Scott Buchholz
Wright · Liberal Party · Australia
“Scotty, you've got to get rid of this bad government so that our business can survive.' The last one was: 'Scotty, it's like a perfect storm of despair for us—continued interest rate rises with more to come, government policy designed specifically to devalue the family home and crippled consumer confidence.”
“Yesterday, during question time, the Prime Minister was twice asked directly to guarantee that the housing market in Australia wouldn't tank, and twice he refused to do so. I rang a number of real estate agents in my electorate this morning, and I spoke with them. I'm going to record into Hansard what three of their comments were.”
“My electorate is predominantly agriculture; the largest contributor to GDP is agriculture. I live in an electorate where men and women who work on farms often get up before the sun gets up. Their faces are tanned, and their hands are cracked and blackened with earth and soil.”
“We proudly welcome every one of those families that choose to relocate to Wright purely because of the level of representation at federal government. There can be no other reason.”
“It would not surprise anyone within these rooms that, when I take a snapshot of these boards and bring them to the House, the cost of living is far and away the most predominant. I did, however, change my lists of issues that they could raise with me.”
“I also want to acknowledge young Hugh. Over dinner last night, Hugh told me that in his spare time after school he works with his brother who's a couple of years into his diesel mechanic trade apprenticeship. They go out harvesting, and he drives tractors, but he can only just see over the steering wheel.”
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“Scotty, you've got to get rid of this bad government so that our business can survive.' The last one was: 'Scotty, it's like a perfect storm of despair for us—continued interest rate rises with more to come, government policy designed specifically to devalue the family home and crippled consumer confidence. If the government wants to give kids a hand up, why don't they try building homes to suit the kids' budget? Don't raid the single largest assets of families by devaluing the family house.' These are comments from real Australians, from real estate agents and from business owners who employ people in my electorate. They deserve better. The Labor Party can't come in here and say that they're doing everything. They're not. They're crippling our country.”
“Yesterday, during question time, the Prime Minister was twice asked directly to guarantee that the housing market in Australia wouldn't tank, and twice he refused to do so. I rang a number of real estate agents in my electorate this morning, and I spoke with them. I'm going to record into Hansard what three of their comments were. The first one was: 'Interest has certainly softened. Inquiries are down to around COVID levels. It's like someone has turned a tap off to our industry.' The second one was: 'This week, I've had three appointments for inspections. They simply didn't show up. I'm worried for my business, and we can't sustain this.”
“It would not surprise anyone within these rooms that, when I take a snapshot of these boards and bring them to the House, the cost of living is far and away the most predominant. I did, however, change my lists of issues that they could raise with me. Cost of living, housing affordability, crime and anti-social behaviour, roads and highways, defence and national security, immigration and population—that always gets a good run. They do have great concerns about immigration and the population base. But I put a new category in there: politicians telling the truth. I was surprised how high it is on their list of priorities. Maybe this side of government should start telling the truth. My people deserve better.”
“We proudly welcome every one of those families that choose to relocate to Wright purely because of the level of representation at federal government. There can be no other reason. As a result of the impasse or people coming to the electorate, I now find myself with an electorate constituency base of around 150,000, and it is incumbent on me to be the voice for them here in Canberra, and I do that proudly. In the last 12 months, I have conducted no less than roughly 20 mobile offices around the electorate to ensure that these new people and personnel coming to my electorate have a voice. I engage with them in a way where—at that shows or agriculture shows or my mobile booths, I'll ask them to put a sticker next to hot topic issues so I can get a visual snapshot of what's important to them.”
“My electorate is predominantly agriculture; the largest contributor to GDP is agriculture. I live in an electorate where men and women who work on farms often get up before the sun gets up. Their faces are tanned, and their hands are cracked and blackened with earth and soil. But they live by certain principles: honour, integrity and loyalty to their friends. They still believe in the principle that when you shake a man's hand the deal is done—that 'my word is my bond'. So they took particular umbrage when the Prime Minister said to the nation that his word was his bond and then backtracked on that. My electorate is changing. It's evolving. It's a regional-rural electorate, but I'm getting more and more urban encroachment in communities like Greenbank, Plainland, Jimboomba and Yarrabilba.”
“Remember always to tell the truth. Be good to your mum and dad. Tell Tommy he missed out on being mentioned in the speech because he's at work. And, the next time you come down, Uncle Scotty will look after you.”
“I also want to acknowledge young Hugh. Over dinner last night, Hugh told me that in his spare time after school he works with his brother who's a couple of years into his diesel mechanic trade apprenticeship. They go out harvesting, and he drives tractors, but he can only just see over the steering wheel. He's saved up a fair wad of money, a considerable amount of money; I don't want to share how much it is. I said to him, 'You're saving up for a car.' He said: 'No, Scotty, I'm not saving up for a car. When I get enough money, I'm going to buy my own tractor and I'm going to plough more fields.' Congratulations to both of you young fellas. Can I ask you to stand up and just take a bow. Stand up. Take a bow. Our country owes both of you a great sense of debt. Thank you for what you're doing—sit down now! Our future is in great hands.”
“We were having a conversation, and young Harry reminded me that, the last time we caught up, he said was going to be participating in the school athletics carnival and that I had said to him, 'If you win, I will dedicate a speech in the parliament to you.' Not only did he win the 100 and come second in the 200, but, because of his places, he was able then to go and compete at the next level in the district, which is referred to as Southern Downs, with other bush schools who attended. At that level of competition, young Harry got a first in both of those events. So he escalated again and went through to the Darling Downs trials, where—he informs me that it was a very cold morning and he hadn't warmed up—he placed in neither of them. You useless thing—next time! I think we're going to see you at the Olympics.”
“I come from a regional and rural electorate where, when you shake someone's hand, the deal is all but done. Your word is your bond. Commerce gets traded on a daily basis, and has been done for many years, on the strength of a handshake and a commitment. Today I am joined in this chamber by two fine young Australians: Hugh and Harry Littleproud. They are the sons of a great friend of mine, the member for Maranoa. I was very fortunate to host these two young gentlemen last night for dinner.”
“'You'll get a $275 reduction in your electricity bill.' 'For the 50th time, we are not touching negative gearing and we're not touching capital gains tax.' The political paint that is going to be lost at the next election is by Labor betraying the trust of the Australian public, saying one thing before an election and doing another. It will come home to roost. As for the Treasurer then also stating that we're going to be voting against tax cuts, that is another mistruth. We supported those. We asked Labor to split the bill, and they didn't.”
“In 2019, Labor infamously stated, 'If you don't like our policies, don't vote for us.' And guess what? Australians didn't. Currently they hold a 94-seat majority in the House. But I could make a small prediction that, after the next election, Labor tacticians will be sitting there and going, 'Where did it all go wrong? How did we lose so many seats?' On 12 May on the ABC, the Treasurer walked into the studios and said, 'We know we're going to lose some political paint. We know there's going to be some political damage from this budget.' 'My word is my bond' was a phrase touted by the Prime Minister before the election. 'I didn't fall off the stage'—when all of Australia witnessed it.”
“I have to report to the House that on 4 June 2026 I received advice from the Chief Opposition Whip nominating Ms Aldred and Ms Price to be members of the Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Organisations. I also have to report to the House that on 5 June 2026 I received advice from the Chief Government Whip nominating Mr Gregg to be a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights in place of Dr Freelander. In accordance with standing order 229B, as the House was not expected to sit for several weeks, the appointment became effective on those dates. I now call the minister to move to resolve the memberships of those committees.”
“Watch how many of them refuse to put their name to this bill. I can already see the speaking list of those waiting to come into this chamber and speak. The speaking list on our side runs off the page. For government members, there are only a couple left. That was what the motion, moved by the Manager of Opposition Business, we just dealt with before was about,. It compelled government members to come in and put their name to this disgraceful piece of legislation. I will keep the fire on you because the people of my electorate of Wright, the great people of Queensland, deserve a better government than what they've got at the moment.”
“This has all being broadcasted. You're not going to be able to walk back on this. This coalition will keep hammering today the fact that you did not road test this with the Australian public and that you did not seek a mandate on these issues. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The government, the Treasurer, said, 'We're going to touch tax laws, we're not going to touch capital gains, and we're not going to touch negative gearing,' 50 times. 'How many times do I have to tell you?' were the words of the Prime Minister. Every day between now and the next election, I will continue to remind the Australian public of the deceit of those on the other side and watch with anticipation how many frontbenchers, how many Labor ministers, refuse to come into this chamber and defend what is possibly one of Labor's most appalling policy positions.”
“It's not my intention to hold the House up. I didn't want to speak other than get on the record the coalition's support for schedule 3 and 4. What I will be doing is making sure that Australians in my electorate get extracts of our support for those schedules. Then I will cut, when we bring to the House for the bills to be separated, that those on the other side may or may not support it. My instinct is that they will not support the measures to separate the bills, but I would counsel those who, on the other side, are potentially political collateral damage that, if they want to save themselves, when we bring the motion to the House to separate the bill, they should consider supporting us and consider walking across the chamber and saying, 'If they're going to support parts of the bill that we like'—guess what?”
“None spoke of transparency. None spoke of integrity. I have heard the Treasurer and the Prime Minister during this debate and prior to it speak on these issues and acknowledge that there will be collateral damage. They know there will be political collateral damage as a result of what they are doing—the way they are handling this. I ponder what collateral damage looks like. What does political collateral damage look like? Is it the new members on that other side and those members on low margins that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are prepared, as collateral damage, to cluster up and lose because of the strong majority that the government has? Is the sense of hubris and arrogance now so awful on the other side of this parliament—it's shameful—that they are now openly talking about political collateral damage? I fear for our country.”
“The reason we want to split the bill is so that we can show our support to the Australian public and take these principles to an election. I'm really concerned about the number of government members who have come in and spoken to their talking points but have mentioned nothing—I have heard zero—in the way of an apology to the Australian public for betraying their confidence—for saying one thing before an election and doing completely the opposite afterwards. We will hold this appalling government to account. Labor says that this is good policy. If they believe that it is good policy, that's great. That is within their right. That is within their purview. If it is so good, test it with the Australian public. Let them be the deciders of that. MPs gave lectures on ambition during this debate. None spoke of honesty.”
“The Australian public is right to be cautious about a leader who says, for the 50th time, 'We're not going to touch capital gains,' and then the government delivers a budget that does exactly that. That is deceitful. That is taking the Australian public for mugs. My job here today as a member of the opposition is to get it on the record that we will support parts of this. The way we will support that is that, when it comes to voting on this bill, the Manager of Opposition Business will walk in and he will ask for the bill to be separated so we can vote with the government on schedules 3 and 4. But do you think they will support us? Do you think they will let us split the bill? That doesn't suit their clandestine ruse. They will not support that.”
“The way our system works, the way democracy works, is that you go to the Australian public at an election and you campaign on the issues that you believe in. You campaign to convince the Australian public that you have the greater policy platform. I share with those in the chamber that that courtesy was not extended to the Australian public on these measures. Previous Labor governments, such as under previous leader Bill Shorten, did that. They took these measures to the Australian public, and the Australian public overwhelmingly said, 'We do not support those measures,' and as a result his leadership finished. So the Australian public is right to be suspicious.”
“The first schedule introduces changes to the capital gains tax regime. Schedule 2 introduces changes to the negative gearing regime. Schedule 3 introduces a working Australian tax offset. Schedule 4 introduces a $1,000 standard deduction for work related expenses. The coalition oppose schedules 1 and 2, and we support schedule 3 and 4. The reason I'm coming in and I'm making sure that this is on the record—and I'm looking straight down the camera when I make these pledges—is that we will support schedules 3 and 4, the schedules that reward hardworking Australians. But what we cannot do is support the changes that were articulated to negative gearing and the capital gains regime. They were not road tested with the Australian public.”
“What an absolute debacle. We just saw the Manager of Opposition Business come into this place and move a motion that compelled every senior minister, every member of Labor on the other side of the chamber, to speak to this bill—so that they owned it—and he was gagged. He was voted down. He was told that is not going to happen under a Labor government. I find that procedure in the House absolutely appalling. Nevertheless, I acknowledge and compliment the Manager of Opposition Business for the work that he has done. I want to associate myself with this bill with my colleagues from the LNP—the Liberal-National Party—who have made contributions, and I want to be really clear, for the people of Australia, on what our position is when it comes to this bill. This bill has four schedules.”
“If private health insurance becomes unaffordable, many people will be forced to downgrade or cancel their cover altogether. That would place even greater strain on already stretched public hospitals and emergency departments. I want to make my position very, very clear. I'll fight these changes every step of the way.”
“Affordable and reliable health care should be something Australians can count on, especially later in their life when they need it the most. Labor's proposed changes to private health insurance rebates for Australians over 65 will simply make cover more expensive for many seniors in the country. More than 1.4 million Australians could be hit with a premium increase of up to $640 a year. At a time when households are already tightening their belts, this is the wrong priority. The coalition introduced higher private health insurance rebates for over-65s because we understood older Australians rely more heavily on healthcare services, and they deserve the additional support. These rebates help seniors maintain private cover and reduce the pressure on the public health system.”
“Australia's obligation to our veterans does not end when they take their uniforms off. Veterans deserve certainty, to know that the care and support they need will always be there. Measures like this undermine trust and send the wrong messages to current serving personnel and young Australians considering a career in the ADF. Veterans should never be treated as a line item of Labor's budget repair. I'm calling on the Albanese government to immediately reverse this decision and reinstate full support for our veterans. Labor's also slashing seniors' private health rebates. Many older Australians in our community are already under pressure from rising living costs. Healthcare costs are not something seniors should have to worry about on top of everything else.”
“The coalition strongly opposes Labor's decision to impose a $5,000 annual cap on allied health services for our veterans. This is a cost-cutting measure that unfairly targets the men and the women that have served our great nation. Veterans rely on allied health services. That's not a luxury but an essential part of managing service related injuries, mental health and other conditions. Many veterans live with complex and chronic conditions that have resulted from their services to this great country. For those veterans, a $5,000 cap will simply not cover the care they require throughout the year. The consequences are very clear. Veterans will be forced to go without treatment, their conditions may worsen and families will be left to carry the financial and emotional burden.”
“Labor's proposed changes to private health insurance rebates for people over 65 will increase premiums for around 1.4 million seniors. That means some will be forced to downgrade or even drop their cover altogether, shifting pressure back onto our already stretched hospital system. We should be strengthening healthcare support, not making it harder to access care and not making more expensive to stay covered. I'll continue to stand up for veterans, and I'll continue to stand up for seniors in the electorate of Wright and oppose every change, every step of the way. Today, Labor is pushing tax hikes on millions of Australians through its new laws. We will oppose them. (Time expired)”
“I want to acknowledge the extraordinary services and sacrifices of Australian veterans and members of the Australian Defence Force and the immense contribution they and their families make to our nation. The coalition strongly opposes Labor's $5,000 annual cap on veterans allied health services. These supports are essential, including psychology, physiotherapy, exercise physiology and occupational therapy, and help veterans manage the physical and psychological impacts of their service. For many, this care is not occasional. It's ongoing and life sustaining. A cap like this risks delaying treatment, reduces appointments and ultimately worsens health outcomes, placing greater pressure on families, community services and our hospitals. At the same time, older Australians are already under significant cost-of-living pressures.”
“There was a point in history when we on this side left no debt for a Labor government. Today we are looking down the barrel of a trillion dollars. It is a shame, and I will finish where I started. I want to thank my Christine for encouraging me to re-read George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four , where I remember intently the workings of the Ministry of Truth. Shame! Debate adjourned.”
“I repeat, if we take landlords out of the market, there is only one way costs for people renting are going to go, and that is up. Labor know this, and they'll keep young people out of getting into the market. We ask our Australian public, the people in our electorates, to tighten their belts. We ask them to tighten their belts. Debate on Appropriation Bill (No.1) and Appropriation Bill (No.2) is exactly the time when the opposition speaks to the government and says to them, 'It is about time that government tightens its belt.' The government needs to live within its means. No longer can we keep going back to the trough of taxes. No longer can we go back to the trough of borrowing money from overseas countries where we are accruing an interest component that is beyond the comprehension.”
“The evidence of this is when this capital gains tax was announced, we saw a 10 per cent decrease in the Commonwealth Bank share price. If you don't bank with the Commonwealth Bank, it doesn't affect you. But I'd ask you to pause. You may not bank with the Commonwealth Bank, but I can assure you that part of your superannuation is made up by your super fund investing in the Commonwealth Bank. So when you go to look for your returns and they are slightly diminished, when you go looking for your returns from the Commonwealth Bank and they're down, and you're scratching your head and saying, 'Why?' you will know that it was a result of poor government policy. On the weekend, we saw property rates, clearance rates, down nine per cent. Those on the other side in question time today hailed that as a great success. Confidence is low.”
“We're going to make it harder for you to get into the market, and we're going to tell you it's easier.' It's Orwellian. I remember the tragedy that happened at the Bondi massacre and the royal commission that went into that, and somehow we couldn't face the truth as to where the perpetrator—the government of the day wanted to suggest that this was extremist activity from the far right. No-one in Australia believed that. My God! Ladies and gentlemen—electricity grids. We've spoken about the two costs. We've spoken about interest rate rises, but at the core of this is Labor's spending. The core of it is that the Australian government spending is amongst some of the highest in the developed world as a percentage of the GDP.”
“This budget is evidence that they're coming looking for your money. Not only are they taxing aspiration but they are looking for your money if you are trying to save for a house. It's my kids, who had a couple of dollars and were possibly getting three or four per cent return from a bank and said, 'Maybe I can get a couple of extra bucks if I invest in ETFs in the share market.' Do you know what these guys did? They didn't sit back and congratulate them and say: 'Keep going. You're getting closer to the next house.' They saw it as an opportunity to go: 'Thank you; we'll have a piece of that as well. We'll have a piece of crushing your aspiration, and then, through the ministry of truth, we'll tell you that it's going to be good for you.”
“They're going to put their prices up, which is the rent, or they're going to put their prices down. There's a group of 10- to 12-year-olds upstairs there. If you could hear what I just said, put your fingers up if you think prices are going to go up and put your fingers down if you think they're going to go down. They're going to go up—brilliant. The gallery knows that prices are going to go up. All Australians know that prices are going to go up. So why do it? Why shackle the next generation of people trying to buy a home with increased costs? When you look at why the government are doing it, you understand it is because they are addicted to spending. You've heard us come in here and say time and time and time again that, when the Australian Labor Party runs out of its own money, it will come looking for yours.”
“Those on the other side gave a commitment that they would not touch them. But, as soon as they got there, they took $26 billion worth of savings, which we were going to return back to Australians, and kept it for their own spending. Remember the propaganda when we were told it was going to be easier under Labor: 'Vote for us; it's going to be easier.' I think we've seen 18 increases in interest rates. That's about $26,000 extra you're paying if you've got a mortgage. Can I mention these capital gains taxes while we're talking about houses. I'm going to ask the Australian public who are listening a really simple question. If we increase, through machinations in this place, the cost of doing business for those who wish to invest in the residential sector—let's call them landlords—one of two things is going to happen.”
“There's no country in the world, including Germany, who has the highest rates of renewable energy, with evidence to suggest that electricity prices are going to come down under the current trajectory we are following. It's the Ministry of Truth with George Orwellian overtones. There's the persistent thinking that, if we just keep on telling the Australian public it's going to get better, they'll believe us. We were told before the election, 'My word is my bond.' At the previous election we were told, 'My word is my bond,' when it came to the stage 3 tax cuts. That may not mean a lot to people on the street, but, when you earn more money, you cannot escape tax bracket creep, where you go up through the tax brackets. In stage 3, we were going to freeze them and make those amounts smaller so that Australians got to keep more of their money.”
“But never have I seen propaganda in the press and propaganda from those opposite to the extent that we are seeing at the moment. Let me remind you what some of that propaganda looks like. Only a couple of years back, Australians were told that they were going to get $275 cash back on their electricity bills and that electricity rates were going to go down. This is newspeak. This is the core function of George Orwell's Ministry of Truth. We are told that, if they spend more money on renewables, electricity prices will go down. We are told that. It's like groupthink. 'We must invest more. We must invest more.' The reality is our power bills have two parts to them. One is the power price. The other one is the transition and the distribution costs—the cost of gold plating the transmission lines in the renewable sector.”
“If they said one thing one day and then backflipped on it, they would go in and rewrite all the clippings so that, when history reviewed itself, those claims had no evidence. They were removed from history. One of his other tasks was to falsify statistics, changing production figures to show the economy as always improving when it clearly was not. We only need to look at the Australian economy and see the heartache and how difficult it is for young people to get into a home. I have five children. My oldest has a home. The task of the other two following is becoming even more difficult under this government. Propaganda creation was another task this character had, producing all literature, news, music, drama and entertainment to the season. Propaganda is often used in warfare. We're using it currently in our conflicts.”
“I was reminded by my dear partner, who is an English teacher. She prompted me, in this current political climate, to reread a book that I read in senior. It was written by a famous author by the name of George Orwell. The title of the book is Nineteen Eighty-Four . It was written in the 1970s. It's a great book. It's heavy reading for a 16- or17-year-old, but, when you revisit it, you really understand the nuances of how this government is using the duplicitous meanings of the Ministry of Truth and its core function of altering history. One of the main character's key tasks in the book was to work at the Ministry of Truth. His job was to go into a room and find newspaper clippings and rewrite them to the government's narrative.”
“If you were to straw poll people in the Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne mall and ask them, 'Do politicians tell the truth?' nine out of 10 of them would say no. They all think we lie. It's unfortunate that these pieces of evidence—saying one thing before an election and doing another—are becoming too often a feature of the Australian Labor Party's modus operandi. Winston Churchill, the former English prime minister, once said of taxes: 'Trying to tax a nation into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket trying to lift himself up by the handle. You can't do it.' Those on the other side take a different view. We don't. Our philosophy within the Liberal and National parties is lower taxes. Our philosophy is smaller government. I'm glad that there are members in the chamber to hear these contributions and to be reminded.”
“These appropriation bills give me the opportunity to talk about the deceitful taxes—the taxes that the Australian public, and my electorate, were told were not going to be imposed on them. They were told not just once or twice that they weren't going to be imposed on them. When a journalist asked the Prime Minister, 'Are you going to introduce a capital gains tax?' the response was, 'For the 50th time, no.' That was unequivocal. Before the election, Australians knew that there was not going to be a tax, but then, immediately after, it appears in the budget. Unfortunately for us on this side, when claims like that are made by government members—leaders of the party, the Treasurer—it has an effect and a stench on all of us in this House. It is a pox on all of our houses.”
“It is one of the greatest privileges of someone who represents this place to stand and speak on the appropriation bills. Unlike other bills that come before the House, which may have an effect on certain parts of your community, Appropriation Bill (No. 1) and Appropriation Bill (No. 2), which we're going to be debating, concurrently touch everyone in our community. They touch our businesses, they touch our first home owners, they touch our farmers and they touch those who are aspirant and who want to build careers, build businesses and employ people in our community. I feel compelled to come in here and share the frustrations that I'm hearing from those people who are feeling deceived and who are feeling that, at one stage, they had confidence that, when the government said something, it could be trusted. That is no longer the case.”
“We got stage 2.5 tax cuts, where Labor banked $26 billion into the outward years. You just cannot trust Labor. Labor are the highest-spending government in 40 years outside the pandemic. The reason that they are the highest-spending government is that one of the line items is the most bloated public service. No other country in the world has more public servants per capita than Australia. It's 15 public servants for every 100 people. It's more than any country in the OECD. They'll tell you that they've banked $221 billion in savings, but they've actually spent $324 billion. This is a deficit, and you can't trust Labor.”
“It's out of control. Labor also promised $43 billion to help housing construction, but, when you go and have a chat to the guys at Housing Industry Australia, when we were in office, we were building on average between 200,000 and 220,000 houses a year. Under this government, with their failed settings, it's 180,000. They've set this forecast of 1.2 million homes to be built out into the future. It'll be yet another broken promise. For them to reach that target, mathematically, they'd have to have been doing around 220,000 now on average. With the falling in the numbers, they've got to be doing around 240,000 houses a year. That's higher than any year of housing growth ever in this country. You cannot trust Labor. Remember, 'My word is my bond' and, 'We won't be touching stage 3'?”
“Right across my electorate last night, people were eagerly watching the budget to see what was in it for them. The good news is that there's $250 in the budget for them, but the $250 doesn't come soon. It doesn't come this week, doesn't come next month and doesn't come before the end of the financial year or next year. It actually comes in the second half of 2028, where, if you count on your fingers whether or not that is going to be after or before the next federal election, you would comfortably say that it's going to be after. The budget was riddled with more broken promises. Broken promise after broken promise is what this government has delivered with absolute consistency. Remember the $275 electricity relief we were going to get, espoused on over 200 occasions? Electricity prices are soaring 40 per cent across the nation.”
“Looking ahead, Truck Week also provides a timely lead into National Road Safety Week next week. As we celebrate the people and the technology behind our heavy vehicle industry, it's also an opportunity to reflect on the shared responsibilities we have to all other road users on the road. Truck Week highlights pride and progress in the industry, and National Road Safety Week reminds us all of the importance of vigilance, care and safety for every road user. Together they tell a connected story of an industry that's not only essential to the Australian economy but deeply committed to safety and the community that it serves. Stay safe on the roads and make sure you keep on trucking.”
“It shows it's not just a campaign but a genuine national movement and moment to recognise an industry that plays a vital role in keeping Australia moving every single day. Mr Speaker, you will remember that this morning you joined me over on the Senate, where we met Kenny. Kenny is not a person. Kenny is a Kenworth T410 truck, and it was here to promote Truck Week 2026 from one of their sponsors, the Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds. From the outset, I acknowledge the great work that Naomi and Ben and all the team at Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds do every day to support the health of employees in the transport and logistics sector. They work to bring programs to life to make sure that the resources of Healthy Heads are accessible to organisations right around the country.”
“Across one week, this week, workplaces and communities are coming together to host local events that highlight three key themes: first, people—the teams who build, drive, repair and manage our national truck fleet; second, road safety—the commitment to safer roads, safer workplaces and shared responsibility across the entire industry; and, third, innovation—the technology, ideas and solutions shaping the future of the heavy transport industry. It's fantastic to see more than 80 events already confirmed for Truck Week across the country. That level of participation is a strong signal of just how engaged and proud the heavy vehicle industry is, from drivers and workshops through to manufacturers, suppliers and the broader community.”
“It's events like this that showcase the very best of the sector—innovations, engineering excellence, safety advancements and the strength of collaboration across the industry. From as far as Western Australia to the eastern seaboard, from Tassie to the Northern Territory, Truck Week is everywhere. At the heart of it, Truck Week is about recognising the people and the innovations that keep Australia moving every single day.”
“Without trucks, our great nation comes to a screeching halt. Truck Week 2026 is a national celebration of Australia's heavy vehicle industry. Truck Week is a national initiative that showcases the professionalism, contributions and everyday excellence of the Australian heavy vehicle industry. It returns this year with a truly national focus, bringing together businesses, drivers, workshops, manufacturers, suppliers, communities and schools. A particular highlight is the continued support and leadership of the industry through events like the HVIA TruckShowX, delivered by Todd Hacking and his team at Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia. TruckShowX will be held on 18 and 19 May at Rydges in the Hunter Valley.”
“Recent data from Housing Industry Australia had 183,000 homes built in the reporting period last year—broken promise after broken promise after broken promise. Of course, we remember the clanger. What was that one? The 'my word is my bond' on the stage 3 tax cuts where we got a 2.2 per cent reduction. It's broken promises time and time again. You just can't trust Labor. We've got the highest spending Labor government for 40 years, outside the pandemic. Interestingly, we don't have a taxing problem. These guys have got a spending problem.”