Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a senator for Victoria, it's my job to represent the views and interests of those that are in my state, and that's exactly what I'm going to do today. Recently I surveyed some constituents in my patron or duty seats the electorates of Chisholm and Isaacs about issues that matter most to them—the things that most deeply impact their lives and the priorities they want their government to act upon. I'd like to thank everybody who took part in that survey—it only took a few minutes to fill it out—to tell me the things that mattered to them so that I can stand here today and share those messages with the parliament and particularly with those in the government who make the decisions that affect their lives.

The message has been resoundingly clear. From the surge in crime and the surge in the cost of living, to access to healthcare and unaffordable energy prices, Australians are struggling, and they are asking their federal Labor government and state Labor government in Victoria to do so much better. Residents in the electorates of Chisholm and Isaacs are worried about their safety, their bills and their future. They want a government that listens and, more importantly, a government that acts. I say this to those constituents in Chisholm and Isaacs: if you do not feel that you are being heard, then I can be your voice. This is exactly what I am here to do—to speak to those who are not listening to you today. I hope that those opposite are listening, finally. I hope that they listen and pick up the phone to their mates that are in the Victorian Labor government, and that they respond and get on with action on these issues.

Previously when I've done these surveys, and I have done many of them, the cost of living was absolutely the No. 1 issue. It was the No. 1 issue that came up with residents, and there's no denying that it is still a massive issue for Australians who have lived through three years of Labor's cost-of-living crisis. But there is a new No. 1 issue in my home state of Victoria, and that is crime. Over the past year in particular, we've seen an enormous, alarming rise in not just youth crime but violent crime right across Victoria. One resident from Mount Waverley shared with me some extraordinary footage of an attempted home invasion that occurred while her family was inside. It's not an isolated event, either. There are so many people that responded who said they'd either had home invasions or knew someone who had experienced a home invasion. In fact, there was one local from Glen Iris who even wrote that their friends and neighbours can no longer sleep properly at night because of the rising crime in their suburbs. These are basic, middle-class, average Australian suburbs. We should expect more than that.

I promise you this is not something that's being catastrophised. It's happening right here in our neighbourhoods, in our backyards, and people have had enough. They've had enough. One resident from Isaacs shared a shocking story of her niece's partner, who was the victim of an unprovoked king hit in the middle of Melbourne's CBD in broad daylight, in the middle of the afternoon, while he was working. Three months on, that case, which you would think would be unequivocal, remains unresolved. Being king hit in the middle of the day while you are working in the middle of the city.

This is happening on almost a daily basis. We've seen reports of violent crimes happening right around Victoria. But what has the Victorian Labor Allan government done about it? What has their response been? I'll tell you. They sat on their hands. They've cut $50 million from the police budget, and they spent an astonishing $13 million on 40 bins in which people can actively and voluntarily surrender their machetes, because you know that so many violent criminals love to voluntarily surrender their weapons.

This is the most confronting story that I have received so far. It's from a local constituent in Isaacs who said:

I never thought I'd have to call a family meeting to plan how we are going to protect ourselves during a home invasion. But that is exactly what we have done.

Wow. No Australian family should ever have to live like that. No parent should have to sit down with their children and explain, 'Now, kids, this is what we're going to do, and this is what our escape plan looks like when the criminals arrive.' Isn't that extraordinary!

The other issue dominating conversations in Chisholm and Isaacs is the rising cost of living. It's the single biggest concern for families, retirees and small businesses. In Chisholm the frustration was particularly clear. One retiree told me that, after working for 47 years, he feels completely disillusioned by the current political discourse. He said:

I watch my hard earned savings being eaten up by government policies.

He went on to explain that, despite the rhetoric about helping ordinary Australians, the reality is the opposite, and he is not wrong.

Labor's economic agenda is making Australians poorer by the day. Their living standards have gone backwards. The government's spending is at the highest level outside of a recession in nearly 40 years. Isn't that extraordinary? The reckless spending, as we know, is keeping inflation higher for longer. We know the Treasurer claimed 'mission accomplished' on inflation, but it's popped back up, and Australians are paying the price. Australians are paying $50,000 every single minute in interest on Labor's trillion-dollar debt. How much did you guys pay just sitting up here listening to me? Extraordinary.

One constituent said:

The cost-of-living crisis needs to be resolved responsibly for our current and future generations.

I couldn't agree more. He continued:

Living standards are decreasing for many Australians, despite hard and honest work. Our country is better than this.

Another wrote:

The current price of living, gas, electricity, feeding ourselves, everything. We were promised cheaper and better, but it's only gotten more expensive.

These aren't just complaints; they're words of frustration. They are the lived, everyday experiences of Australians who work hard, have saved carefully and still can't seem to get ahead.

Just recently, the Prime Minister said, in relation to the 2022 election:

My government's been very disciplined about fulfilling the commitments that we made prior to the election.

Well, Prime Minister, you promised that life would be cheaper under you and that Australians would be better off under Labor. But, since Labor were elected, households are paying nearly 15 per cent more for their food. They're paying 15 per cent more for their health care. They're paying 19 per cent more for their housing and nearly 40 per cent more for electricity.

The Prime Minister also promised, with his cheaper health care—holding up the Medicare card—that they would be able to see a GP without a gap. Unfortunately, the average Australian is still paying $50 out of pocket to go and see a GP. Australians are struggling with access to adequate health care, particularly aged care. We know that bulk-billing and the affordability of essential medicines is also a problem. In Isaacs and Chisholm and Victoria right now—but this right across Australia—that is the third top issue: cost of access to health care. Labor has been quite vocal in speaking about how much they have done to make medicines cheaper, but the real feedback we are receiving tells an entirely different story. Particularly I got some feedback on concerns from people about the cost of difficulties finding aged-care places and accessing home-care packages.

Another constituent expressed dismay at the Prime Minister's unfulfilled promises on Medicare. He described the growing gap between what the Prime Minister says and what people are living through. I'm quoting here, so forgive the informalities. He said:

The lies Albo has told about the Medicare card are terrible. My husband's heart medication we're paying out of pocket, even though we've reached our limits. He hasn't opened any more bulk billing clinics. We're pensioners, and the cost of food and everything else is killing us. We've been waiting 12 months for our aged care package.

This is not an unusual response. Almost every week, those opposite stand up to joyfully express how much they are doing for Australians. I know you guys speak to each other all the time, but that's an echo chamber. The real issue is this: have you actually spoken to Australians? Because the feedback tells a completely different story to the one that you tell us in here. The government seems to have fallen out of touch with the reality, the lived experience of ordinary Australians.

The final issue raised across both electorates, Chisholm and Isaacs, which again tells us how out of touch this government is, is the rising cost of energy. Energy bills continue to be a major cause of financial stress across households and small businesses across this country, particularly in my home state of Victoria. You know that the Prime Minister promised you cheaper bills—he promised $275 off your electricity bills—but Australians are paying up to $1,300 more on their energy bills than Labor promised. Another resident said:

We need transparency around the Government's energy transition costs.

I could not agree more.

I am going to keep doing these surveys because it's important to know what the people of Victoria think and what messages they want us to be sending to the government in this parliament. On behalf of the coalition, my message to Victorians is this: we have a strong record of being able to clean up Labor's mess; we have done it before and will be able to do it again.