Ms SWA NSON (Paterson) (15:55): So this opposition has the temerity to suggest that the Albanese government has failed to address Australia's cost of living in its first six months? It's akin, really, to the arsonist blaming the fire brigade for not putting out the fire fast enough, after lighting the fire, pouring fuel on it, fanning the flames, cutting the hoses—let alone holding them—and cutting off the water as well. Come on! Fair crack! Seriously. I haven't been in this place all that long—seven years. I haven't been in it as long as some, and I've been here longer than others. But I do remember Joe Hockey's first budget. So let's have some real comparison over a 10-year period. There was a thing called the Medicare co-payment. Ha! That didn't last too long. It was dumped as quick as sticks. I tell you now that people in my electorate and in Deputy Speaker Claydon's electorate, in the Hunter, have got a better chance of being able to see a doctor thanks to the Labor government instituting and re-funding GP Access After Hours, after the previous government slashed their funding. Let's think about that one. Remember Joe Hockey's 'lifters and leaners'? It seemed as though there was a lot more leaning done by that government over the last 10 years than lifting Australia up. That's an absolute certainty. What about paid parental leave? I seem to remember that 10 years ago that was Tony Abbott's signature policy. It was going to happen under Abbott. Ha! Well, it didn't happen. Let me tell you: we've done it in six months, mate. So that's a big tick to the Albanese government. Gee, this is refreshing, to be able to compare our first six months to your last 10 years, because, let me say, it stacks up reasonably well—without getting too far ahead of ourselves. There was a thing that Joe Hockey brought in—it was quite interesting—called the Automotive Transformation Scheme. It was supposed to help component manufacturers because they were going to be in big strife as the last of the automotive industry was happening. Well, that certainly keeled over, and of course Holden and Toyota left the country, after being goaded out by Joe Hockey. It is lucky that, in our first six months, we've managed to do it quite well, look to the future and encourage electric vehicles. We have been lauded for that by every group under the sun. They're saying, 'Bring it on.' Mr McCormack: Where is the power going to come from? Ms SWANSON: The power will actually come, in part, from my electorate, Mic-Mac. You know that, mate. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): You should use the member's correct title. Ms SWANSON: Sorry; I mean the member for Riverina, of course, who is a good friend, and, look, he's not a bad fellow. He can't help it that he has carried his fair share of the burden over the last 10 years of the Australian people being duped. I seem to remember there was a freeze on child care under the last government, in their first budget. That happened. That was truly an unmitigated disaster. We're not saying that, in our first six months, we've fixed child care, but, gee, I tell you what: we've certainly made some very important changes. I know the young families moving to my electorate from, particularly, Western Sydney—my electorate has been referred to as 'the nappy belt' in recent months—are very grateful that they're going to be given some real assistance. When you talk to young families in Paterson and say, 'How are you going?' they usually say, 'God, the roads are terrible,' and 'Child care is so expensive.' Mr Mc Cormack: Need a good infrastructure minister! Ms SWANSON: You know what? We're doing that. We're fixing it. We're getting on and fixing the roads and helping local government thanks to that funny little thing called the federal assistance grants. We're going to improve those for local government, which is a really great thing. They will be able to fix the roads in and around Paterson. And we know that we're helping families out with child care, with paid parental leave, with better wages, increased wages. I asked the Treasurer today why it was so important to get wages moving again. Unlike the past government, we do not have a structural mindset of trying to hold wages back for ordinary working people. We want to get a fair day's wage for a fair day's work. We are on their side. We want them to have a decent and fair workplace, where they will be rewarded for their effort. I, for one, am more proud of what we have done in six months than what the last government did in 10 years. They really achieved nothing. Even if this government only gets to— (Time expired)