Mr VIOLI (Casey) (16:08): Wow. Going by the member for Blair's standards, I don't have to say much to those at home other than: look at the government front bench. It's an opportunity for them to talk about the cost of living, and the only minister here—by the member for Blair's own admission—is forced to be here. We know the cost of living isn't a big issue for this government because actions are very important. When the Prime Minister was asked a question about the cost of living today in question time, and the price of groceries going up, what did those on the backbench and the frontbench do? They laughed. They laughed about the cost of living. We used an example of Vegemite going up eight per cent. That's representative of many products in grocery stores that are going up. We will not be lectured to sanctimoniously about the cost of living because those on the government benches laughed when asked about the cost of living today. That's what they did. They laughed at the Australian people. Because the Australian people are struggling every day to pay bills. This government, in MPIs, spends more time talking about us in the opposition than it does about outlining its policies. The reason its talks about the opposition is that its policies are not working and the Australian people know that. They know that every day when they go to the shops. They know that every time they receive an energy bill. I was out yesterday at Yarra Valley Hilltop, an amazing business in my electorate of Casey. They started just over 20 years ago with a vision to support the agricultural community of Casey. They started from nothing. They now employ over 100 local people, manufacturing food products. One of their best products is their strawberry jam. They bring in all local strawberries. Mr Rae: What is this, condiment week for you? Mr VIOLI: So we're making jokes and interjecting about cost of living. Says it all! Condiments—they're things that people pay for every day. When you're doing it tough, vegemite on toast is probably all you can afford for breakfast. So it is serious. If you want to interject and laugh, that's exactly the point. You don't get it. You don't understand, because you haven't had to live the situation where you have to choose. So condiments are important and strawberry jam is important because the farmers of Casey are able to sell their seconds to that company that can manufacture them. I met with them yesterday. Their energy bills have gone up $200,000 in the last 12 months. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy can sit here and talk about how great he is, but guess what. The policy is not working. It's gone up $200,000 in 12 months. The next bit that's coming for that business is that they'd signed a good contract on gas, and that's about to finish. They're projecting another $200,000 increase in their gas bill. Mr Rae interjecting— M r VIOLI: So we're interjecting again. It's a laughing matter that businesses are struggling. I'll tell you what. I've worked in food manufacturing. If you don't have gas, you can't make the products. You need gas. It's not an option. You have a to spend that. What happens for these food manufacturers is that raw materials go up. The jars are going up. The finished product is going up, and the Australian people are paying more. And gas prices are going up. There are not any solutions from this government, because they're not working. A government member: There's a war in Ukraine. What do you want us to do? Mr VIOLI: It always comes back to politics with this government. Every time you think of cost of living, the Australian people need to remember the quote from the Australian National Secretary of the ALP, Paul Erickson, when he addressed the ALP party room. Someone was nice enough to leak that to the media. He said, 'You must look like you are responding first and foremost.' That's the devil in the detail: 'look like'. He didn't tell the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the ministers that they should solve Australia's cost-of-living crisis. He said they needed to look like they were solving it. That's what this government is all about. In the 30 seconds I've got left, I say we already know manufacturing is struggling but we also know Australians are struggling with their real wages going backwards in this high-inflation environment that is being fuelled by this government. Bill Evans, the Westpac chief economist, points to this budget as being more expansionary and stimulatory than any of the budgets in the 10 years prior to the pandemic. At a time when budgets should be reducing inflation, this budget is driving inflation and causing the cost of goods to go up. (Time expired)