The PM this week drew on a concept Paul Keating had used back in 1993. The Labor Party is like a bicycle - if you stop pedalling, you’ll fall over. This was a week of real change and momentum. A lot happened.

Here's the 5&5:

BEST

Tax cut for 13 million Australians
Standing up and making a change
Paid parental leave
Green and gold 💚💛
We’re a good country

WORST

Voting against tax relief
Not a ‘ticker’ in sight
So they had a bad day
Demeaning the House
A hot tip

1. Tax cut for 13 million Australians
On Thursday, it was made official that our laws for more tax cuts and a fair go for first home buyers passed the Parliament. With our five tax cuts, a worker on an average income will be up to $2,800 better off every year. By changing tax breaks that give investors an edge over first home buyers, we're levelling the playing field. We're making sure hard work pays off and everyone has the opportunity to get ahead. Responding to a question from Matt Gregg, the PM broke the news to the House: “ I can tell the member for Deakin that our legislation has just passed the Senate. This is legislation that will make Australia stronger. It will make Australia fairer. It will, indeed, make Australia stronger because it is fairer. Most Australians have nothing to sell but their time, nothing to give but their hard work. They go to work each and every day to earn an income, to put food on the table for their families. They deserve a tax cut and we are giving them one. They deserve the opportunity to buy their own home, and we're making sure they have it.”

2. Standing up and making a change
Before our landmark tax reforms passed the House on Thursday, Clare O’Neil took the chance to deliver a strong message to young Australians that Labor is taking housing affordability seriously: “To Australians who are watching at home, I want to say to you directly: 'We see you. We see the pain this is causing for you. We see you doing all the right things and trying to get ahead and not being able to do so.' That is why we are standing up and making a change, and if those opposite had any concern for the housing needs of Australians they would come with us.”

3. Paid parental leave
On Tuesday the Fair Work Commission announced an increase of 4.75% to award wages and 6% to the National Starting next week, the Albanese Labor Government is extending paid parental leave to a full six months to give parents more time and support. To add to that, for the first time ever we've started paying super on top of that. Answering a question from Alicia Payne in QT, Tanya Plibersek summed it perfectly: “It's hard to remember that, before the Rudd and Gillard governments, Australia was one of the very few developed countries in the world that didn't have a paid parental leave scheme. Labor introduced it, Labor built it and its Labor that continues to expand it. From 1 July, so next week, parents with new beautiful little babies will get more time off with those babies. We're going to that full six months of paid parental leave.” With One Nation supposedly backflipping on their staunch opposition to supporting families, Tanya made it clear to the House: “We know that Australians want paid parental leave. It's only Labor that backs it.”

4. Green and gold 💚💛
We had some great news this week on health. Labor has now delivered on our commitment for 137 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics. Across Australia, you can walk in and get the care you need, with just your Medicare card. And now, we’ve made these clinics a permanent part of Medicare. Channelling the World Cup spirit, Alice Jordan-Baird put it best when she said: “For families working hard and trying to make it work, the bills add up, but no Australian family should be putting off seeing a GP because of costs. I know that, and this Labor government knows that. We're passing the ball of quality health care onto the next generation of Aussies. Up the Socceroos!” There were also great speeches by Renee Coffey, Lisa Chesters, Bassem Abdo and Zaneta Mascarenhas.

5. We’re a good country
Multicultural Australia and Modern Australia are the same thing. It’s a shame some elected representatives choose to ignore this fact. One of this week’s best speeches came from Josh Burns who reminded the House why we should take pride in our diversity: “Australia is the greatest country on earth not despite our multiculturalism but because of it. Australia is a rich tapestry of cultures, faiths and traditions. It has made us more diverse, more resilient, more appealing and more prosperous. And, just like my family, thousands of others around the country have also given back.” Later in the week, Julie-Ann Campbell told the chamber her family’s multicultural story and left a simple message for Angus Taylor: “Well, to the Leader of the Opposition, I say this it's pretty simple. Why can't you say the word?”

1. Voting against tax relief
Angus Taylor said he’d learned his lesson on opposing tax relief. When he became Opposition Leader, Taylor vowed “It won't happen again.” This week, tax relief for millions of Australians came up for a vote on Thursday. The Coalition voted against it. Old habits, it turns out, don’t go anywhere.

2. Not a ‘ticker’ in sight
On Wednesday, the Nationals Member for Lyne tried to use the PM’s housing experience against him. Wrong move. The PM began with “The truth is that I didn't inherit wealth. What I did was work hard. Work hard, save for a deposit and buy my own home.” Angus Taylor then thought it would be a good idea to start interjecting. The Speaker told him to cease doing so immediately and in one fell swoop, the PM took both Angus Taylor and the Member for Lyne down. “If the Leader of the Opposition wanted to participate he could have asked the question. Mr Speaker, I make that point. He didn't have the ticker, he gave it to someone up the back.”

3. So they had a bad day
Headline inflation is down to 4 per cent and the unemployment rate eased to 4.4 per cent. For most of us, this is welcome good news. But for the opposition who continually talk down the economy, it’s been a gloomy one. Jim Chalmers on Wednesday explained it well: “Nothing darkens their mood like another fall in inflation. And that's what we saw in the figures today. The second consecutive month we saw inflation go down in our economy, which is terribly inconvenient to those opposite, but a welcome outcome nonetheless.”

4. Demeaning the House
I’ve never had a problem with debate being tough on the big issues and there will be emotion. But the thing that's happened under Angus Taylor is that its become increasingly childish which goes to his temperament. On Tuesday, the Speaker Milton Dick made Australia’s expectations really clear with these words: “Traditions and conventions are important in this House of Representatives, and I will uphold them every single day of my time as Speaker…Out of respect for the Leader of the Opposition, he's not being named, but if this continues, I'll be left with no other choice. This is a deliberate defiance of the conventions and traditions of this House. I believe in traditions and conventions, and I want this House to uphold its principles and dignity. Language matters. Every Speaker has followed this tradition. I don't know why those on the opposite benches cannot follow what every other person in this House has done.”

5. A hot tip
Coalition was all over the place this week on housing. Tim Wilson thought he was being clever on Thursday, when he rose to his feet attempting to ask Clare O’Neil about our reforms and proceeded to misrepresent her position. Clare O’Neil was right on to it and had some advice for Tim: “I'd say to those opposite, if you can't win a political debate without misrepresenting the position of the people that you're arguing with, then you don't have a very good argument. That's just a hot tip on how arguments work.”

I can’t end without mentioning that this week saw the launch of Parliamentary Friends of Live Performance Australia. Labor’s band Left Right Out with Matt Keogh, Julie-Ann Campbell, Patrick Gorman, Susan Templeman performed first with Tim Minchin. Next up Cass Fernando helped Sam Birrell on the guitar with Angie Bell coming up next on the sax. A big congrats to Cass Fernando and Sam Birrell for a great launch event.

Parliament returns next week for the final sitting before the winter break.

‘til then,

Tony

PS. In honour of Paul Keating’s great use of cycling as an analogy for reform, the song of the week is The Pushbike Song by The Mixtures.

5&5: Keep Cycling