Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne—Assistant Minister for Children and Families) (15:40): The best thing we can do to help with the cost of living is to keep people in employment and get those who are unemployed into a job. The great news from the Turnbull-Joyce coalition government is we have had a jobs bonanza over the last couple of years: 403,000 new jobs in the Australian economy in the last year, and 75 per cent of them are full-time jobs—not part time; full-time employment. That is the best thing we can do for Australian citizens so that they can afford the cost of living. We have done so many things to improve the lot of the Australian citizen who is working hard, trying to get ahead, paying their mortgage off and wants to know they have a secure job and a future for their kids. We have major reforms and improvements from July 2018 in child care. That's one of the biggest costs for a family, along with health insurance, electricity bills and their mortgage. We're helping on all fronts. The amount of child care will increase, because the cap is being moved up to $10,000 from $7,600. For example, a family with two people working full time, earning $80,000 in income, like many of the people in my electorate, with two children under six years old in long day care, will be $100 per day, or up to $8,000 per year, better off in their childcare rebate. That means they can work more, they can save, they can get ahead. In the Lyne electorate we had a North Coast jobs and investment package announcement last week: $2 million in targeted investment for established companies that want to grow but need capital. These targeted investments will lead to, at the estimates of the companies who are the recipients, over 200 long-term jobs during construction and as the businesses grow. We have that on top of all the infrastructure we're rolling out around the country: a $75 billion spend. In the Lyne electorate we've had over a billion dollars in roadworks and major employment growth in civil construction. Jobs are the best thing that will help with the cost of living—but not just that: electricity. The National Energy Guarantee will lead to a reduction in costs of at least $115 per year. It will make more gas available, increase the capacity for base load so that we don't have the disaster they had in South Australia, where they had no base load to kick in when the fuse blew on the extension cord from Victoria, because of the storm. Mr Champion: Because of the storm. I think you just undermined your own argument. Dr GILLESPIE: But they had no black start capability. The National Energy Guarantee will bring more gas into the market and will guarantee that the retailers and the generators get the electricity where it's needed. In South Australia they closed Playford B Power Station and Northern Power Station. Victoria closed Hazelwood, and what did we have in TheHerald Sun the other day? AGL are putting their prices up in Victoria by 15 per cent. We've given tax cuts to the average worker. We've addressed bracket creep. The Treasurer already announced over a year ago that tax brackets will be lifted about $7,000 to address that very thing for people in the second-lowest tax bracket. We have done many things to make housing more affordable. We've got a register of Commonwealth land that's available. We're making the grants to the states to improve housing affordability and reach KPIs. They don't just get the money: they have to deliver on housing supply targets. We've got a new Housing Finance and Investment Corp to give cheaper interest rates to low-cost housing providers. It goes on. We have made it easier for first home buyers with the Super Saver initiative. That means you can put up to $30,000 into your super account at a preferential rate to develop your first home deposit. We're letting downsizers, at the other end, make non-contributory $300,000 contributions if they downsize from their family home. So we're helping both ends of the spectrum, but the best thing we can do to make costs of living affordable is to keep people in a job, get more people in a job and make the economy stronger, and we're delivering in spades. (Time expired)