It is very notable that in Senator Brown’s contribution on this debate she almost exclusively spoke about the past. She almost exclusively spoke about, in her words, the last nine years. It was all looking back in the rear-view mirror, and there was almost nothing in her contribution seeking to defend this new government about the future. And it is the future that is concerning Australians right now, because Australians can see this cost-of-living crisis coming down the track towards them. It is already quite difficult for many Australian families as interest rates have gone up significantly over the past six months: five rate rises in a row, which is the fastest increase in interest rates since the mid-1990s. It’s very, very difficult for Australian families. Petrol prices have obviously gone up significantly over the past year, due to the European energy crisis and the barbaric invasion of Ukraine by the Russian President. That’s already hurting Australians, but, unfortunately, we can all see and know that perhaps the worst is yet to come.
Later this month, petrol prices are set to rise by 22 cents a litre when the former government’s excise relief comes off. That’s something we have to do. We cannot afford to neglect our roads, and fuel excises pay for that. So that will be an increased cost for Australian families. The RBA governor today, in raising rates, indicated that more rate rises are probably set to come over the next year; it’s probably not the end of this tightening cycle. So while many Australians are already facing increased mortgage payments of $1,000 a month, that will be even higher, potentially, over the next year. Finally, electricity bills are about to skyrocket. We don’t have enough reliable energy in our market and the increases in wholesale power costs this year—they have gone up four or five times—have not flowed through to retail bills. That will happen later this year.
In this context, you’d think you would have this government focused almost exclusively on this cost-of-living crisis. Instead, they are distracted. I kind of miss Mr Bill Shorten. Do you remember how Mr Shorten used to talk about the top end of town? Well, this government is one that is constantly hobnobbing with the top end of town. At last week’s Jobs and Skills Summit held here, almost everybody was either from big business or from big unions. They certainly had no issue with paying their mortgages and no issue with paying even skyrocketing energy bills later this year. There was almost zero talk from the participants at that conference about the major issue that Australians are concerned about today.
The government cannot talk about its cost-of-living plan, because it’s already dumped the plan it took to the Australian people less than six months ago. Less than six months ago Mr Anthony Albanese promised the Australian people multiple times he would slash their electricity bills by $275. He said it time and time again: your bills would be $275 a year lower under a Labor government. In a matter of weeks, he walked away from that promise. The new Prime Minister has not mentioned that figure again since the election. It must be a world record, a government breaking such a key promise so quickly to the Australian people. The government doesn’t talk about the power bill plan. If you’re looking for relief on electricity bills, don’t ask this new government; they have no plan.
Now they rest back on their childcare plan. Senator Brown mentioned $5 billion. The Labor government never talks about or reveals that that $5 billion is predominantly going to very rich people in this country. Under the government’s childcare plans, they are going to raise subsidies for families earning up to $530,000 a year. If you’re earning half a million dollars a year, you are very lucky. You will be even luckier, thanks to a Labor government, because you’re going to get more money from them. The education department modelled this. They showed that a family on 360 grand a year will be $11,000 a year better off. Thank you very much, Mr Albanese. If you’re on $70,000 year, you’re only $1,700 a year better off. That is an 85 per cent lower benefit for those families. These are the priorities of this new government. The Labor Party are no longer the party of the working class. They’re no longer the party that look after the downtrodden in this society. They are wholly and exclusively focused on the Business Council of Australia and on the large unions that get big kickbacks from big super. They are focused on those interests and those interests alone. They do not listen to, and do not represent, those Australians who struggle in this country and are struggling more because of this cost-of-living crisis ignored by the government.
