MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Ms CAMPBELL (Moreton) (15:53): I do want to inform the people in the gallery just a little bit about the member for Barker's track record when it comes to helping everyday Australians. When taking 20 per cent off student debt came before this House—a saving to the average student of over $5,000—the member for Barker voted against it. When not one, not two, not three, not four but five tax cuts came before this parliament, the member for Barker voted against every single one of them.

And what those tax cuts mean is an extra $2,800 in the pocket of the average Australian. That's a lot of money. Under our legislation, under this budget, 75,000 people who haven't been able to get into their first home will be able to get into their very first home.

What did the member for Barker do? He voted against it. At our urgent care clinics, all you have to do is rock up with your Medicare card and you'll get the treatment that you need, and there are 137 of them across our nation.

What did the member for Barker do? He voted against it. Our $25 medicines are taking medicines back to the prices they were decades ago.

What did the member for Barker do? He voted against it. When I was preparing to come here and talk about this MPI, I did something that I do not recommend to you.

I imagined a world where the shadow treasurer—the member for Goldstein and the mover of this MPI today—was in charge. In doing so, there are a few things I think that we should make very clear. Firstly, what we know if the member for Goldstein were in charge is that everything would be more expensive.

In fact, we know by how much because we know that the member for Barker would put a 20 per cent consumption tax on. How do we know that? Because the member for Goldstein said: … we have to move towards a simpler 20 per cent flat personal, company and consumption tax … We know what would happen because bulk-billing would be out the window.

How do we know that? Because the shadow treasurer said: transfer of the health financing burden shifted from government to individuals— When he was championing the privatisation of Medicare. Your mortgage payments would be higher if the member for Goldstein were in charge.

How do we know? Because he said: Nobody wins from low interest rates … What about making things in this country and manufacturing? We know that would be out the window too.

He said: The days of Australia being an island continent producing finished goods for domestic consumption are over. Finally, what about staying at home with your baby in the first important months of their life? Not on the member for Goldstein's watch.

He said: It's a very bad scheme … it's not my choice that women my choice that women have children. It's genetic! We don't really have to imagine what this would be like because we've got the verbal receipts, provided by the shadow Treasurer's worst enemy—the member for Goldstein!

I don't want to spend the rest of my time talking about the member for Goldstein's greatest hits because Australians are doing it tough. They've also been impacted by a global conflict that's having an impact on our prices here at home. That's why this government is investing in them, and it's why today is an important day.

Today, the Albanese Labor government is delivering more paid parental leave. Award wages are going up by 4.75 per cent, and the minimum wage is going up by six per cent. Superannuation will be paid when it is earned.

Supermarket price gouging will be banned, and tax cuts will be delivered to every single taxpayer in Australia. Normally, I'd say to look at what those opposite do, not what they say. (Time expired)