OK, there is the inflation question and the tactics team have thought it better to have Sussan Ley ask it instead of Ted O’Brien, probably because of the amount of gear in sledging O’Brien and his new chief of staff available to the government.

Part of the tactics of the Liberal party is to make it as difficult as possible for the senior men to launch political attacks – this is all about tone. A core difference between how the Labor party presents and the Coalition has presented though is that there isn’t the same level of gendered response. So it’s not as easy as it would be with a Scott Morrison type, for example.

Ley asks:

This afternoon on the news out of touch treasurer describes today’s inflation numbers as quote, absolutely outstanding. According to the ABS under three years of Labor the cost of eggs as increased by 34%, the cost of bread by 18%, and the cost of cereal by 17%. Prime Minister, what is the Treasurer say things he knows are untrue?

Milton Dick says to can it with the descriptors.

Chalmers:

Let me get this straight, on Monday they asked us about the unemployment rate and this government is presided over the last average unemployment in the last 50 years of any government. They asked us about Medicare when we have just been re-elected on a platform of strengthening Medicare and now on a date when we get absolutely outstanding inflation numbers, they would ask us about inflation.

I am asked in particular about food inflation stop I want to make it really clear for the member for Farrow. When we came to office that food inflation was running at 5.9%. And now it is about half of that. 3.0%.

If the member for Farrer is unhappy about food inflation, she must be absolutely livid at the under performance of her own government, the government she was a cabinet minister in. Because when when we came to office, inflation had a six in front of it and it was absolutely galloping.

Because of the work that we have done together, because of what Australians have been able to achieve together, we have got these absolutely outstanding and patient numbers today and they are outstanding because they are a powerful demonstration of the progress that Australians have made together in the fight against inflation.

I am asked about particular elements of the new numbers today. Read inflation has gone down. Housing construction costs inflation has gone down. Food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation has gone down. Fruit and vegetables inflation has gone down. Insurance and financial services inflation has gone down. That is why we have seen today, that is why we have seen today both underlying and headline inflation in the Reserve Bank ‘s target band, headline inflation at the very bottom of the band, monthly inflation is below the Reserve Bank ‘s target band and has a one in front of it.

So I hope they keep asking me about the inflation data today because the inflation data today was very, very encouraging.

We know from that question that nothing makes them grumpy that when Australians make progress in the economy together, whether it is the fact that how inflation is much lower than we inherited, real wages are growing again, unemployment is low, we got there debt down, we delivered to surpluses, interest rates have started to come down as well. We know there is more work to do because people are still under pressure and that is why we are rolling out more help this month for the cost of living much of which was opposed by those opposite.