MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Ms FRANCE (Dickson) (15:33): This MPI is quite the irony from those opposite. If you want to talk about making life for the everyday Aussie harder, look no further than yourselves. Your record on delivering practical measures to help everyday Aussies day to day is quite simply appalling.

I'm going to list a few of the greatest hits. Who can forget robodebt. Who can forget the great bulk-billing freeze for three years, which made going to the doctor much more expensive for everyday Australians.

Who can forget that wage growth literally flatlined under the coalition; in fact, you described it as a deliberate design feature of your very poor economic management. Who can forget cuts to TAFE when we are literally in a trade crisis now because you cut TAFE to the bone. When you talk about making life more difficult for everyday Aussies, you should literally look in the mirror.

You also opposed our tax cuts. We've all just had a tax cut, on 1 July—and you voted against that tax cut. You also opposed pay rises for minimum-wage earners.

You built a measly 373 social and affordable homes in your time in government over a decade—unbelievable! All in all, you've basically just left it up to us to help everyday Aussies with the cost of living and with getting ahead, and that's exactly what we're doing. The Albanese Labor government are committed to improving life for everyday Aussies and we are actually doing it in spades—cheaper medicines, more bulk-billing, cheaper child care, $2,800 in tax cuts next year, 30 per cent off batteries, pay rises for low-paid workers, 20 per cent off HECS, free TAFE, now expanded paid prac, six months of full Paid Parental Leave.

We know housing is a massive challenge facing Aussies, especially younger Australians and first homebuyers, and we're actually listening. They've been telling us as MPs for many years that it's been getting harder and harder, and we're actually delivering some change that will help them. We've delivered the five per cent deposit scheme, so first-time buyers only need a five per cent deposit and single parents only two per cent.

I think we're up to about 280,000 first homebuyers who've taken advantage of that scheme. Our recent budget delivered tax reforms to make it easier for people to buy their first home by putting limits on negative gearing, which obviously supports more first homebuyers entering the housing market and will increase the number of actual owner occupiers in the housing market.

We've brought the dream of homeownership back within reach, not just for investors but for everyday Aussies. We didn't stop there. Our budget also introduced the working Australians tax offset, an additional tax cut of up to $250 for working Australians straight back into their pockets.

This is going to benefit over 13 million Australian workers—a tax cut that those opposite voted against. The tax cuts that we've introduced and the final one, the one next year, will add up to about $2,800 back into the pockets of everyday Aussies. As well as the tax cuts, we've introduced a $1,000 instant tax deduction for workers, which will result in an average of about $200 a year for 6.2 million Aussie workers.

Over on this side of the House, we are very much focused on making life easier for everyday Aussies by focusing on measures to ease the cost-of-living pressures. We have demonstrated that over and over and over again. I just keep on repeating: 20 per cent off HECS, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, more Medicare.

This is what making life easier for Aussies actually looks like.