Jim Chalmers
Rankin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It's why we have delivered and are delivering an ambitious budget defined by reform and resilience and responsible economic management. We've been delivering for the Australian people while the member for Hume has been destroying the Liberal Party. We've been delivering for Australians. He's been destroying the once great Liberal Party.”
“I acknowledge the member for Gellibrand and thank him especially for his work on Asian capability and the big report that he has just released as the chair of the education committee. Today is obviously a very important day.”
“We don't just acknowledge those challenges; we are addressing them. That's why we are delivering more tax cuts for Australian workers, more pay rises for people on awards and the minimum wage and a fairer tax system for first home buyers.”
“It's because every time the Australian people need them to vote to help them with these real pressures that they face, they vote to make things worse rather than better. They leave this parliament today more divisive and more divided than ever. We leave this parliament today delivering for the Australians who sent us here.”
“On Friday, we learned that the deficit for the year just finished will be smaller than anticipated at budget time, and we know from the AOFM this week that our debt will be $200 billion less than the trajectory we inherited from those opposite. If those opposite had their way, there'd be bigger deficits and more debt.”
“The member for Macquarie is a wonderful representative of workers and small businesses and families in her beautiful part of Australia. Today is a really important day, as the Prime Minister said a moment ago. We are delivering tax cuts.”
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“The conclusions were that clear and credible climate action will lead to more jobs, higher wages and better living standards. An orderly transition will give businesses the clarity and certainty they need to seize the opportunity and invest in Australia with confidence. It also concluded that a disorderly transition would mean fewer jobs, less investment, lower wages, lower living standards and higher power prices, in a smaller economy. What the Treasury also concluded, when they released these three scenarios, is that the only thing worse than a disorderly transition would be to abandon net zero entirely, which is what those opposite are proposing to do.”
“I thank the member for Jagajaga for the question, but also for the really important work that she does with the Minister for Climate Change and Energy in our team. The member for Jagajaga understands, even if those opposite do not, that the transition to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy is a golden economic opportunity for our country and for its people. That's because, as the ageing coal-fired power stations become less reliable and as they come out of the system, it's those two influences which are pushing up prices, and that's why an orderly transition, and considered investment in cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy, is so important to our economy. When we released our 2035 targets, we put out the detailed Treasury modelling at the same time, and the conclusions of that Treasury modelling were really clear.”
“The have net zero credibility on the cost of living, on the budget and on the economy. But we won't be distracted by the hunger games that are playing out on that side of the House. We will continue to deliver for the people who sent us here to represent them. Strengthening Medicare and delivering cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way we can is a really important part of that effort.”
“It's why we're paying super on paid parental leave, paying it on payday, making super fairer from top to bottom, as the Prime Minister said a moment ago. The progress we have made together in our economy has already given the Reserve Bank board the confidence to cut interest rates three times this year. When we came to office, interest rates were coming up; they've gone down three times this year. The interest rate cuts that are already in the system are saving a household with a $700,000 mortgage about $330 a month, or around $4,000 a year. So, we are delivering cost-of-living help and responsible economic management, and that's the difference between this side of the House and that side of the House. They are divided, they are divisive and they are in disarray.”
“As the Minister for Health said a moment ago, Saturday was a really important day, because we started expanding bulk-billing incentives and started bonuses for practices that bulk-bill every patient. We are strengthening Medicare because more bulk-billing means less pressure on families. It's the same reason we're building more urgent care clinics. It's the same reason we lifted the low-income threshold for the Medicare levy, and why we're making medicines cheaper, at the same times as we're protecting penalty rates, boosting wages, cutting student debt, helping with electricity bills and making batteries cheaper, and at the same time as we've got two more tax cuts on the way. It's why we're boosting super balances, and the LISTO, and getting the super guarantee to 12 per cent.”
“Thanks to the member for Werriwa for her question but, much more importantly than that, thanks for being a champion for Medicare in your local community to the south-west of Sydney. Even with the progress we've made, getting inflation down to half what we inherited from those opposite, getting real wages growing again, keeping unemployment low and seeing three interest rate cuts already this year, we know that Australians are still under pressure. But, more than acknowledging that, we're doing something about it. We're delivering cost-of-living relief, we're securing our triple-A credit rating, and we're managing the budget and managing the economy in a responsible way. One of the most important ways we are delivering that cost-of-living relief is by strengthening Medicare in every community.”
“I want to thank the member for Wentworth not just for her question but for being a really important contributor to the Economic Reform Roundtable that we hosted here just a couple of months ago. Now, I can hear the opposition leader chirping at me about the Economic Reform Roundtable. When she was down the hill with the Australian Industry Group, she said it was a useful discussion and a very welcome conversation. But, anyway, leaving that aside— You did. I'll show you. I'll table it. Mr Speaker, more seriously—”
“Again, I invite the House to consider the contrast between all of this progress that we're making—Medicare, the cost of living and the economy more broadly—and the divided and divisive rabble over there. Just in the last couple of weeks we've had the member for Canning spit the dummy. We've had the member for New England spit the dummy. I think the member for Hume tried to spit the dummy, but, with him, it's always hard to tell. The difference is between us delivering and them divided and divisive—”
“These EPBC changes are better for the economy and better for the environment as well. They represent a faster process, driving more productivity with more transparency and stronger protections for the environment. There is no shortage of challenges in our economy or in the world; we know that. But we also know that by working through these challenges in a considered and consultative and methodical way we are making progress. We're helping with the cost of living. We are strengthening Medicare. We've secured our AAA credit rating from Fitch this week. We're making our economy more productive over time, and we're delivering for the Australian people.”
“We're strengthening Medicare and we're delivering cost-of-living relief at the same time as we're making progress on the reform directions agreed to at our productivity roundtable. In just the couple of months since that roundtable met, we slashed another 500 nuisance tariffs; introduced regulatory reforms in the parliament; got the Investor Front Door pilot up and running; got the regulators to reduce regulation; progressed a single national market with the states; cleared a backlog of 26,000 homes awaiting assessment; finalised the AI plan, the public sector AI strategy; reformed the super performance test; and signed off on the first set of state and territory reforms under the National Productivity Fund. And today we're introducing new laws into the parliament to reform our environmental approvals.”
“I thank the member for Bennelong for his question and also for being a champion for Medicare in his local community and for the important role he plays in the House's Standing Committee on Economics. We promised to roll out more responsible cost-of-living relief and to strengthen Medicare, and we are delivering. This Saturday marks a really important day in both respects. We are strengthening Medicare because more bulk-billing means less pressure on families in local communities. We're expanding bulk-billing incentives and topping up payments for practices that bulk-bill every patient, and this means more bulk-billing doctors in more communities. The contrast could not be clearer. Those opposite are divided and divisive, and we are delivering.”
“Those opposite promised a surplus every year they were in office. They delivered nine consecutive deficits. On this side of the House—we've been here for three full years—we've delivered two surpluses and one much smaller deficit than we inherited from those opposite. They had spending in the economy as almost a third of the economy; we got it down to closer to a quarter of the economy. They had real spending growing by 4.1 per cent; we've got it growing by 1.7 per cent. This is why the questions from those opposite lack any credibility whatsoever, because we remember your record. We know that when we came to office inflation was roaring, interest rates were rising, real wages were falling, living standards were falling, you'd only delivered deficits, and there was $1 trillion in Liberal debt.”
“Now, I will take advice from a whole range of places in the course of my job as Treasurer, but I won't be taking advice on inflation from those who left us with an inflation rate that was 6.1 per cent and rising fast. Inflation on their watch was twice what inflation is now, and it was rising fast. One of the reasons for that that we now know about, whether from the COVID review or from other places, is that when inflation was absolutely galloping in our economy in 2022—6.1 per cent and rising fast—they were pouring more and more fuel onto the flames. We know that. That is an economic fact, and that is their legacy. That is why they have no economic credibility, especially when it comes to inflation, especially when it comes to employment and also when it comes to real wages. I'm asked about government spending as well.”
“For those of you wondering why the shadow Treasurer cuts such a comical, almost cartoonish figure in this place, that's your answer. We are working through serious economic challenges and serious economic opportunities, and the best way to do that is in the considered, methodical, consultative way that defines this government. If the shadow Treasurer wants to ask me about unemployment, he needs to acknowledge that the average unemployment rate under this government is the lowest of any government in half a century. Under those opposite, unemployment averaged 5.6 per cent and under this government 3.9 per cent. So I find it odd that the shadow Treasurer would want to highlight that in question time in the House of Representatives—and similarly when it comes to inflation.”
“I'm here to deliver income tax cuts. I'm here to deliver more super for more workers so they get the decent retirement that this guy would deny them.”
“They are always trying to undermine and diminish and come after the superannuation that the working people of this country need and deserve for a decent retirement. Also, don't forget that the question comes from the same guy who wanted to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to build nuclear reactors, to push power prices up, not down. He asked me who I would take my advice from. I don't take my advice from the shadow Treasurer. I really couldn't be clearer about that. He can trouble himself all he likes with the political scuttlebutt and the internal far-right politics being practised by those opposite. The difference between the shadow Treasurer and me, as Treasurer, is I'm here for the outcomes. I'm here to deliver for the working people of this country. I'm here to deliver an increase in real wages.”
“I will make it really clear to the House that I didn't take the advice of those opposite. I didn't take the advice of those opposite, and that's because the question comes from the same people who took to this year's election a policy to increase income taxes on every single one of the 14 million taxpaying workers in this country. They are the same people who object to smaller tax concessions for half a per cent of people in super and who wanted to jack up income taxes for 100 per cent of the 14 million taxpaying workers. That's because, as I said before, what they really object to is more super for more workers. They don't like super. They don't like workers. We know that from their almost decade in office.”
“We've got new mandatory service standards, reforming the retirement phase. We're paying superannuation on paid parental leave for the first time. And now our changes to better-targeted superannuation concessions and the low-income superannuation tax offset will mean that 1.3 million Australians will get more super when they retire. These changes will make the superannuation system fairer from top to bottom. They mean a better deal and more super for low-income workers, and that's what those opposite are really objecting to, because, when they apply their narrow, extreme right-wing ideology in government, workers in this country don't get a look-in. We saw that for the best part of a decade. They are always looking to undermine, diminish and attack superannuation because they know that super is a proud creation of this side of the House.”
“Thanks to the member for Dunkley for her question. In her relatively short time in this place, she has been a real champion for the working people of her community and our country. This week in the parliament, our payday super reforms will help ensure that more Australians get paid their super when they get paid their salary. It's about making sure that workers' super is paid and paid on time. It's another proud Labor reform, which will mean more super for workers. That's our goal and that's what we are delivering. It's not the only important change we're making to strengthen our super system. We legislated the objective. We increased the super guarantee four times to reach 12 per cent. We expanded the coverage of the performance test. We've aligned the financial reporting with public companies.”
“I was wondering where he got to, Mr Speaker! I'm pleased that, after 170-odd questions, at five to three on the last day of the sitting week, the shadow Treasurer pops up to ask this question. The Treasury modelling and our policy do not assume that an economy-wide carbon price is in place. Treasury's report makes that clear because that is not the government's policy. So, the question that he has asked is not based on reality. I'll tell you what the Treasury officials who provided the Treasury modelling about the government's climate targets told the government, and that is that the orderly transition that this government represents is the best way to grow the economy and create opportunities in our economy.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today I'm also introducing the Superannuation Guarantee Charge Amendment Bill 2025. This bill works in conjunction with the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025 that I just spoke at length about to make sure superannuation is paid on time. The amendments in this bill will ensure the superannuation guarantee charge is imposed for any day wages are paid and there is a shortfall of contributions. For all of the reasons I outlined in my previous speech, I commend it to the House. Once again, full details of the measure are contained in the explanatory memorandum. Debate adjourned.”
“So there's more super savings for more Australians and more secure retirements as a consequence. And that's why we are really proud to introduce this to the House today. Full details of the measure are contained in the explanatory memorandum. Debate adjourned.”
“We legislated to align financial reporting requirements by funds with those of public companies. We've also announced mandatory service standards. And we're better targeting superannuation tax concessions and reforming the retirement phase of superannuation. Our plan is making a meaningful difference, and wages are moving in the right direction again. In the five quarters leading up to the 2022 election, real wages fell in annual terms. They have now grown for the last seven. We've recorded the strongest annual real wages growth in five years. We're now on the longest run of real wages growth above 0.7 per cent in a decade. And real incomes per capita are growing now as well. This legislation is another really important step in implementing our plan. It's about getting your super when you get your salary.”
“The approach will address the feedback we've heard to ensure that we are getting the implementation of the policy right, and workers and businesses will be better for it. At the core of the economic plan we laid out in our budget earlier this year is a simple objective. Our government is ensuring that more Australians earn more, keep more of what they earn and retire with more as well. That's what this legislation is about. You can see that in everything we've done since coming to government in the superannuation sector. It's why we legislated the objective of super—to provide income for a secure retirement. We've increased the superannuation guarantee so it has finally reached 12 per cent. We expanded the coverage of the superannuation performance test from around 80 products to more than 800 in 2023.”
“From the years of advocacy for change, through the consultation on the policy design in 2023 and more recently the draft legislation and ongoing engagement with the ATO working group. We recognise that implementing payday super will require an economy-wide transition. Not just for employers but also software providers, clearing houses and super funds themselves. Because of this, the ATO has advised that it intends to consult on its approach to compliance for the 12 months after the change starts. The ATO's approach will differentiate between low- and high-risk employers. This approach will mean that employers who are making the effort to pay contributions in line with each pay cycle will fall into the low-risk category.”
“And it also simplifies the process. Employers will no longer need to choose which period their late contribution should count towards or calculate their own liability. This will all happen automatically. At the same time, the new charge will deliver significant consequences for employers that repeatedly fail to pay their workers or let super go unpaid for long periods. And it will make sure workers are accurately compensated for lost earnings if their employer is late in paying their contributions. I wanted to thank the unions, industry, businesses and the broader community for their feedback, engagement and views to get to this point. There has been a lot of engagement and consultation, and I thank everyone who took part in that.”
“When the ATO responds to an employee complaint, they are investigating almost two years of potential unpaid super, on average. As part of this reform, we're also investing into the ATO's capabilities, so it can detect suspected nonpayment of super in near real time. There is a productivity dividend here too. Smaller, more frequent super contributions will help employers manage their payroll more smoothly. This legislation also redesigns the superannuation guarantee charge to be fit for purpose and to make payday super work. The current charge is a blunt tool that isn't tailored to employers' circumstances. And it is complicated for employers to correct late contributions and also to calculate their liability. The redesigned charge will prompt employers to quickly rectify late or missing superannuation contributions.”
“That's $5.2 billion that should be helping thousands of Australians in their retirement but isn't. This issue disproportionately affects more vulnerable Australians and also Australia's working women. That's because those on lower paid, casual and insecure work—who are more likely to be women—are most at risk of missing out on their super. Super is an entitlement for workers, like salary or wages, and unpaid super is a form of wage theft. This bill will help put a stop to it. It will also help the Australian Taxation Office enforce the law and more quickly identify employers not making contributions. Currently, over a third of outstanding super debt is owed by insolvent businesses. This is because unpaid super is being picked up too late.”
“Workers will benefit from more frequent and earlier super contributions that will grow and compound over their working life. For the average 25-year-old worker's retirement balance, this is the equivalent of receiving an extra $6,000 in today's dollars. If a worker is missing out on their super the impact is even more significant. In a typical unpaid super case for a 35-year-old, recovering their super leaves their retirement balance more than $30,000 better off in today's dollars. So, the need for this reform is clear and it's compelling. While most employers do the right thing, some disreputable ones are exploiting their employees. On the most recent financial year data, there was almost $5.2 billion in unpaid super that should have gone to workers.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today we are really proud to introduce the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025. This bill reforms our superannuation system to help ensure that more Australians get the secure retirement that they need and deserve. From waiters and nurses to builders and teachers, aged-carers and hairdressers—this bill makes sure that their superannuation is paid on time. Workers should be paid their super at the same time they are paid their salary and wages, and that's exactly what this bill enshrines into law. It is a meaningful change that will take effect from July next year. It's a change that will strengthen Australia's superannuation system. And it's a change that will help deliver a more secure retirement for millions of Australian workers.”
“They have found a worse outcome. Our policy and our path to net zero is all about the national economic interest. It's guided by sophisticated Treasury modelling. Their position is driven entirely by coalition internal party politics. This unseemly spat between the far right and the further right over there is driving their climate policies. What it shows, once again, is that, whether it's net zero or the budget or the economy more broadly, they haven't changed a bit. They haven't learned a thing. They are more divided and more divisive than ever. There is not a whiff of economic credibility coming from over there, and we know that because in this case they want to smash investor certainty, they want to trash our economy and they want to make people worse off all in the service of their extreme hard-right internal coalition politics.”
“Firstly, decisive action and clear targets will make us a big beneficiary of the energy transformation. Secondly, cleaner and cheaper energy will make us more internationally competitive. Thirdly, clear and credible action means more jobs, higher wages and higher living standards. Fourthly, clear targets and an orderly plan give businesses the clarity and the certainty that they need to invest with confidence. Lastly, a disorderly transition means fewer jobs, less investment, lower wages and living standards, and higher power prices in a smaller economy. The only scenario worse for the economy than this disorderly transformation would be to abandon net zero completely, which is what most of those opposite want Australia to do. They have found a position which is worse than the worst-case scenario modelled by the Treasury.”
“Thanks to the member for Gellibrand for his question and also for his thoughtful contributions to our climate policy and to our economic policies more broadly. He knows, and we know—and I think Australians know—that the net zero transformation is a golden economic opportunity for Australia. The shift to cleaner and cheaper energy over time is an opportunity that Australians cannot afford to waste, and the Treasury modelling our 2035 target makes that really clear. That modelling helped to inform the decision we took and announced not that long ago. It also helps Australians understand why those decisions and those targets are so important to our economy and to our future. Treasury compared two orderly scenarios with a disorderly transition and reached five key conclusions.”
“And so we can boost productivity to help create more jobs and lift living standards for working Australians in all corners of this country. We do understand there is more work to be done. But this bill is another step forward in making sure regulation supports growth, not hinders it—regulation that meets the opportunities and challenges of a global economy which is churning and changing. Full details of the measures are contained in the explanatory memorandum. I thank and commend this bill to the House. Debate adjourned.”
“I wanted to take the opportunity to pay tribute to my colleague and friend Senator Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services. She has been the driving force behind this bill, she has done so much work to make this bill a reality and I'm proud to be introducing it to the House today on her behalf and on behalf of our colleagues. I thank her for all of her work in bringing together contributions from right across government into this legislation. Regulation should be there to protect Australians and empower them, not weigh them down. The bill is about making sure the rules of our economy are working for Australians, not holding them back. So Australians who need help from Medicare can spend more time in front of a doctor, and less time resharing their information.”
“It will also enable regulators to communicate better and share more information when it comes to things like offshore gas projects. And fourth, the bill will help increase government efficiency and improve productivity by giving the Minister for Climate Change and Energy additional flexibility to respond to temporary critical fuel shortages so companies can tap into their fuel stocks if they need to; by making NBN's mapping data available for public use by other businesses and industry; and making it easier to buy smarter appliances that use energy when electricity is cheapest, like hot water systems that heat water for your evening shower while the sun is still shining.”
“Secondly, the bill will reduce red tape to improve access to government services. One meaningful change the bill makes is doubling the amount of time that patients have to access imaging services when they get a referral from a healthcare provider. At the moment, when life gets in the way and patients can't access an imaging service, they need to go back to a GP to get the same referral again. We're changing this. Thirdly, the bill will help reduce the regulatory burden on Australians and on industry. One change here will be bringing some legislated document requirements up to date with the digital economy. For example, a marriage celebrant is currently required to look at physical documents before a couple can tie the knot. This bill will allow secure, suitable digital options to be introduced as well.”
“This bill does four key things. First, it will help Services Australia shift towards a 'tell-us-once' approach to how it delivers services. That means Australians won't have to put in their details every time they access a different government service that they need. Repeatedly asking for the same information only adds stress and delays access to vital services that people rely on and deserve. As an example, once this bill is passed, we can make changes so when Australians update their Centrelink bank details, Medicare gets them as well. This will help people claim their unpaid Medicare benefits, which are estimated to total $270 million owed to almost a million Australians. We know it will take time to make this 'tell-us-once' shift, but this bill is a critical step forward.”
“That's why we'll also alter statements of expectations for Commonwealth regulators, to emphasise the reduction of red tape and a better balance between outcomes and risk, as well as conduct deep dives for priority sectors to streamline regulation. The number of measures and government agencies that will be reformed by this bill is emblematic of how widely we are looking across government to improve regulation. There are 60 measures in this legislation alone. It amends 28 acts and repeals another two. And it will directly affect and improve the operations of 13 government agencies. These changes will make a meaningful improvement to how Australians and businesses work with these agencies. More than this, it will also improve existing regulations to ensure they are fit for purpose and serving the needs of Australians.”
“One of the outcomes from the roundtable was fast-tracking the introduction of this bill. Today, we are delivering on that commitment. It's another step in the substantial regulatory agenda we have been pushing forward with pace since the roundtable. We've made a lot of progress since those three days around the cabinet table, from working through 400 ideas to reduce regulatory burden from 38 Commonwealth regulators; to tasking the Council of Financial Regulators to de-clutter and improve regulation in the financial sector, with a priority focus on streamlining and harmonising data collection; and officially opening our Investor Front Door to make it quicker and easier for investors to back big projects that create jobs and opportunities for Australians. But we also recognise there's still more to do.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today, we are proud to introduce the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025. This is another important step in implementing our government's agenda to make our economy more dynamic, resilient and productive. Better regulation was a key focus of the Economic Reform Roundtable we convened earlier this year and a key focus of our second term economic agenda—better regulation that helps Australians get faster and more streamlined access to the essential services they need and deserve; better regulation that gets more investment flowing more efficiently and effectively right across our economy; and better regulation which boosts productivity, to help create more jobs and grow wages for more working Australians. This bill is about better regulation, cutting compliance costs and cutting red tape.”
“The Mount Isa copper smelter is a nationally significant asset and a significant facility for regional Queensland's industrial capability, and that has driven our efforts throughout this process. It's also what drives our Future Made in Australia agenda, making sure that our workers, businesses and regions are beneficiaries of all this churn and change that we're seeing in the world. That's why we're doing whatever we responsibly can to get a good outcome for the workers, families, communities and businesses the member for Kennedy represents, and we hope to have more to say about that soon.”
“It is about 500 more at Dyno Nobel's Phosphate Hill that would go if the smelter closes. But it's bigger than that. It's about the broader industrial capabilities of our country and that really important region, as the Prime Minister said when he was asked about this recently. That's why Minister Ayres has been doing a heap of work with the Queensland government and Glencore to try to find a solution here. I thank particularly Minister Ayres for the way he's gone about this, working closely with the Queensland government. Good progress has been made. More will be said about that before long by Minister Ayres, and I don't intend to pre-empt that. The government's approach is to do what we responsibly can to ensure that Australia will be an export powerhouse for decades to come.”
“The second one was about our investment as a government in regional infrastructure, particularly in the member's part of the world in Queensland. We're very proud of that investment. Thank you for acknowledging it. Thirdly, when it comes to the gas market, I know that the resources minister and the energy minister are working very closely with the cabinet on various processes we have underway when it comes to the future of gas policy in our country. I was also asked about the very concerning developments in North Queensland and north-west Queensland when it comes to the smelters. I want to acknowledge from the outset that the workers, their families, the broader community and the local economy of that part of our country are front of mind. It is about 600 jobs at Mount Isa and Townsville.”
“I'll try to touch on all of at least the really important issues in the question from the member for Kennedy. First of all, on bananas, I want to assure him that the government will not compromise on biosecurity when it comes to banana imports. On 16 September the department advised that it is undertaking a science and evidence based assessment of a request from the Philippines. There's no predetermined outcome of that process. It's important to note that this notification doesn't signal that trade will commence or is imminent. As the Prime Minister, the minister for agriculture and other senior members of the government have said, we won't compromise on biosecurity and our enviable biosecurity status is not up for negotiation.”
“This government is guided by the national economic interest as we go about making the budget more sustainable. Those opposite are guided by the internal politics of the Liberal Party. Whoever prevails in that unedifying spat between the far right and the even farther right on that side of the House, it's already clear: they haven't changed a bit and they haven't learnt a thing. If anything, they are more divisive and more divided than ever and they still have no economic credibility whatsoever. Their record in government, and now their record in opposition, makes that clear.”
“As a result of our approach and our policies, international ratings agency Standard and Poor's just last week reaffirmed Australia's AAA credit rating. Labor's responsible economic management is in stark contrast to the mess that we inherited from those opposite. They promised to deliver a surplus every single year and only delivered nine straight deficits. They doubled the debt before COVID. They had deficits, they had debt ratcheting up and they were on track to exceed a $1 trillion in debt not too long after the 2022 election. They spent most of the revenue upgrade. They had no savings in their last budget. I think most damningly they took to the last election a policy of higher taxes, lower wages, bigger deficits and more debt. We have spent three years cleaning up the mess that we inherited from them.”
“We turned two very big Liberal deficits into two substantial Labor surpluses in our first two years and, in our third year, we substantially reduced the deficit as well so that it's now a fifth of what we inherited from those opposite and around a third of what we forecast before the election. As a consequence of that, debt is now $188 billion lower in the year just finished than what we inherited from those opposite. That means we'll be paying something like $60 billion less interest over the course of the next decade or so. We have achieved this because we have found savings, shown restraint, banked provisions to revenue, kept unemployment low and got real wages growing again in our economy.”