address to parliament - PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS - Cost of Living

It's a bit like the arsonist calling the fire brigade: start the fire and then expect help when the fire is out of control.

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

Mr McCORMACK: You're out of your seat, so you can't actually say anything, Member for Lyons. Before the members for Hasluck and Spence start, I'll give them the same little reminder—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Vasta ): It is true!

Mr McCORMACK: I shouldn't overrule the Deputy Speaker. The fact remains: Labor has been dragged kicking and screaming to ask for a review into pricing in supermarkets and an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry. It is too little, too late. This problem has been going on under your watch and you did nothing about it. When everybody was going absolutely berserk about the cost of living, Labor finally listened to the National Party, who had been calling for this, along with the rest of the coalition, for 12 long months, if not longer. We were calling for an ACCC inquiry. What did Labor say? Nothing. They just let people pay more and more every time they went to the supermarket, and, quite frankly, every time they went to the petrol browser—every time they went anywhere. What did Labor do? They just towed the line of their union mates, because that's what Labor always does. Now, when the cost of living is a fire raging out of control, Labor says, 'We need an ACCC inquiry.'

You should have listened to the Nationals. You should have listened to the coalition a long time ago and done something about it then. But, when it's all too little and all too late, Labor come to the table and say, 'Look at us!' They puff their chests out and say: 'Aren't we good? We're going to have an inquiry. We're going to have Dr Emerson.' I like Dr Emerson. He's a good man. He was a good minister.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Vasta ): Order! The member for Riverina will resume his seat. The debate is interrupted and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.