Question Time LIVE updates: MPs return during first sitting week of new Liberal leadership

Treasurer Tim Wilson has risen to ask the prime minister about the performance of the economy, showing a change of tactics to focus on cost of living after the Coalition centred their tactics on so-called ISIS brides in the last two sitting of question time.

“Under Labor Australia is the only advanced economy where living standards have gone backwards. Real wages are now down, now 2.1% lower than four years ago, and the Reserve Bank forecast they will continue to fall this year. After four years of Australians going backwards under labor, when will the Prime Minister finally accept the buck stops with him,” Wilson asked.

An earlier question from Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also used the phrase “buck stops with him” in reference to Albanese.

Albanese began by again sledging Wilson for singing in the chamber earlier this afternoon, saying: “We congratulate [Wilson] on getting a question on the economy today, and I thank you for not singing the question. I thank him sincerely.”

The prime minister said the Coalition was seeking to “talk Australia down”, before listing a number of election commitments including paid parental leave as examples of cost of living measures.

This morning we brought you news of Emirates flight EK414 from Dubai to Sydney, the first out of the Middle East since strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just told the house that over 200 Australians are safely on board, a drop in the bucket of the 115,000 stranded in the region.

The flight is expected to arrive in Sydney shortly after 10.30pm (AEDT) tonight.

The first question of question time has come from Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who has asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese if he will take responsibility for falling standards of living compared to other countries.

The prime minister started by attacking the Coalition for not asking questions on the economy in the past two sittings of question time, before sledging Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson for performing a rendition of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire attacking Treasurer Jim Chalmer’s budget management shortly just before question time began, which he described as a “human rights issue for all those who had to listen to it”.

“They always pull Australia down. Australia, which has faster economic growth the Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK or the United States. The UK and Germany have recently experienced recessions. Mr. Speaker, Australia has a lower unemployment rate than Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the United States,” Albanese said.

“We have stronger employment growth than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Higher participation rates than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the UK and unlike G7 nations, Australia’s budget has been in surplus in recent years.”

Welcome to our live coverage of question time in the House of Representatives. My name is Nick Newling, I’ll be taking you through the afternoon’s proceedings.

This is the third question time of the week, and both previous sittings have been dominated by opposition questions grilling the government on the return of so-called ISIS brides.

You can watch a livestream of question time below, and follow along with our blog for updates.