ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT - MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE - COST OF LIVING

Do you know what else we'll oppose, Member for Macquarie? We will oppose and fight all the way to the ballot box the truckie tax—the 10 per cent hike that Labor is going to introduce on our truckies. If there was one industry that kept this country going and kept goods moving throughout the COVID pandemic—and I know it hasn't gone away yet—it was the trucking industry. And what does Labor want to do? They want to slug it an extra 10 per cent. Do you know what happens when you whack the trucking industry with an extra 10 per cent in heavy vehicle user charges and fuel taxes? It makes every good that goes to every supermarket in this country cost more. The bread-and-butter issues for Australians right across this nation just become that much harder to pay for.

But don't take my word for it. Let's hear from a couple of constituents who phoned my office today. There was a Commonwealth Bank owner occupied mortgage entered into by a constituent in 2018 on a $435,000 loan. The interest rate rose from 3.32 per cent to 3.57 per cent in May 2022. From there, the principal and interest payments rose from $1,975 at 3.32 per cent to $2,628 at 6.82 per cent earlier this month. What do we say to that person? What do we say? We can't just say: 'Labor will fix it with higher wages. Labor will fix it because Labor fixes everything.' No. The fact remains that that person has to find that money. They have to tighten their belt that much more. They have to go without the things that they shouldn't have to go without.

Another constituent, Drew Davis, rang my office this morning from Henty. Henty is in the neighbouring electorate of Farrer. He called the Wagga Wagga office today to say that his power bill has gone up $750 since last year. What did we hear the Prime Minister on 97 occasions say that he was going to do? Reduce power bills. How much did he say he was going to do it by?

Mr Conaghan: By $275.

Mr McCORMACK: That's exactly right, Member for Cowper—$275. But it was a fib. He duped the Australian public into thinking they were going to get reduced power costs. Drew lives by himself in a unit in the middle of a town of just over 1,200 people. His electricity bill used to cost around $150 to $250 a quarter. It now sets him back $500 to $600 per quarter. He said he was terrified—his word, not ours—of further increases and did not know how much more it will cost him and how much he will be able to cover future bills.

It's a worrying trend that in Wagga Wagga, my hometown, charity workers say people are seeking help for the first time amidst the cost-of-living crisis, They are concerned many more will need assistance should the cost of groceries, rent and utilities continue to rise. It's not 'should'—it's a matter of fact that they will. They will rise in the electorate of Bennelong, in the electorate of Hasluck and in the electorate of Hunter. What are those members doing about it? What are they saying behind closed doors when Labor caucuses? Are they saying: 'Prime Minister, we need to actually get these costs down. We need to give these people relief. We need to give these people help'? No. They just go along blindly with the policies of the Labor government and say, 'Hey, we're in government right across mainland Australia. We'll do what we like, and to hell with what people's costs of living are.' St Vinnies and the Salvos have recorded a 25 per cent increase in demand for their services in Wagga Wagga. The Wagga Wagga St Vincent de Paul Society president, Peter Burgess, said that, along with the rise, there are residents who have never ever had to ask for help, yet they are now. That is sad. He said:

In every aspect that we measure our business, it is increasing and I don't see an end to that.

A lot of it comes from increasing costs of living … we're getting people coming in and saying, 'Last night, I slept in my car with my two kids.'

That is just so sad.

Under the policies of those opposite, who put ideology above practicality and above all else, we're seeing that our manufacturing businesses are going to be forced overseas. We are going to see cost-of-living pressures increase for Mr and Mrs Average—people out there who those people opposite should be helping, should be assisting, but they are ignoring the cries and pleas for help. Shame on all of you.