Shadow Minister for Education, Sarah Henderson, says the Albanese Government is reaping dividends from the misery of escalating student debt, with ATO data revealing Australians paid a record $2.9 billion in voluntary HELP debt repayments in 2022-23, up from $780 million in the previous year. As a result of Labor’s sky high inflation, the 2022-23…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:46): It’s always valuable to hear the contributions from the member for Fraser. Labor have entered another dimension with this motion: they’ve gone on a journey through a wonderous land of imagination! They’ve entered the twilight zone. They’re nestled deep within the Canberra bubble, comforted by the orchestrated applause of a loving…
Over the past 18 months, real net disposable income for an average income earner has fallen, with a decline in take home pay of just under $8,000. As Labor’s cost of living crisis bites, the pain is primarily being driven by rising mortgage payments, falling real wages, and increasing taxes. Federal Member for Groom, Garth…
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:47): The opening question, of course, is: where is the Treasurer? It’s a fair question. The previous minister, I’ll acknowledge, is the first Labor minister to sit the whole way through on this. I’ve sat in on a number of these consideration in detail processes. It’s become the norm for Labor not…
Aren’t MPIs fun! I’m going to address some of the issues that have been raised here. It was suggested previously that we can’t talk about immigration and its impact on infrastructure without somehow raising the prospect of the White Australia policy. That was raised in the context of the current debate on the Voice. So…
It gives me no pleasure to rise in response to this motion, which I assume is part 2 of the previous statement from the government about how it’s been a good 10 months. I remember that when that statement was made I asked, ‘For who?’ A good 12 months? I’ll ask again, ‘For who?’ This…
Restraint is a big word. Until yesterday I didn’t know how big, but after the budget we can put an exact figure on restraint. Apparently you can increase spending by $185 billion in less than 12 months and still call it restraint. Laughable as that sounds, it’s exactly what the Treasurer did when he delivered…
Price caps simply do not work. This is a longstanding truism in politics and economics. It was true in recent times in South America, as it was true back in Roman times. The edict on maximum prices led to a period of chaos. It’s true because it tries to defy the laws of supply and…
It’s a great joy to have the member for Spence back on the rotation. I always make an effort to try and find one point I can agree with the last speaker on. I’m wholeheartedly all-in on the line, ‘It’s not going to get too much better.’ I think that’s very much the situation Australia…
It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to talk about the government’s failure to reduce cost-of-living pressures at this time, I can assure you. It’s right to talk about the impact that mortgage costs going up is having on families, and what it’s like growing up in that situation. Labor certainly does have a mortgage on…