MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE - Labor Government

Ms SWANSON (Paterson) (15:50): We live in times of great global uncertainty. Although the Albanese government is unable to control global economic issues and events, we can control how we respond to them. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite, we aren't seeking to frighten the Australian population. We aren't seeking to divide Australians. We are seeking to lift them up. We are seeking to take the pressure off. We are giving every Australian taxpayer a tax cut. We have increased the wages for many tens of thousands of Australians, putting more money into their pay packets every week. We have cut $1 trillion of debt. We have delivered two surpluses off the back of almost a decade of waste and deficits.

We have not treated the Australian people as mugs, and we certainly did not have mugs made to celebrate our surpluses. We have determinedly, calmly and sensibly, under the leadership of Anthony Albanese and his cabinet, charted a path for Australians that sees their lives measurably better. As the Treasurer ably pointed out today, we had inflation with a six in front of it when we took control of our economy and the Treasury coffers. That inflation now has a three in front of it. As a government, we don't completely control inflation—a little bit like global events—but our Treasurer has worked tirelessly with business leaders and with people who do have a good understanding of the economics of our nation to bring down that figure. That's what Australians care about, because that's what impacts their mortgages. That's what impacts the pressure that they have to withstand day to day in their lives.

Let's be frank. The previous government left us with a massive train wreck to clean up. The Albanese government isn't satisfied with just patching up the holes. We plan to fix up this mess properly. Whilst in government, we've delivered for the Australian people, as governments should do. We have released policy after policy that makes a difference. We aren't claiming that it's easy at the moment, but we are saying that we are putting in place concrete policies that make a difference.

In my electorate of Paterson, 75,000 hardworking, taxpaying Australians will pay less tax under the Labor government, and that means something. That's measurable, and people can see it. We've delivered bill relief for every Australian household by way of our energy assistance. We have frozen the cost of the PBS. That's medicine that's coming to every Australian for less cost. That's important, because people value of their health in my electorate.

We have given a third consecutive pay rise to millions of Australians. We have expanded bulk-billing and we have made child care cheaper whilst paying properly those people who educate our children and who do care for them, which is so important. We have delivered fee-free TAFE. We have cut billions in student debt for those people who are going to university. We are planning for a future made in Australia. We want to make things here. We want people to be well paid. We have a course that has been thought through and is being sensibly charted. We are not seeking to divide the Australian people and put fear in their hearts. We are leading them.