Still on the speech:

Chalmers: (and Grogs)

Electricity prices went down 25 per cent here last year but they’re still putting pressure on households around the world. [This was an excellent example of how government CAN bring down inflation. But because they were due to run out, the government not surprisingly kept them going, because they were an obvious thing to do, and the Liberal Party probably would have done it if the government hadn’t. As it is Dutton described them as a Ponzi scheme, and then said he’d still support them. Don’t you love politics?]

Chalmers:

Two rounds of energy rebates have helped take some of the sting out of energy costs.

Tonight, we’re providing $1.8 billion more energy bill relief.

Every household and around one million small businesses will receive energy rebates until the end of 2025.

This means cutting another $150 off bills this year.

The Government will also be using the powers and penalties of the energy regulators and the ACCC to help ensure:

• Energy companies offer customers cheaper deals;

• Pensioners receive the discounts they are entitled to; and

• Australians get the value they deserve.

[lol – the ACCC. The energy companies will be shaking!]

Chalmers:

Earning more and keeping more

Speaker, At the core of our economic plan – and the very heart of our Labor Government – is a simple objective:

To ensure more Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn.

In the five quarters before our first Budget, real wages fell in annual terms.

They have now grown for the last five.

Real incomes per capita are growing now too. [this is the big measure of “are you better off now that 3 years ago