Leon Rebello
McPherson · Liberal National Party · Australia
“But it's becoming really frightening when there is nowhere else to go if i can no longer afford rent and health care too. Another person said: As a still working, self funded semi retiree (73years) old, I feel disillusioned and disgusted by our current govt, who seem to be hell bent on removing any incentive to be a self sufficient, hard…”
“I'm going to read out some of the comments that ordinary Australians in the 65-plus category have sent to me and give them a voice in this place, because those on the opposite side of this parliament are prepared to go against them. I quote one person: 'That's a joke, Leon. We currently struggle to maintain existing low cover.”
“A lot of them are hanging on by the skin of their teeth financially, when they need their insurance the most and after paying premiums for years with minimal claims. Labour will pay the price if they mess with older Australians … Another person said: So this is over $1200 for the two of us.”
“We received over 2,000 responses to those surveys, and most of the responses focused on the fact that these are older Australians who have worked for this country, who have done the right thing for so many years, and now they're finding themselves in a really difficult spot as a result of this government's characterisation of them.”
“And I say to those opposite, the ones who have contributed to this debate and those who are sitting in the chamber today or watching, you should really look at yourself and look at the content of what we're saying, because this is about your parents, it's about your grandparents and it's about people that you represent, or are supposed to…”
“I commend my friend and colleague the member for Gippsland for moving this motion in relation to the government's failure to govern for older Australians. I am livid.”
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“I say to those opposite: you can dismiss this topic in here—you can come into this place and act as though you're gods and you're not doing anything against older Australians—but older Australians see through your mess. They see through your lies. They see through your incompetence. What we're—”
“A lot of them are hanging on by the skin of their teeth financially, when they need their insurance the most and after paying premiums for years with minimal claims. Labour will pay the price if they mess with older Australians … Another person said: So this is over $1200 for the two of us. If more people drop out of private health, not only will it affect the elderly, hospitals are struggling now, how will they cope with the extra patients. Waiting list will lengthen even more. The younger population will also be impacted with increased premiums due to the large number of contributors dropping out. I have so many. I asked my staff to print out the first 50 that came through out of 2,000 people. These are some of those comments.”
“But it's becoming really frightening when there is nowhere else to go if i can no longer afford rent and health care too. Another person said: As a still working, self funded semi retiree (73years) old, I feel disillusioned and disgusted by our current govt, who seem to be hell bent on removing any incentive to be a self sufficient, hard working person. This is in complete contrast to what I was taught growing up! (Work hard, take responsibility for self and family! We see aged care and NDIS funding being misappropriated in the Millions of $, while inept ministers seek to take funds from the disabled and elderly victims! There are many of these comments: When we joined a health insurance the government advised the rebate would be for life. We trusted that promise. Another person said: To do this to older retirees is criminal.”
“I'm going to read out some of the comments that ordinary Australians in the 65-plus category have sent to me and give them a voice in this place, because those on the opposite side of this parliament are prepared to go against them. I quote one person: 'That's a joke, Leon. We currently struggle to maintain existing low cover. Any further change will force us to the public system.' Another person said: It's a money grab by Labor who've wasted money, now targeting aged people who've been prudent with their money throughout their tax paying years. Someone said: I'm 79 years old on pension and still working because of rental costs. I think this is excessively unfair. Please consider excepting pensioners from these continual rises. I have tried to stay independent not to be a burden in the govt.”
“We received over 2,000 responses to those surveys, and most of the responses focused on the fact that these are older Australians who have worked for this country, who have done the right thing for so many years, and now they're finding themselves in a really difficult spot as a result of this government's characterisation of them. It was said by the member for Gippsland—and I absolutely echo his comments—that we need to call this out for what it is. It is a Labor government that is punishing Australians who don't vote for them, and that is fundamentally disgusting and it's dishonest. I'm going to read out some of the comments—I know there are some opposite laughing, but this is a serious matter.”
“And I say to those opposite, the ones who have contributed to this debate and those who are sitting in the chamber today or watching, you should really look at yourself and look at the content of what we're saying, because this is about your parents, it's about your grandparents and it's about people that you represent, or are supposed to represent, in this place, and what you're doing to older Australians is not something worthy of representatives. I ran a campaign in my electorate after the changes for those aged 65-plus were announced that mean that older Australians are going to be paying more for their private health insurance.”
“I commend my friend and colleague the member for Gippsland for moving this motion in relation to the government's failure to govern for older Australians. I am livid. I am livid on behalf of the thousands of older Australians not only in my seat but around this country, because some of the changes that the government has proposed and that the government is making are going to affect them in such an unconscionable and a serious way.”
“My question is to the Minister for Housing. I refer to the minister's previous answer that the government was 'aware for some time'. Can the minister confirm: was this before or after the handing down of the federal budget?”
“After promising Australians one thing before the election, this government is now trying to tax aspiration and pretend that a carve-out will make it fair. But a carve-out's not fairness; it's Canberra picking winners. It's a bureaucrat deciding which business is innovative enough, which savers acceptable enough and which Australians are allowed to get ahead. They don't need another tax; they need a government that gets out of their way. The coalition's position is clear: lower taxes, less complexity and reward for effort. The United Kingdom has had enough. Keir Starmer has resigned. Right now the Prime Minister is making Starmer look competent. He's running the same playbook: uncontrolled migration, a weak economy, broken promises and taxes Australians were told would never come. It's time the Prime Minister followed Starmer's lead.”
“Labor's toxic taxes do not need a tweak, a carve-out or another Canberra fix. They need an axe. Labor and the Greens, the two parties of the extreme left, have done what they always do: stitched up a dodgy Canberra deal and left Australians to foot the bill. More tax, more complexity, more pain in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis because you do not repair a bad tax by making it harder to understand. You scrap it. Across McPherson I meet business owners, tradies, investors and young families who've done what Australians were told to do: work hard, save, invest, take a risk and build something for their future. Labor looks at that effort and sees dollar signs for this wasteful spending.”
“The scary part is that we're not seeing any meaningful discussion about solutions. So while we do support this bill and we won't stand in the way of cheaper fuel for Australians, we support it knowing well and truly that this is only one small part of a very large problem. The government must come to the table if we are going to have meaningful cost-of-living relief for Australians at a time when they actually need it more than perhaps they have ever needed it in their lifetimes.”
“The people that I speak to on the southern Gold Coast—and I have had a number of chats, especially at some listening posts at the markets at Burleigh Heads straight after the initial conflict broke out in the Middle East and the government announced, or followed our lead in announcing, the cut to the fuel excise. I had a lot of conversations and people said, 'Yes, this is great; it's going to help.' But it's not enough. It's a small part of addressing what is a very large problem. Make no mistake. It's a problem that is created here at home. When you compare Australia's inflation rates—and we're seeing 4.2 per cent now, well above our target band as a country—with those of like-minded countries around the world, ours is far above them. So it is home-grown inflation. It's a situation that is created by this government.”
“I'd say that that should be the case going forward in relation to the next month of extension as well, because, at the end of the day, if the savings are not passed on to Australians when they're filling up their tanks, the beneficiaries are not the Australians who are doing it tough right now. They're fuel retailers and not Australian families. The coalition is going to support this bill, but we do so considering the broader context in which it is being presented, and that is an Australian economy that is being mismanaged and that is resulting in Australians doing it tough.”
“We all know in this place—or we should know—that cheaper petrol for five weeks doesn't offset a permanent tax on housing investment. They're completely different things. One's a temporary response to an external shock, and the other is a deliberate choice to tax the aspiration of Australians who want to get ahead. The other component to this legislation is making sure that Australians actually benefit from the cost-of-living relief that is intended. The coalition, those on this side of the chamber, have asked the government to report to the parliament on what proportion of the relief has reached Australians, not just what was legislated.”
“I do note that, when the Treasurer presented this bill, in his second reading speech on the legislation, he said: This comes after a budget that is all about making it easier for people to buy their own home. It's got more income tax cuts and is better aligning the treatment of income from labour and assets. Then he went on to say this: … extra fuel excise relief is just the latest … So we've got a treasurer who's linking this bill, this cut to the fuel excise, to the CGT and negative gearing changes that were put through in the recent budget. He refers to a better alignment of the treatment of income from labour and assets. I don't know which world he's in, but you can't use emergency fuel relief as cover for a permanent tax increase that will push up rents and hurt aspirational homeowners.”
“I think those opposite and those in government would do well from adopting a similar approach—from adopting an approach of living within our means as a country and taking some responsibility for our actions, because that's ultimately where this is going. We're here supporting the bill. We're not going to block cheaper fuel for working Australians, but we do have to ask why Australians are in this position in the first place. It's followed a government that has spent three years adding fuel to the inflation fire through their reckless spending, through record deficits and through no structural reform that's going to actually reduce cost pressures.”
“Despite the rhetoric that has come through over the last couple of weeks, especially following the budget, small businesses are really struggling. They're not feeling that government is helping them or even understanding what their issues are. I think that goes to the ideological difference between those on this side of the chamber and those in government—those on this side of the chamber have experiences directly and firsthand with small business—and it goes to our values. I joined the Liberal Party because I believed in the value of personal responsibility—if you drop something you pick it up, and if you want something you work for it. But it also means you live within your means.”
“I do remind the chamber that when the coalition was in government, we offset spending against savings, and the consequence of not doing that means, as I said, that the next generation is going to be worse off. There's nothing in this that is going to meaningfully attack and address inflation. We've seen this government be in power for the last 4½ years, and there is still no credible plan for how they're going to address inflation in a way that is meaningful and that is effective. The other part of this legislation goes to the heavy vehicle road user charge, which ultimately goes to transport in this country—our ability to get things around—and to small businesses. The coalition has always stood with small businesses, but they need more support than what we're seeing now.”
“No member of the government has come in here and said how they're going to pay for it. No-one's come and given us an alternative plan. I say that as a member of the coalition but one who happens to be the youngest member of the coalition. Because, at the end of the day, it is our future generations who are going to have to pay for every measure that this government implements. Whilst we do support the legislation and the intention of the legislation, all we're doing is putting a bandaid on a wound that we're not focused on healing, because Australians down the track are going to have to deal with this in addition to all the other forms of expenditure that this government has overseen.”
“At the moment, most Australians that I speak to and I think most Australians listening would agree with me when I say that they have very little confidence in the way this government is using their taxpayer dollars. It goes to leadership. The government can come in here and say, 'We're going to provide cost-of-living relief to the Australian people in the form of a continued cut to the fuel excise,' but the coalition has asked for the government's plan to pay for that. We've asked for inflationary offsets, and that's really important, because it's not a small cost. The previous legislation for a cut to the fuel excise cost us $2.9 billion, and this one's going to cost the taxpayers around $400 million. So it's a substantial cost, but not $1 of that cost has been offset.”
“So it's disingenuous for the Treasurer to come into this place and make comments insinuating that the reason Australia is in a difficult economic situation and that Australians are hurting and suffering under a cost-of-living crisis is solely to do with what is happening in the Middle East. We also see a situation where government expenditure has been totally out of control. In fact, we've seen government expenditure outpacing economic growth in Australia at a rate of four to one. It is the highest level of government spending in around 40 years, outside a recession. Australians are happy to pay taxes if they can see their tax money being well spent.”
“But let's be clear, the coalition voting in favour of the legislation is neither an endorsement of Labor's economic management nor an endorsement of Labor's broader economic plan, or lack thereof, because what we've seen from the Middle East conflict is that it's actually exposed Labor's incompetence. While the government may try to hide behind the conflict in the Middle East as a shield for its own poor economic management, when we actually unpack the facts, what do we see? We see a situation where 13 out of the 15 interest rate rises that have occurred were before the conflict.”
“However, instead of it being halved, it will be further halved to 16c. So it's a 16c reduction, as opposed to the 32c reduction it was before. That's going to provide a little bit of relief to Australians, and Australians are doing it tough at the moment. On the Gold Coast, which is the area that I represent, we saw fuel rise quite significantly at the beginning of the Middle East conflict. While this will result in a slight increase, based on what we've seen over the last couple of weeks, it is no doubt a form of cost-of-living relief that Australians truly need at this time. The coalition is going to support this bill. We are going to vote in favour of the bill.”
“The minister who's walking out now was absolutely right: this bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief No. 2) Bill 2026, is about the extended reduction of the fuel excise. But it also goes to a few other points as well, and I hope to clarify my view in relation to those points. It goes to responsible government. The bill supports a 16c reduction per litre, and this follows, obviously, the situation that we've had with conflict in the Middle East. When that conflict began, the coalition called out quite loudly for some time, asking for the government to reduce, to halve, the fuel excise. Eventually, the government came to the table on that, and we supported that measure. What we're seeing now and being asked to vote on is for a continuation of that extension.”
“This adds tens of thousands of dollars to new builds. There's no effort from this government to address that. There's no effort to rein in the regulation and speed up the progress when it comes to building new homes. It's great for the government to come in here yet again and congratulate itself on investing in certain areas. But I think when we will have a reason to congratulate this government will be the day that they come in here and announce the delivery of new houses. That is something that, from my perspective, is very far away.”
“Despite around $80 billion for housing programs under Labor, fewer homes are being built than under the former coalition government. So if we're actually holding government to account and if we're actually looking at whether or not taxpayer funds are being used to create more houses and more opportunities for young people in particular to enter the housing market, they're not. That's really concerning. We've seen the Housing Australia Future Fund absolute failure, with $11.4 billion tied up but—get this—only 895 homes delivered in 2½ years. If we've seen barely any homes being built but billions of dollars committed, again, something is seriously wrong. Australians deserve delivery, not delay. I've spoken in this place before about the National Construction Code, which has now expanded to more than 2,000 pages.”
“When I speak to developers, they often say one of the biggest obstacles in producing new builds is the enabling infrastructure. It's the cost of the roads, the cost of the sewerage, the water, the powerlines—all of that. That is something the federal government can assist with, but we're not seeing any of those long-term approaches from this government. In fact, Labor, keep in mind, promised Australians more homes at the last election, but they're already around 80,000 to 100,000 homes behind target, with no state or territory meeting their share. Despite these billions of dollars on housing programs, Australians aren't able to see the homes that are being delivered. When we were in government, under the coalition, around 200,000 homes were built each year. Under Labor we're seeing completions running around 170,000 per year.”
“What we're seeing at the moment is a government that is not making any inroads whatsoever when it comes to the removal of regulation and red tape in the housing industry, something that will actually bring down the cost and reduce the delays associated with new builds. We're not seeing a government that's making meaningful action to build new homes quickly. We're not seeing anything from the government that is going to incentivise investment in new builds—new builds that are affordable, and I do make that distinction. The coalition, by alternative, has spoken about a $5 billion infrastructure plan. I do think that the infrastructure plan to invest in enabling infrastructure that's been spoken of is important, but it doesn't go far enough.”
“I also want to use this opportunity to point out something else that we're seeing in this housing debate. There's a lot of focus from those opposite on social housing. There is a role for social housing; I'm not denying that. What I am denying are the figures that are being constantly used by members of the government in relation to how we compare homes being built now as opposed to previously, because it's one thing for government to build social housing; it's another for government to create the economic conditions to enable the private sector to do what it does best and build new properties and build new houses.”
“I rise to speak on this debate in relation to housing investment. As the opposition, it's our responsibility to hold this government to account, but what frustrates me time and time again—we've seen it just now from the member for Forde and we've seen it in the content of this motion—is it is not the responsibility of the government to spend their time talking about what's happened in the past with former governments. But all we're seeing is a government that doesn't have its own plan that it's actually able to execute. They speak about a further $2 billion of investment. It's all well and good to talk about money that's being thrown at different issues, but when Australians don't actually see the benefit and when Australians don't see the outcome, there's something seriously wrong.”
“Let's talk about them, because what we need to do is come up with system that protects those Australians who depend on our healthcare system, not punishes them. Labor promised stronger Medicare, but Australians are getting higher costs and fewer bulk-billing options, which is putting more pressure on the healthcare system, and older Australians are being hit. Patients are being required to pay more, and health funding is being used for political gain. Labor can spin the figures, but Australians know the truth when they pay at the GP counter. It's not a record to celebrate. It's a record that Labor should be ashamed of and should be held accountable for.”
“What we're seeing is a Labor government that's using taxpayer funded clinics to shore up its own marginal seats. Again, that is wrong. The assault by this government on older Australians and on people who depend on our healthcare system seems to have no bounds. I represent an electorate on the southern Gold Coast which has an average age demographic that is slightly higher than the national average, so people are speaking to me day after day about these changes, because they're feeling them and they're feeling them compounded with what's happening as a result of the government's cost-of-living crisis. So I'd say to the government: look at what you're doing. Instead of just coming in here and moving motions congratulating yourselves and patting yourselves on the back, bring the facts.”
“It is wrong on so many levels. If we're looking at urgent care clinics, Labor is failing on health, but it's always ready to use health and to use health care when it comes to political advantage or political opportunities. Nowhere is that clearer than in Labor's Medicare urgent care clinics campaign. We've run the numbers, and what we've come up with is actually quite interesting. Labor electorates are around 3.5 times more likely than coalition electorates to have two or more urgent care clinics. I think that's quite surprising, especially when you take into account the size of coalition electorates, which are on average larger and more regional and rural. So you'd expect them to be prioritised on the basis of size and service need, but that's not something that we're seeing from this government.”
“But by 2023-24 it had fallen to 77 per cent, and the July to March 2025-26 year-to-date figure is around 79 per cent, still far below what it was under the former, coalition government. In fact, bulk-billing rose under the previous, coalition government, from around 83 per cent in late 2013 to around 88 per cent in 2022. That's the reality. Those are the facts. If the government wants to speak about it, let's talk about it. There's private health insurance and older Australians. What we've seen over the last couple of months is a decision by this government to cut the private health rebate for around 3.2 million older Australians, which will hurt our most vulnerable people at the time of their life when they need it the most. Labor is testing the resilience of our health system at the expense of older Australians, and that is wrong.”
“But, if the government wants to speak about bulk-billing and if the government wants to speak about health, let's speak about it, because the simple fact is that Labor's bulk-billing rates are lower than the bulk-billing rates under the coalition. We've seen a government which has attacked private health care and older Australians in particular over the last couple of months in a way that is not only negligible but absolutely unconscionable. Labor's urgent care clinics look far too much like political infrastructure instead of health infrastructure, and the reality of bulk-billing is that Labor says it's strengthening Medicare, but patients are asking, including in my electorate on the Gold Coast, why it's actually costing them more to see a GP. In 2021-22, when we left office, GP bulk-billing was at around 88 per cent.”
“I rise to speak on this motion in relation to bulk-billing, and I say to the Australian taxpayer who may be watching: this is what we're actually using taxpayer funds to debate. We've got a government motion—so a motion that's moved by a member of the Australian government—that commends the government's record and that thanks the government for its investments. When I came to this place, I came here—maybe I was aspirational or hopeful—because I thought that we would actually be having conversations about how we can make this country better and how we can take this country into the future, not just come and speak on motions that are congratulating the government, which is something that we seem to do very often in this place.”
“This project will require more than goodwill. It will require the state government, the federal government and the City of Gold Coast council working in lockstep. It will require planning, preservation, funding and delivery discipline. And it cannot be allowed to sit indefinitely as a line on a map or an aspiration in a planning document. The southern Gold Coast is desperate for effective public transport solutions. Heavy rail to the airport is one of the most important of those. The task now is to move from recognising the need to delivering the outcome. Our community deserves a transport network that matches the growth, the ambition and the importance of the Gold Coast. That means getting on with the job and making the heavy rail extension to the Gold Coast Airport a reality.”
“The Gold Coast public transport network will remain incomplete until Varsity Lakes is connected by heavy rail to Coolangatta and the Gold Coast Airport. A city of our scale, and growing at such a pace, with an airport of national importance should have direct rail connectivity to the airport. It's not a luxury; it's basic transport planning for a growing city. This project would improve connectivity for roads and for locals travelling across the coast. It would support commuters travelling between the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane, and it would give visitors a better first impression of our city while reducing pressure on the M1 and local roads. It would also help ensure future growth is supported by proper transport infrastructure, rather than forcing more people into cars and then wondering why congestion gets worse.”
“Governments should enable that effort, not stand in the way. I also would like to speak about a project that is essential to the future of the southern Gold Coast, the heavy rail extension from Varsity Lakes to the Gold Coast Airport. I brought this to the attention of the federal infrastructure minister during my first week in parliament. The Gold Coast is growing, and the southern Gold Coast is feeling that growth every day. It is felt on our roads, in our suburbs, around our airport and across the communities that make our region so special. But if we are to protect that lifestyle that draws people to the Gold Coast then our infrastructure must keep pace. The heavy rail extension is a logical, practical and necessary step.”
“At the McPherson Breakfast Club, Aaron joined a packed group of local businesses and individuals for an open discussion on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the recent federal budget. The questions were frank because the pressures are real. Small businesses are facing rising costs, labour shortages, tax pressures and regulation that too often make it harder to grow, employ and invest. We also heard from a local distillery about the challenges of building a business in a highly regulated environment, including the burden of alcohol excise. These are not complaints from people seeking special treatment; they are the practical realities faced by people who are doing exactly what we ask Australians to do—work hard, take risks, employ locals and contribute to their communities.”
“It's exactly the kind of Australian enterprise we should be encouraging—people identifying a problem, backing their judgement, taking a risk and building something that creates jobs and opportunity. We also visited GCIT, a local business operating at the front line of cybersecurity, managed IT, AI and automation. These are no longer abstract issues. They are central to how small businesses operate, how families protect their information and how our economy becomes more productive. If Australia is serious about lifting living standards, then we must be serious about the digital economy and about supporting businesses that are adopting new tools, new systems and new ways of working.”
“I rise tonight to speak about the future of enterprise and infrastructure on the Gold Coast. It was a pleasure recently to welcome Aaron Violi, the shadow minister for the digital economy, science, technology, innovation and cybersecurity to McPherson. His visit was a reminder that the southern Gold Coast is not only one of the most beautiful places in Australia it's also one of the most enterprising. At Macro Mike in Burleigh, we saw a local success story built from initiative. Mike Kellett could not find products that suited his needs so he created his own. That idea has grown into a well-known Burleigh business, delivering products across Australia and now around the world.”
“What sort of a message has that sent to crime gangs? It has sent the wrong signal and the worst possible message. Meanwhile, on the other hand, you've seen a government in Labor that supported our amendment as the coalition to create the Illicit Tobacco and E-Cigarette Commissioner. But it took them more than a year to permanently appoint somebody to the role. And it's taken months after the budget last year for funds to flow to Labor's new national disruption group. While ministers talk, the black market is thriving, and more than 130 legitimate small businesses, often family run, have already been attacked around the country with millions of dollars in damage done. Debate interrupted.”
“At between $10 and $20 a packet, illegal cigarettes are an irresistible offer for anyone who's addicted and under financial pressure. Nicotine dependence is powerful. If the only affordable option is the illegal one, the criminal syndicates are going to win every single time. The tax office misses out, honest retailers miss out and the public health objective is totally undermined. While Canberra keeps hiking excise on the promise that higher prices will deter smoking, under Labor, excise has been ratcheted up again without any serious plan to deal with the second-order effects—the surge in illegal traders, the growth in organised crime and the spread of illegal vapes. The health minister has even admitted in the past that the government is not going to use the police to enforce its own vaping laws.”
“The sale of illicit tobacco is fast becoming one of Australia's most lucrative organised crimes. It's no longer a problem that's confined to back alleys in big cities. It's turning up in suburbs and shopping strips across the country, including in my electorate of McPherson on the Gold Coast. This is the predictable consequence of a tax policy that may look good on a spreadsheet but ignores what's happening on the street. Out of roughly $50 for a legal packet of cigarettes, close to $30 goes straight to the tax office. Official surveys say the number of people who report smoking has dropped sharply in the past year. That should be great news, but wastewater testing shows that Australians are consuming more nicotine now than eight years ago. Smokers have not quit. Many have simply shifted their purchasing into the black market.”
“We need a government that is going to be accountable and take responsibility, and the right thing for this government to do would be to put forward policies that are actually going to do what they said, and they should get into this place and apologise to the Australian people.”
“I can say to Australians and young Australians who are watching that the genius of this government is that they're going to go up even more. What they've actually done through this most recent budget is pitted investors against first home buyers because, Deputy Speaker Buchholz, as you and I know all too well, state concession schemes, when they come to the incentives that are given to young people to buy their first home, are geared towards new properties. What we've seen in the most recent budget is this government being totally oblivious of that. That will also result in housing affordability continuing to go backwards, which is another broken promise by this government. In closing, this government has failed to manage the economy, and Australians are paying the price.”
“But when I speak to young Australians—and I'd say the same would be the case for my colleagues who are in this place at the moment—I don't get young people coming up to me saying, 'Jeez, it's so good we've had this government come into power, because we're actually able to get into our first home,' or, 'Rents are actually going down; have you noticed that?' It's fanciful, it's fictitious, and it's an absolute broken promise that Australians are having to bear the brunt of as a result of this government's absolute mismanagement of the Australian economy. We're seeing that on paper as well, because housing costs are up 6.3 per cent over the year, rents are up 3.5 per cent over the year, and new dwelling prices are up 4.7 per cent over the year.”
“It's a broken promise that Australians can see in black and white. Families know that the opposite of what the Prime Minister told Australians is happening. The power bill on the kitchen bench tells everybody what the real story is. On housing affordability, another addition to the litany of broken promises that we've seen from those opposite, they promised that housing would be more affordable in this country.”
“They promised that we would see a reduction in energy prices by $275. It's almost laughable because what we're seeing is the absolute opposite of that. We're seeing CPI still running at 4.2 per cent. Wages are growing at 3.3 per cent. What that actually means is that pay packets aren't keeping up with prices, and Australians are getting a pay rise on paper, but they're actually losing it at the checkout. That's not restoring living standards. That's eroding living standards, and Australians are seeing it for what it is. The $275 cut to household power bills by 2025, which was promised, is something we're still waiting for, but what have we seen? We've seen electricity costs go up 22½ per cent over the year, and, over the course of the last 3½ years, they've gone up even more than that.”