House of Representatives

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister rejected the premise, stating that Australia had faster economic growth, lower unemployment, and stronger employment growth than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. He noted that the UK and Germany had recently experienced recessions, whereas Australia had maintained budget surpluses and the smallest gross debt among G7 nations. He highlighted that the government was delivering a tax cut on 1 July and had created 1.2 million jobs, describing this as the best employment record of any advanced economy.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister confirmed that over 200 Australians were on flight EK414 from Dubai to Sydney. He stated he had spoken with the President of the United Arab Emirates, conveying support for regional partners and condemning Iran's attacks on civilian areas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He thanked the UAE for providing accommodation and food to stranded Australians. The government's priority was the safety of Australians, with DFAT activating its crisis centre and deploying further resources. He advised passengers to check with insurers and airlines regarding cancelled flights and emphasized that resuming commercial flights was the safest way for the approximately 115,000 Australians in the region to return.

Answer from Anthony Albanese (Prime Minister)

The Prime Minister acknowledged the opposition's statement of support and agreement with the government's stance on the conflict.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister countered that the opposition had missed the creation of 1.2 million jobs and the upcoming extension of paid parental leave to six months. He listed several government measures opposed by the opposition, including a 20 per cent cut to student debt for over three million Australians, protection of penalty rates, increases to social services payments, expansion of the five per cent deposit plan for first home buyers, tripling of bulk-billing incentives, opening of urgent care clinics, and reducing medicine costs from $42.50 to $25.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer, representing the Minister for Public Service Reform, stated that the government had reformed the system to focus on merit and the national interest, replacing unchecked ministerial power. He explained that the new framework extended beyond government boards to cover departmental secretaries and statutory office holders, requiring appointments to reflect diversity, uphold integrity, and be based on rigorous skills assessments. He emphasized that mandatory transparency and reporting requirements ensured ministerial accountability to parliament and the public.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer stated that economic growth was 0.8 per cent for the quarter and 2.6 per cent annually, with private demand increasing more rapidly than public demand. He mentioned contacting the ACCC to prevent service stations from price gouging. He criticised the shadow Treasurer for opposing these measures and incorrectly claiming the petrol excise was tied to price rather than volume.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer said that real disposable income per person increased by 0.6 per cent during the quarter and two per cent over the year, ending a prior drop. He observed that yearly per capita income expansion exceeded the OECD mean by more than double. He explained that private sector demand added more than triple the amount to economic expansion compared with government demand, noting that public expenditure increases were mainly due to defence, which the opposition had requested.

Answer from Michelle Rowland

The Attorney-General stated that the government had passed the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Bill 2025, enabling the listing of foreign state entities as state sponsors of terrorism. She confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was listed on 28 November 2025, enlivening criminal offences for funding or membership. She affirmed that the government had full confidence in national security agencies and would apply the full force of the law against breaches.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer stated that living standards had risen in the latest national accounts and that per capita income growth was more than twice the OECD average. He highlighted that real wages had grown in eight of the last nine quarters. He criticized the shadow Treasurer for talking down the economy and noted reports that the shadow Treasurer held investments that profited when the Australian market underperformed.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister stated that living standards had risen and that Australia had the quickest economic expansion among major advanced economies. He reiterated that Australia had lower unemployment and stronger employment growth than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. He emphasized the creation of 1.2 million jobs and higher participation rates.

Answer from Mark Butler

The minister reported that the percentage of pensioners and concession card holders in Victoria receiving bulk-billed services was 93.12 per cent, with a nine per cent increase for non-concession holders in three months. He directed Australians to health.gov.au/bulk-billing to find practices, noting 3,500 practices were 100 per cent bulk-billing. He criticized the opposition for lacking a health policy, citing the absence of health mentions in their election review and the removal of historical policy material from the Leader of the Opposition's website.

Answer from Jim Chalmers

The Treasurer acknowledged financial pressure on Australians and the government's focus on competition policy and price transparency. He stated that the government was consulting to ensure measures were implemented correctly but was working to strengthen arrangements as quickly as possible.

Answer from Jason Clare

The minister highlighted that student debt had been cut by 20 per cent and that free university bridging courses were available. He announced that the Australian Tertiary Education Commission would develop a national credit recognition framework to allow TAFE qualifications to count towards university degrees, potentially making the first year of university free for those with relevant TAFE credentials.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister stated that the economy was growing strongly, with 1.2 million jobs created and 50,000 additional full-time jobs in the latest figures. He highlighted that 725,000 people had benefited from free TAFE, 225,000 from the five per cent deposit scheme, and 250,000 from cheaper batteries. He noted that the gender pay gap had reached a record low.

Answer from Amanda Rishworth

The minister stated that the government had achieved the lowest average unemployment rate in 50 years and created 1.2 million jobs. She noted that minimum wage earners were $9,000 better off annually and that enterprise agreement wages had risen by 9.6 per cent over two years. She identified the opposition as the biggest risk, citing their history of opposing wage increases and supporting individual agreements that worsened the gender pay gap.

Answer from Tanya Plibersek

The minister announced an extra $291.7 million to expand frontline worker programs by 70 per cent, funded to 2030. She noted that the government had invested almost half a billion dollars in this program alone and over $4 billion in family, domestic, and sexual violence initiatives since taking office. She highlighted investments in emergency housing, legal services, perpetrator behavior change programs, and the permanent leaving violence payment.

Answer from Anthony Albanese

The Prime Minister stated that the economy was growing at the fastest rate in three years and faster than any other advanced economy. He noted that per capita living standards were positive and productivity had improved across the year. He attributed this to government measures opposed by the opposition, such as child care guarantees, student debt relief, and housing initiatives, contrasting them with the opposition's plan which would have cut these services and increased deficits.

Answer from Tony Burke

The minister stated that the government had secured 99 per cent of the water required to meet the bridging-the-gap target. He noted that 225 gigalitres had been recovered for the additional 450-gigalitre environmental water target, with a plan to recover more than 400 gigalitres by the end of the year. He criticized the previous government for spending $80 million on water entitlements that had zero allocated water, resulting in a $52 million profit for the seller.