QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:17): Thanks to the member for Bendigo for her question, which reflects her focus on the cost of living in her community and also our government's. This week, and every week since the election, has made one thing really clear: they are divided, and we are delivering. We are delivering cheaper medicines, student debt relief, tax cuts, help with electricity, cheaper batteries, real wages growth, rises in aged-care wages and the minimum wage, protection of penalty rates, five per cent deposits, more urgent-care clinics, a 12 per cent super guarantee, and payment of super on paid parental leave.
Today is an especially proud day for our government, because we have just introduced the payday super legislation into the parliament. This will boost retirement incomes and benefit millions of Australians. It will mean that you get your super when you get your salary, because too many Australians are missing out on the super they have earned and are entitled to.
This will help ensure that Australian workers get their super paid and paid on time. It means that under this Labor government Australians are earning more, they are keeping more of what they earn and, thanks to this legislation, they will retire with more as well. This is a government of delivery, focused on the cost of living.
That is an opposition that is hopelessly divided and focused only on themselves. Every month or two there is another shadow ministry reshuffle, with another one on the way. Former shadow ministers are writing letters about leaking and then leaking them.
There have been 158 questions since the member for Fairfax asked me anything about the economy. The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?
Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right, the manager is entitled to raise a point of order. Mr Hawke: The Treasurer is not being relevant— Government members interjecting— Mr Hawke: and just hold your horses.
The SPEAKER: The Treasurer was asked about other proposals. He is two minutes in. I'm just going to make sure his answer, if he's talking about other proposals, is being directly relevant to the question he was asked in terms of cost of living.
The Treasurer has the call. Dr CHALMERS: The point that I'm making is that we're delivering help with the cost of living; their division would cost Australians when it comes to the economy. They are a mess.
We've got the opposition leader punishing the member for Canning in the harshest way she knows: by making him sit next to the member for Barker. And he's okay with that because he used to sit near the member for Fairfax! We will not be distracted by the unedifying spats on that side of the House between the far right and the further right.
We will stay focused on the main game, which is the cost of living. They have not learned a thing from the election. They have not changed a bit.
They are divisive; they are divided. This government is delivering.