Parliament debated a motion regarding the cost of living in a session held on Thursday.

The motion was presented by the Nationalist Party, but amendments were later filed by the government.

A vote on the motion will be taken another time after the Nationalist Party requested a division of votes. 

Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech spoke during the session, saying that the discussion took place against the government's wishes.

He said that the Opposition chose to use a day in Parliament when the Opposition gets to discuss one of its motions, which meant that the government could not prevent the discussion of the subject from taking place.

Grech said that the reality is that the rising cost of living is impacting Maltese and Gozitan businesses and families, and so the PN wanted to discuss that reality with the government and present its solutions.

The PN Leader remarked that if reality will not be recognised, then it cannot be addressed. "The government is not interested in reality," he commented, "It is only interested in itself."

He said that there are 90,000 people in Malta who are at risk of poverty, "almost one in every five people". He questioned whether the government is content with the reality of people being at risk of being unable to get by.

Grech said that there are 30,000 people living in garages, and questioned how the government, which "is supposed to be socialist and was once the party of Dominic Mintoff", is able to remain silent when so many people would be sleeping inside garages that same night.

"That is why this country needs a change in direction... This country needs a government which loves, a government which is sensitive and does not just write empathy on papers and billboards, but lives it every day and does not sleep if there are those without a roof over their heads," Grech said.

The Opposition Leader remarked that the government attempts to humiliate the Opposition because the government believes that it knows more than everyone.

He said that Finance Minister Clyde Caruana established a poor economic model and increased the country's population, but has no solutions except to keep adding pressure on the people. Grech continued that the government increased the country's population but did not invest in Malta's environment or energy.

Grech said that the government does not have solutions, but that the PN does, and added that those solutions were presented as part of the motion being discussed in parliament. He said that despite Caruana saying that the PN's solutions are not appropriate, associations such as UHM, the Employers' Association, SMEs, and the Chamber of Commerce have agreed with the Opposition.

"Caruana is afraid to do what is right," Grech remarked.

The PN Leader said that the government should give businesses tax credits, and added that the government should help businesses rather than keep competing with the country's workers, businesses, and families.

He said that the shortage of certain medicine and the situation of health services being unable to keep up with demand are also aspects of the rising cost of living.

He concluded by saying that in the first year of the legislature of a nationalist government, the PN's solutions to the rising cost of living would be implemented so that people would be able to live better lives and experience the quality of life that they deserve.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that when the PN was in government, it froze pensions for long periods and "stole a third of the COLA". He added that the PN says that the government has a poor economic model, but the economic model is giving Malta "the best economy in Europe".

He continued that the reason why Malta's economy is the best in Europe is because throughout the last twelve years, the government has led an economy for the people. He said that the heart of the government is revealed when faced with moments of challenge, and spoke of situations such as the pandemic and a global increase in prices of things such as energy.

What the government did not do, Abela commented, is "follow the example of Gonzi's PN" with a policy of austerity.

The Prime Minister remarked that the PN "would come out with an electoral manifesto that promises everything", and then would speak of "a change in circumstances" on the day following the election.

Abela stated that the PN used to tax the minimum wage, while the government has given increases in pensions and removed taxes on the minimum national wage. He indeed that the government invests strongly in the people and "is determined to always make tomorrow better than today".

He said that the PN voted strongly against the government's budget, which he added gave increases in the children's allowance and gave the biggest tax cut in the country's history. Furthermore, he remarked that when the PN was in government, it was "the primary agent of inflation in the country".

The Prime Minister commented that Medialink and PN workers are realising that the money which they have paid towards National Insurance has actually been stolen by the PN. "I promise these workers that the government will support them... You prejudiced their pension, but we will be supporting them as the government," Abela stated. "You come here, and you want to talk about the subject of inflation, when you are stealing from your own workers."

He questioned how much the PN's debt has increased under Grech, as he stated that the party's latest financial report was submitted under Adrian Delia's leadership.

Abela continued that after the latest budget, Grech's first reaction was that he wanted to increase his own wage and see how he could finance the PN through the people's taxes. Abela remarked that the people's taxes will not solve the PN's finances, and added that it is the Opposition's problem to solve.

He remarked that the government will be increasing the national minimum wage for the third year in a row, and commented that while the PN promises and does not deliver, the government promises and delivers more on top of its promises.

The Prime Minister stated that unemployment is at its lowest level in history in Malta, while he added that the PN had record high unemployment when it was in government.

Abela concluded that the PL will continue working for Malta, "placing quality of life at the front for the Maltese and Gozitans." He added that the PL "will never go for austerity", and that the people know where they are with the government.

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli proposed an amendment to the Opposition's motion, as she commented that the amendment reflects "with facts" that the government's actions have been based on the people's needs. She said that the government's actions have helped families, and added that the government is committed to continuing in the same way. Grech in turn presented a motion to counter-act Dalli's amendment, as he remarked that Dalli's amendments were proposed in order to turn the motion into nothing and so that the government would avoid taking on board any of the Opposition's proposals.