-of-pocket costs? Was it a system where you have to turn up with your credit card to get in the door, not just your Medicare card? Was it a trillion dollars of debt and nothing to show for it? The Morrison government delivered nothing but a decade of delay, a decade of waste, a decade of rorts and a decade of division, with no plan but to divide the country and no plans for the matters that affect Australians the most—their jobs and their homes.

Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the end of the day here, we are in a crisis. We are in a rental crisis, a cost-of-living crisis, an energy crisis, an aged-care crisis, an environmental crisis—all brought about by a catastrophic Labor government that has no idea what it is doing. I heard Senator Urquhart say before, 'We're not wasting a day.' Excuse me, but you've wasted the first 16 months of the term of your government talking about a voice when we have got a cost-of-living crisis. And we are going to waste more time talking about this Voice until who knows when because we still don't even have a date for this referendum. We can't get any detail about this Voice. That is the Labor government for you; they are all about fear, not facts. They are all about emotion, not logic.

Let's take this housing bill. They're jumping up and down, wanting to borrow $10 billion at four or five per cent, because interest rates have gone through the roof since Labor got into government, and they want to gamble it on the stock market—the stock market's choppy, so they're going to have to generate about a 10 per cent return to clear five per cent—to then build 30,000 houses over five years, or about 6,000 houses a year. Can someone explain to me the mathematics of how you're going to fit 400,000 immigrants into 6,000 houses? It ain't going to work. You're short by about 300,000, if you assume 1½ immigrants per house. How exactly does Labor think it's solving the housing problem by having such a high immigration rate?

Rather than gamble with money, if you really want true equality here—you're more than happy to go after the oil and gas companies; I don't necessarily disagree with that, subject to the detail. But you're completely avoiding scrutinising the universities and making them pay their fair share of tax. Why aren't they paying tax on income from foreign students? I'll tell you why they aren't—because they're in bed with the Labor Party in pushing their Marxist ideology onto our young children. It all started with the Button plan in '85, when they destroyed our manufacturing industry. They then introduced the Dawkins plan that sent everyone to university so they can be brainwashed and bankrupt by the time they're 22.

That was the Labor Party. Old Hawke and Keating knew what they were up to in the late eighties and nineties, when they brought in this Frankenstein hybrid of Marxism and fascism, they privatised the CBA and let the foreign banks come in when they lifted capital controls in 1985. Yes, Senator Walsh, you may laugh, but you know as well as I do that neoliberalism was introduced into this country under the Hawke-Keating government. It destroyed it, and it will continue that way under the Albanese government.

Question agreed to.