Mr TAYLOR (Hume) (09:37): I'm very pleased to rise to speak on this statement to acknowledge the vital role our charities play in our community. Charities and not-for-profits make a very substantial contribution to the Australian community, to the Australian economy and to so many of our local communities. They represent 10 per cent of employment in the sector, and that's a huge contribution. We heard some very highly political comments from the minister a moment ago. I will make a comment on this because I agree that there is a blurry area between extreme political activism and charities. Governments should not use any powers under their legislation to enable extreme activism that is aligned with them or to stop any kind of political activity that is against them. The Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury is absolutely right about that. I will be holding him to account on this. I will be looking very closely at what the government do in coming months to make sure they stick by what they say they believe in. We've seen time and time again, sadly, with this government that what they say before an election—what they say before the fact—is very different from what they do afterwards. Whilst I accept the principle the minister is suggesting, I am deeply sceptical about whether or not the practice will follow that. It will be something we'll be watching very closely. Going back to a far more important point, I congratulate our charities on the incredible work that they do. They are powered by a very large army of volunteers, and volunteering is getting more difficult. They bring people from all walks of life together with a shared goal of lending a hand to those who require it most. Right now people are in deep need of help right across so many of our communities. Our charities are playing a hugely important role. That's because we are seeing crushing pressures on middle Australia right now. In the last 18 months, since this government came to power, interest rates paid on mortgages have almost tripled. They're paying 27 per cent more tax. The average Australian family, compared with 18 months ago, is paying 27 per cent more tax, and there's no end in sight as the crushing effect of inflation and the pushing of people up into higher tax brackets bears down on Australian households. Thirdly, they're seeing prices increasing across the board by, on average, almost 10 per cent. No doubt, we'll get to 10 per cent in the very, very near future. That combination of crushing mortgage costs, crushing increases in taxes—a huge tax burden being worn by middle Australia—and the sharp increase in prices is bearing down hard on Australian families. The result is that we've seen an almost seven per cent reduction in the real disposable income of Australian families. In fact, the number is 6.6 per cent. So that means, as families approach Christmas, they can buy 6.6 per cent less than they could a year ago, and we're seeing this show up in unexpected ways. Not only are they digging deep into their savings, not only they are working more hours than they were just a year ago, but we are also seeing that they're cutting back on essentials. Fresh food spending has dropped, as we saw in the national accounts yesterday. When people are giving up on fresh food because they can't afford it, we know we have a problem, a very deep problem. So the work that many of our charities do to support those in need, under these circumstances, is incredibly important. Just a few weeks ago, I was in Redlands with the member for Bowman, visiting Champions Support Services, where local families can get support with their necessities like groceries and clothes. Through the Champions Support Services, families can get access to essential items for a dollar. Grant Cunningham, who runs Champions said: At the start of the year, we were seeing around 50 clients each week. Now, we're pushing up to 150 every single week that are coming through our doors. In North Lakes, I met Theresa and the team at Kingdom Makers Food Outlet, with the member for Petrie. They told us that, as the food donations come in, they go out just as fast, and that they're struggling to keep up with demand. I heard the same thing in Ipswich with Senator Scarr, when we met Jason and the team at Ipswich Assist and heard some heartbreaking stories from some of the local community members being supported by this service. I want to quote Jason, because it is important to hear from these people. He says: There's been a marked increase in how normal families, average mum and dads have been coming to seek assistance through whatever reason, that their rents increased, cost of living has increased in general, and we're seeing a lot more of these people come and see us every single week. We've done some numbers and we think those estimates are about 40-45% of an increase in just your normal families who we would never have seen 18 months ago. In my own electorate, the picture's the same. Just last Sunday, I went to a service at the local Anglican church, St Nick's, and, afterwards, we packed food hampers for families in need. We heard the volunteers at this local church in my home town of Goulburn talking about what they're seeing. They're doing unbelievable work, extraordinary work, for their community. They distribute these hampers through the schools and, of course, the schools have a very good idea of the families who are in greatest need. We sent many, many hampers off on Sunday, which will have started to get out this week to families in need around the Goulburn region. I thank that wonderful congregation at St Nick's for the incredible work that they're doing. The increase in demand that so many charities are experiencing means they are relying more on donations. Those donations, whether they're of food or money, are obviously all incredibly welcome, and we very much appreciate what Australians do. Charities like the Salvation Army, Vinnies and Foodbank are all bracing for a difficult Christmas. The work they do is phenomenal, but we have seen that those donations are down. So, just as we have a cost-of-living crisis, we're now seeing a cost-of-giving crisis, and this is a real challenge for these wonderful charities as we approach Christmas. Christmas should be a truly wonderful time of year for families—it really should. But, sadly, it's going to be a grim Christmas for many families, and the work that these organisations do to support families through Christmas is unbelievably important. I encourage those who can, under these difficult financial circumstances, to provide whatever support they can, whether it's food, clothing or, indeed, money. It is very important that we see support for organisations that have far more demand—so much more demand—than they did just a short time ago. You could give a family member a Foodbank gift voucher this Christmas, which would donate to Foodbank on your behalf. The Vinnies Christmas Appeal and Salvation Army Christmas Appeal always provide much-needed support. There's also the Barnados Australia's Gifts for Kids Christmas appeal, Mission Australia and Smith Family, just to name a few. All of them are very worthy organisations for support at this time of year. I'd like to conclude by putting on record my thanks to charities across the country going about their work each and every day, so often without fanfare and with so many volunteers that do such extraordinary work for our local communities. I know everyone in this House appreciates the incredible work that they do. To the volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to support and uplift others at this time of year: thank you for what you do, from the bottom of my heart. You are the great people of my electorate; you are the great people of Australia. You don't get the credit you deserve, and you deserve much credit.