Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (16:23)

The Albanese Labor government is focused on reducing the cost of living. This is one of the issues that matters most to the hardworking people of the Hunter. Today we have the opposition trying to convince us that they could do a better job. Let's be clear, when it comes to reducing the cost of living, the coalition is like a chocolate teapot—they melt under pressure, deliver nothing and leave nothing but a mess. They are worse than useless. They seriously expect us to believe they of all people could do a better job of reducing the cost of living—the same mob who spent nine years driving up power prices, keeping wages low and making it hard to see a bulk-billing doctor. They talk the big talk, but there is no action to back it up. They voted no to every single cost-of-living measure we have put in place.

Leading the charge is the member for Hume. The member for Hume has absolutely no idea of what to do when it comes to the cost of living. Remember, this is the same bloke who hid energy price hikes before the last election. He saw the numbers and didn't like them, so he shoved them in the draw and hoped no-one noticed. Now he wants us to believe he has a grand plan to help struggling families with the cost of living. Get real, mate! It's like putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop and being surprised when the feathers start to fly.

If you really want to understand the member for Hume and what Australians think of him, you don't have to look any further than his own Facebook page. This is the man who is so starved of support that he once replied to his own Facebook post with, 'Fantastic. Great move. Well done, Angus.' I mean, come on! Even his own supporters aren't willing to pat him on the back, so he had to do it himself.

If self-congratulation was an Olympic sport, he would take home the gold every time. If only he put as much effort into passing cost-of-living relief for this parliament as he does patting himself on the back.

While the opposition reply to their own social media posts and plays silly games, we've been getting on delivering real cost-of-living relief. Let's talk about what we've done for the Hunter. More bulk-billing and better health care has made it easier to see a doctor without breaking the bank. We have delivered Medicare urgent care clinics so people in the Hunter can now get urgent medical attention at no cost, and two Medicare mental health clinics so people can get the mental health support that they need. There's been energy bill relief for thousands of households and small businesses across the Hunter. Hunter residents have already saved $7.7 million thanks to our reduced cost of medicine. Over 6,700 families in the Hunter are benefiting from cheaper child care, making it easier for parents to work and support their families. Just this week, we announced the $573 million investment into women's health, making contraceptives and menopause treatments more affordable.

These aren't just numbers on a page. This is real relief. These are real savings that are making a difference in real people's lives. And what does the opposition have to offer? Nothing. They voted no to our cost-of-living relief, no to tax cuts, no to better wages, no to cheaper child care, no to cheaper medicines, and no to lower power bills. The reality is if the coalition were in charge right now things would be worse off. There would be no energy bill relief. There would be less bulk-billing, and Medicare would be on its knees. The cost of medicines and cheaper child care would go spiralling out of control. There'd be no tax cuts. We're in government because Australians wanted the adults back in charge.

We know times are tough and that is why we are focused on easing pressures wherever we can. While the opposition just talks about helping Australians, we actually deliver. We will keep fighting for the people of the Hunter and people of Australia. We'll keep driving down costs. We'll keep making life easier for families, pensioners, small business owners and workers. To those opposite who think they can do better, we've seen your record. Australians know better. We know that there's going to be $350 billion in cuts. We just don't know where because those opposite refused to tell us. I think Australians deserve better. They should know where these cuts are coming from. We know they need to find $600 billion to fund their nuclear experiment that they think we're ready for. We know all of this is coming from an opposition who really don't know how to give us or Australians any information.

The only person who believes the shadow Treasurer can bring down the cost of living is the one-man cheer squad himself. Thank you to the member for Hume for supporting yourself because you seem to be the only one that does. Let's get Australia going again.