PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Mr PIKE (Bowman) (18:54): It never ceases to amaze me how different the thinking is in this building to what I hear when I go back to my electorate and speak to locals in the Redlands. You could be forgiven for thinking you were living in an alternate reality if you compared the feedback I receive on the ground in my electorate from locals who are doing it incredibly tough under this cost-of-living crisis, with higher interest rates, negative equity and small businesses going under, to the narrative that you hear in government talking points.

I just heard from the last speaker about bulk-billing. Let me let me read an excerpt from an email that I received from someone in my electorate this week. We just heard that bulk-billing has been all resolved.

Beverly from Cleveland said: 'After all the ads in the media advertising bulk-billing and saying doctors are more accessible, can you please explain why it is actually harder to access bulk-billing clinics in the Redlands area? Doctors who I've been going to for over 30 years are no longer bulk-billing.' That's the reality on the ground. We also just heard about the impact of the housing reforms.

I want to read you this account from Trevor. Trevor is from Cleveland in my electorate, where my electorate office is. He's written me one of the most interesting emails I've had in the course of my four years in this place.

Let me read a few excerpts here. He said: 'Twelve months ago, my family made the decision to buy a home. We weren't investors or speculators.

We were simply trying to secure a roof over our heads after being forced to move repeatedly. Every move costs us money. We've now been left in a position where our home's value has fallen significantly.

We now find ourselves with approximately $150,000 in negative equity. Today my wife works six days a week. My daughter works incredibly hard as well.

I work around 60 hours over five days. We are all earning fairly average wages. Yet, despite all that effort, it feels as though we are going backwards.

I was raised to believe that, if you worked hard, lived responsibly and played by the rules, you would eventually get ahead. That is what my parents taught me. But, right now, what I see is our nest egg shrinking, our financial security disappearing and our family's confidence in the future being shaken.' I could go on.

It's quite a lengthy email. That's the reality on the ground. That's what people are seeing.

That is the direct consequence of the policies that are being implemented by this government. We have had the worst collapse in living standards of any advanced economy in the world under this government. That's the reality.

That's what's happening out there in the real world. We hear from those opposite about how it's all going great or, if it's not going great, it's Donald Trump's fault or the ayatollah's fault. It's everyone's fault except for this government and this Treasurer.

We've just had the 16th rise in interest rates under this government. People are absolutely doing it tough out there. I've been inundated.

I've got more cases here I could read from. It is, to me, quite concerning that we've got a government who are so out of touch. When they are going back to their electorates, I don't know who they're talking to.

But do you know what? I get the sense that they actually do understand the reality on the ground. We saw that article from Paul Sakkal a couple of weeks ago where we had three backbenchers quoted concerned about the approach that the government is taking in relation to the economy.

This is a direct result of where this government is leading us. Labor's record spending means the budget is now forecast to be in deficit for the next 40 years. Debt has passed $1 trillion as well.

We just heard, 'If you go back 4½ years and you look at the projections sideways and with one eye closed, we're actually performing a lot better than what we could have been doing under a former coalition government.' You guys have been in power for 4½ years. I've got a son who's actually spent nearly his entire life under a Labor government. You didn't come down in the last shower.

Can I give you a little bit of friendly advice? The public opinion around 'you can just blame the last guys' runs out at about the 4½-year mark. I really encourage you guys.

I know some of you like to talk to Sakkal after a few drinks and have a chat off the record. Let me tell you this. Why don't you go on the record and tell your constituents what you actually think about the economic management of your government, because I can guarantee you that you guys are hearing the exact same stories I've been hearing and that I've just read out to you.

This isn't good enough. Australia's going backwards at a rate of knots. We've absolutely got to have a change of government at the next election, because I can't see you guys getting any better.