Australians are doing it tough. They deserve honesty about how we got here, and practical help to get through it.

The pressure is real

Families are struggling with mortgage repayments, groceries, insurance and power bills. Parents are worried about making ends meet. Pensioners are watching every dollar. Young people are wondering whether they'll ever afford a home. I hear it across Moore, and nobody on our side is pretending otherwise.

History didn't start in 2022

The Member for McPherson recently moved a motion demanding Labor restore economic discipline. Listening to the Coalition, you'd think every problem started the day Labor came to office.

They spent nine years in government. They doubled Commonwealth debt before COVID. They left inflation above six per cent and rising, with some of the weakest productivity growth in decades. They accumulated more than $600 billion in debt and now have more than $110 billion in unfunded commitments.

When they're in government, debt is necessary. In opposition, it's a national emergency. And when you ask how they'll fund their own promises, they'd rather talk about something else.

What's driving inflation

The conflict in the Middle East is pushing up global oil prices, which lifts the cost of fuel, transport and everyday goods. The Prime Minister doesn't set the global oil price. If he did, I'd have a few words to say about diesel.

The Reserve Bank has a hard job, but interest rates alone can't fix every problem in the global economy. Government has to provide relief while managing the budget responsibly.

Relief that makes a difference

We're delivering tax cuts for working Australians, $25 PBS medicines, more bulk billing, help with childcare costs and higher wages for the lowest paid. We've also found almost $180 billion in savings and reprioritisations, and kept real spending growth to less than half the rate of our predecessors.

None of this makes every pressure disappear overnight. But it makes a practical difference to household budgets.

Australians deserve better

People struggling with their mortgage aren't interested in politicians trading statistics. They want wages that keep up, affordable healthcare, housing and childcare, and an economy that works for people who get up and go to work every day.

Inflation is too high and too many households are under pressure. Fixing that takes responsible decisions and practical relief, not another unfunded promise from the people who left us the bill.

Tom French is the Federal Member for Moore.