Pat Conaghan
Cowper · National Party · Australia
“Yesterday, we heard Labor spruiking their changes that came into effect with the new financial year, and there was a lot of chest beating and oversimplified statements around the standards of living that would make anyone not living in the real world think that things have never been better.”
“Small businesses, we haven't forgotten you. We know that your input costs are already through the roof and your profit margins are even slimmer. We know that the number of annual insolvencies has tripled this financial year when compared with 2022.”
“Insurance is up 42 per cent. Household electricity bills are up 38 per cent. Gas is up 37 per cent. Rents are up, and your weekly food shop is up 17 per cent.”
“Australians deserve honesty. They don't deserve to be treated like mugs by their own government. But yesterday we saw the Prime Minister call those on this side of the floor 'the axis of grievance' while evading giving an actual answer to any question posed by the opposition on behalf of those we represent.”
“As representatives, we are here to make sure that the collective grievances of our constituencies are heard by those opposite—that their legitimate and real pressure points are being expressed and considered in the policies we create and not swept aside by spin and gaslighting.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister: I refer to another mean-spirited act by the Prime Minister—cutting the private health insurance rebate for Australians aged over 65.”
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“There have been stories of greatly reduced services despite unchanged or even deteriorating physical conditions, stories of waitlists for palliative care that failed to be delivered prior to the death of the package holder in need, stories of a complete lack of eligible providers of certain services or more remote and isolated areas with no access at all. It's not just individuals crying out for help; it's actually the service providers who tell me they've never seen conditions like this before for their clients. Ben Kleeman, a passionate home care specialist at UPA Aged Care Solutions in Port Macquarie, said: We want to help. We have capacity. We have been through reforms before. But right now, we are disempowered from providing care.”
“In my electorate of Cowper on the Mid North Coast, I have the privilege of representing over 47,000 constituents over the age of 65. That's more than a third of Cowper voters that may be eligible for a home-care package either now or sometime down the track. But, since Labor's changes to aged care and more specifically home care came into effect last November, there's been a tsunami of increasingly desperate calls, emails and visits to my office from many of these constituents who have been negatively and directly affected.”
“That's money being ripped away from nation building and redistributed to Labor's metrocentric pet projects, with a tax cut of $4.80 a week—not enough to even buy you a coffee. Infrastructure and communications funding are, literally, lifelines for my communities. We're seeing them brutalised by this Labor government, and that shows the true lack of care they hold for my electorate of Cowper. The irony is that solutions to so many of our nation's problems lie in the regions: housing, resources, food and sovereignty. That's what the regions have to offer in this country. But Labor continues to ignore us. (Time expired)”
“The budget rhetoric we heard last night from Labor shows they are taking the Australian people for mugs. While proclaiming to take pressure off Aussie families and lift living standards, Labor is, in reality, taxing aspiration, lifting the ladder from young would-be investors and pouring an irresponsible level of migrants into our already overstretched networks—from housing to health and everywhere in between. For the regions, it appears that any savings made in this budget are at our expense: $4.7 billion cut from infrastructure; $103 million cut from the national water grid; $191 million cut from pest and disease, regional trade and drought funding for farmers; and $21 million cut from regional communications funding.”
“We have to ensure that closing this loophole does not open another one and that victims are adequately supported to take advantage of the new legislation. But we will not let perfect be the enemy of good in this instance, and I fully agree with my colleagues around the floor. This legislation is critical. This legislation is just and considered, and this legislation must be passed immediately.”
“The Law Council said: It appears likely that once in place, the proposed framework will create a demand for legal assistance from victim-survivors seeking to access the scheme. Consideration should be had to ensuring these reform measures are accompanied by adequate increases to frontline legal services, to ensure there is sufficient capacity to respond to this increase in legal need. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia said: It would be possible for an offender to fund a contribution to the superannuation account of a third person, such as a family member or friend, with an understanding that when that person becomes eligible for a benefit they will remit a portion of their superannuation benefit to the offender.”
“Carolyn is a New South Wales solicitor in Port Macquarie. She's a grandmother to Edan Van Haren, a child who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of prominent CEO Maurice Van Ryn. Van Ryn was found guilty in July 2023 and ordered to pay compensation amounting to $1.4 million plus legal costs. To date, Edan has not received his court directed amount, and that's due to Van Ryn's exploitation of the Bankruptcy Act. With Edan and his family in mind, we must pass this bill as swiftly as possible to immediately assist all victims currently left waiting and without their due compensation. I do want to note some of the concerns and suggestions from the Law Council of Australia and the Australian Lawyers Alliance and ask that we monitor cases closely once the changes begin.”
“To know that a victim can be subjected to that torture, finally awarded with a guilty verdict and handed down a compensation amount only to have that compensation ripped away by a legal loophole that goes unchecked is simply unthinkable. This bill will now shut that loophole. By creating a court supervised process for survivors of child sexual abuse to access certain superannuation amounts held by a perpetrator, this bill allows a court to order the release of the perpetrator's funds that were previously protected under superannuation law. It also allows a court to make an order to release superannuation information that was previously confidential. This is important because transparency and strong deterrent will ensure that abusers can't hide their assets. I would like to acknowledge and recognise the contributions of Carolyn Kelly.”
“You might ask, 'How could that possibly occur?' The answer is as simple as it is unethical. The perpetrators have hidden their assets in their superannuation and declared bankruptcy to avoid having to pay their victims the amounts they have legally been awarded through our justice system. Due to the historic protections around superannuation accounts, this evil loophole has been easily exploited. As I indicated, as a former prosecutor and later a defence lawyer, I'm well aware that the burden of proof in these case lies squarely with the victim and prosecution. In order for a court to find an accused perpetrator guilty, the amount of evidence that needs to be supplied, retold and relived is as necessary as it is horrific.”
“I say that with the survivors and the advocates in mind. Please know that we have heard you and we know there are more considerations that must be taken into account as quickly as possible that this bill may not have directly addressed. To give credit where credit is due—I know that the Assistant Treasurer is committed to working through all the implications for the final steps. With that, I'd like to run through the specific problem that this bill seeks to address and why it is critical that we do what we are doing. In the past, where an offender knows that they will be facing court, they have transferred assets into their superannuation in an attempt to avoid compensation to the victim-survivor. That was a gaping loophole and one that was identified by victims-survivors and advocates a long time ago.”
“It's been an excruciating wait over eight years since the original coalition led consultation that specifically dealt with superannuation. I'm sure that, on both sides of the floor, we agree with its swift and immediate passing in the best interest of all survivors of child sexual abuse and their families. These measures are entirely apolitical and bipartisan, and so they should be. I'd like to genuinely thank the Assistant Treasurer for his open and considered approach in relation to these issues to date. I'd also like to acknowledge the work of the former coalition minister for financial services Kelly O'Dwyer for making a start on these reforms back in 2018. I do need to stress that this is a first step and that there is much more to be done when it comes to victims of crime more broadly.”
“We can watch it, we can observe it and we can walk with them, but we'll never understand. That is why this bill is so important. Victims-survivors carry the scars inflicted upon them for life through no fault of their own. They live with mental health challenges and stigma every single day. In many cases, these ongoing impacts affect the survivors' ability to maintain healthy and positive relationships, including long-term employment opportunities, and achieve financial stability and security. It is imperative that we as a parliament provide the framework to support those people. The bill we are discussing here today is a positive and necessary step, and I know it will be a welcome relief for the many contributors to the final iteration we see in the House today.”
“I believe that these offenders have a special place reserved for them in hell. I often speak about my time in the police as a country copper, as a detective and then as a prosecutor. I saw some terrible things—countless fatalities, suicides—but nothing stuck with me like child sexual assault or child exploitation material. That was the only thing that continued to bother me when I left the police. As a result, I went into law and I made a decision there and then, on day one, that I would never take a brief for child sexual assault or child exploitation material. And I slept well every single night. As I said, these people have a special place reserved for them in hell, and we can never know and never understand the true trauma that the victims-survivors actually go through.”
“Can I start by first acknowledging all the victims-survivors. We can stand in this place and speak to bills such as this one, the Treasury Laws Amendment (The Survivors Law) Bill 2026, and we can work in the sectors that support victims-survivors, but we can never understand what they have been through and the scars that they endure for the rest of their lives. I'd just like to start by acknowledging them, their strength and their advocacy for the people they support as well. Perpetrators of child sexual abuse should never be able to hide from justice or retribution, and our legal system should never provide those found guilty with loopholes to hide behind in plain sight. These heinous acts must be punished with the full force of the law and all perpetrator freedoms must be duly revoked.”
“The government has to admit there is a distribution issue that is set to negatively impact on every Australian at the check-out in the very near future. Safeguards must be put in place for primary industries and distribution networks, and they needed to be put in place three weeks ago. No farmers means no food, no freight and no deliveries, and no supply of goods means skyrocketing prices on every product at the check-out. The tax cut was one small step for everyday Australians, but a giant leap is required by this government to keep our country running. (Time expired)”
“Yesterday we saw this government finally forced into using a bit of common sense by slashing the fuel excise, saving all Australians 26c per litre at the bowser. It's great that they listened to us, but there's much more that needs to be done to protect everyday Australians and our national interest. Gary Eichmann, a generational dairy farmer in my electorate, is unable to get the fuel he ordered three weeks ago. Now he's been advised that, when the fuel is eventually available, the cost will be 30c per litre dearer than the service station costs due to inflated wholesale prices to independents. Gary's not the only one sounding the alarm on wholesaler supply. Every Nationals MP has received similar calls. Across the floor, the few of you that do actually have producers amongst your constituents must be hearing the same thing.”
“If we had a proper regime and legalised vapes, we would see another $7 billion in excise and there would be quality control. We wouldn't see garbage coming in from China—we don't know what's in that. These people who are importing are criminals of the worst kind, and the money that they earn is supporting sex slavery, serious drug offences and terrorism. So to put a rubbish piece of legislation on the table is an insult not only to this parliament but to the Australian people. I will happily work with the other side to ensure that illegal vapes and illegal tobacco are wiped out and that that business model is destroyed, because the Australian people deserve better.”
“I saw an extremely disturbing figure in recent times—that is, smoking rates have increased for the first time in 30 years. More disturbing than that is that the people who are taking it up, more than ever, are children under 18 because they can get access to it. We don't need to tinker around the edges of penalties. The courts need to slam those who do get prosecuted, but we have to get to the prosecution stage. So what do we need to do? We need to develop a strategy that supports the law enforcement agencies, and we need an agency that has direct sight of these people, these criminals who are bringing these products into Australia. I'll talk more about these criminals in a moment. We have seen excise on tobacco go down by about $5 billion in one financial year.”
“It tinkers around the edges of penalties. Nobody's being prosecuted for this. There have been a handful of court cases in the last four years. I guarantee you cannot walk down your main street without passing at least one, if not several, of these pop-up tobacconists that are selling illicit tobacco under the counter or vapes, which are apparently illegal in this country although you see everybody standing on corners smoking them, particularly in this place, Parliament House. You cannot walk down your main street without seeing these pop-up stores. I get calls from parents and emails from businesses about these pop-up stores and about the disruption and the concern that people in our communities have—not just because they're selling illegal products but because of the damage they are doing to our society.”
“I had to check the calendar this morning to make sure it wasn't 1 April because I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when the Labor member for Bruce introduced the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 or, as I like to refer to it, the 'combating illicit tobacco (a problem we created and ignored for four years) bill 2026'. For four years I have stood right here and in the other place and warned this government about the illegal tobacco and vaping trade in this country. Have they listened? Absolutely not. This bill, which isn't worth the paper that it is written on, addresses none of the root causes of the problem that we are facing. I have provided the solutions on a platter. As a former detective in the drug enforcement agency, I have provided to the other side the solutions to this problem. This bill does nothing.”
“The Wrights Road and the Lake Road roundabouts leading to the health and education precincts—in fact, those that I've just referred to—have long been flagged as the worst areas and the most dangerous bottlenecks, impacting not only commuters but, more importantly, ambulances attempting to get to the hospital. That's why under the coalition, prior to 2022, we allocated $5 million to settle a feasibility study for those areas. But, with the change of government, that funding decision was reversed, and, despite continued, unified calls by local, state and federal representatives, nothing has happened. So, on behalf of my communities, I'm asking the state and federal governments: why are you ignoring the needs of a rapidly expanding regional city with so much to offer? We deserve so much more.”
“It's because we have some of the best public schools and impressive independent schools like the Nature School, the Steiner school and St Columba. The range and choice on offer certainly puts it at the top of the list in New South Wales. That's coupled with the state-of-the-art Charles Sturt University campus that is well on its way to doubling its intake by 2030, and the University of New South Wales clinical campus at the base hospital as well. Yet, despite these obvious indicators of accelerated, sustained growth, the congestion chaos at this burgeoning regional city's most critical entry points continues to grow worse with every passing month, due to a lack of care and investment by this Labor government and the state Labor government.”
“I'd like to take this opportunity to talk up beautiful Port Macquarie, a rapidly expanding regional city that deserves acknowledgement of its recent accelerated growth and future potential. Port Macquarie has always been a tourism hotspot. If you haven't been there, you should go. But, in recent years, more and more of its once seasonal visitors have opted to stay permanently, with a growth rate of 17.3 per cent in Port Macquarie west since the start of 2021. It's not hard to see why. Not only is it a coastal city filled with natural beauty but it continues to enhance and expand its employment opportunities and services, evolving to cater to both young and old. Once upon a time, it was heralded as a retirement capital, but now it's attracting more and more families than it ever has before, and it's easy to see why.”
“But on Thursday I received the fantastic news from the Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Jill Wong that the scanner not only is functional but will be operating seven days a week, with additional radiographers now employed and plans in place to accept outpatient referrals in the future, significantly increasing service access to the entire Mid North Coast. I'd like to thank Jill for her collaborative approach in working with me to see this come to a reality at the end of her first year. I look forward to many more years of joint advocacy together.”
“Today I'm taking the opportunity to celebrate a huge win for the Nambucca Valley. As of last week, the long-awaited CT scanner is finally operational at Macksville District Hospital. This critical piece of machinery will enable early diagnosis, support, emergency and inpatient care and increase overall access and availability in the Nambucca region for imaging, with no more travelling the 120-kilometre round trip to Coffs Harbour. The knock-on positive effects for the Coffs Harbour base hospital's overreached emergency department will be immediate as they'll no longer have to take on all those patients from the Nambucca Valley. Since 2019, I've been campaigning alongside community health leaders for this life-saving machinery to be delivered and, despite securing funding in 2021, it's been a bumpy ride.”
“With a minister for climate change and energy more concerned with crafting headlines than providing help, it's no wonder that the inboxes of every regional MP are filling up with similar pleas from farmers, freight operators and small businesses legitimately concerned they may be forced out of business as input costs surge and supply guarantees disappear. No farmers means no food. No freight operators means no supplies to the nation. While this government continues to serve up denial, diversion and deflection, regional Australia needs honesty, action and delivery, and they needed it—”
“Regional Australia has grown accustomed to copping the brunt of this government's mismanagement, but nowhere is it more dire than the current fuel crisis. Last week I received an urgent plea from Carlie Comer, CEO of trusted community transport provider Linked Community Services in Port Macquarie. Linked transports well over 6,000 clients in my electorate to critical services like GPs and health specialists, as well as providing much needed relief from isolation for those in need, and, in many cases, grateful clients rely on this transport link just to make life worth living. But, right now, up to 70 per cent of those clients are at risk of losing access entirely without immediate intervention in fuel pricing and supply. That's 4½ thousand vulnerable older Australians left isolated and without options in Cowper alone.”
“I'm very pleased to rise to speak on the appropriation bill. For those who are listening or watching, this is an opportunity for us to talk about how the government is spending your money—not its money, your money—where it's spending it and whether it's being spent properly. It's also about where it's not being spent, which most of my speech will be about. But I'm going to do something quite unorthodox. I'm going to start by complimenting somebody from the other side. That is the Minister for Health and Ageing, and it is in relation to the decision by the minister to backflip on a proposal to stop intravitreal eye injections from being claimable under private health insurance. I have no doubt that you're aware of that, Deputy Speaker, with your—”
“It is time for this government to say, 'We have lost control of our economy.' It is time for this government to start dealing with the opposition and working in the interests of the Australian people rather than heading down the road of destroying the economy with $1 trillion in debt, no solutions and no answers.”
“We don't want to see our frontline workers, our frontline services such as the police, having to act as security or enforcement because of this government's failings. Once again, the minister for energy has to provide assurances to the agricultural sector that there will be access to fuel in the near future and that operations won't be affected. We are only five days into the Iran conflict, and, despite the minister assuring us that fuel reserves are at at least 32 days, we've already seen chaos in the market implications. The net zero obsession that we've seen during the four years of Labor's reign has become all consuming for the minister for energy. He needs to spend his entire day defending it rather than putting forward sensible solutions. This is where we see 'Divert, Deflect and Deny'. It is time for this government to come clean.”
“I can tell you that right now the service stations at Nana Glen, Glenreagh, Bowraville, Boambee and Coffs Harbour Marina have all run out of fuel or, in the case of the marina—and it's a large marina with a cooperative that supplies seafood up and down the coast—have been told that their fuel supply is not guaranteed. What we will see is job losses. What we will see is that freight will not be able to deliver those goods to supermarkets. What we will see is a shortage of food in supermarkets because of this government's failure to actually make sure that the fuel gets out there. It's no good sitting offshore. It's no good in containers where we can't access it. This government needs to act right now, immediately.”
“I'll acknowledge that this is out of the control of the government; there are international forces at play here. But the government absolutely has some levers within its reach to mitigate the fallout of the war in Iran on Australian citizens. Right now, farmers across the country can't get the fuel they need to do what they do every single day. I found it remarkable this morning—and I will talk about this for a little period—that Minister Bowen and Minister Rishworth were in the media saying there is no fuel supply issue. If you go to any regional electorate and go to any independent station or large business, you will be told the exact opposite. 'Divert, Deflect and Deny' is this government's new slogan. Remember we were told that there are 32 days of fuel security, and we're only at day 5 into the crisis.”
“It's completely dead money, just like the repayments on your home loan and your mortgage. But, unlike your mortgage, this government isn't spending its money; it's spending your money, the taxpayer's money—the money that you pay every time you go to work. I know that, in my electorate of Cowper, the average household income is $1,500 a week. That's about $80,000 a year. So, in just two minutes, this government is spending more taxpayer money on servicing the debt than what the average household in Cowper earns in a year. I imagine it would be very similar in some of the Labor members' electorates. It's no wonder that Australians are feeling poorer than ever. Now, to add to the household budget woes, we're seeing petrol prices go through the roof. Look, I'll be fair.”
“It's not my fault.' The second reason he uses is that it's due to global forces outside of the government's control, a line that doesn't hold up when you compare the performance of Australia's economy to those of similar nations. When things are so clearly wrong and the trajectory of the Australian economy continues to sink ever lower, this treasurer behaves as though he is a bystander or a commentator, not a leader. Under this government and, more specifically, this Treasurer, government spending is at its highest level outside of a recession in 40 years, and Labor's debt is racing towards $1 trillion. What that means in plain English is that Australian taxpayers are currently shelling out $50,000 a minute to service that debt—to service Labor's debt.”
“Health is up 18 per cent, education is up 17 per cent and food is up 16 per cent. Well, food's up 16 per cent right now, but, given the unfolding crisis in terms of fuel security, I think we'll see a definite peak in that statistic. But the Treasurer will tell you one of two things when he is asked about his role here—firstly, that it's somehow the coalition's fault. This is a line that he has become so accustomed to using over the four years, or perhaps he's just forgotten he's now in government—he's now the Treasurer. To be perfectly honest, it's almost like he's channelling his inner Bart Simpson: 'I didn't do it.”
“I recall the Prime Minister saying in question time recently: … I've seen the positive difference that our government is making in easing cost-of-living pressures, improving the lives of Australians … Everybody out there knows that that is completely false, and I can say with certainty that the people in my electorate of Cowper on the Mid North Coast are definitely not feeling that their lives have been improved under this government. In fact, Australia has seen the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world over the past four years, so I find it absolutely remarkable that the Prime Minister can stand there at the dispatch box with a straight face and say that Australians are better off—'Divert, Deflect and Deny'. Australians are paying 39 per cent more for insurance, 38 per cent more for energy and 22 per cent more in rent.”
“I stood in this place last week and spoke about Labor's unwritten slogan that every MP, from the Prime Minister down to the backbenchers, has adopted over the past four years. That slogan is 'Divert, Deflect and Deny'. These tactics have been used by those on the other side of the floor to distract the Australian people into believing that they are better off than they were four years ago, and nowhere is it more pronounced than when they are answering questions about the economy right now.”
“Instead, they'll be forced into the overstretched regional hospitals or be made to pay the full cost at private ophthalmology clinics, a cost that is simply too high for too many. This is city-centric policymaking from Labor that completely ignores regional reality. For patients in electorates like mine, access to public ophthalmology services is extremely limited, with hospital waiting lists too long for a condition like this. Travelling hundreds of kilometres to metro hospitals every month is the only alternative, which is physically impossible for many. Please, Minister, listen. Don't take away a regional patient's sight with this short-sighted decision. Reverse it today.”
“Today I'm once again asking the Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Minister for Health and Ageing and Deputy Leader of the House not to force regional patients with macular degeneration to choose between going blind or going broke. And while I thank the minister for answering my calls last year on behalf of the hundreds of constituents in my electorate affected by the proposed policy change, I am disheartened to see that after a 12-month agreed deferral period, this devastating change is back on the table. From 1 July, patients receiving intravitreal injections will no longer be able to claim health fund benefits if the procedure is performed in private hospitals or day surgeries.”
“Superannuation plays an important role in that story, but it only works if Australians have confidence in the system—confidence that their retirement savings will not become a convenient target whenever government finds itself short of revenue. Superannuation is not government money; it's your money. It represents the wages that people earn through decades of work and set aside for their own retirement. The coalition respects that and always will, and we believe governments should control their spending before reaching further into Australian people's savings that they have worked decades to build. For those reasons, the coalition will oppose this bill.”
“They represent capital invested across Australia that is backing businesses and infrastructure and helping companies to expand, hire workers and innovate. The coalition understands a very simple economic truth: if you want better hospitals, better schools and stronger public services, you need a stronger economy. It is the only way. You cannot cheat your way to prosperity. Governments can't distribute wealth that has not first been created. Prosperity comes from growth, from investment and from people working, saving and building businesses across this great country. That is how living standards rise. It's also how sustainable government revenue is generated.”
“We hear discussions about making changes to capital gains tax and about changes to negative gearing. We hear discussions about trusts. Each time the argument begins the same way. First, they deny they are considering new taxes. Then they say that it will only apply to the rich. But, when the spending pressures continue to grow, the definition of 'rich' inevitably changes. That's why this bill matters. Once one of the principles established is that retirement savings are simply another pool of revenue for the government to draw from, the integrity of the entire system begins to erode. That has consequences not just for retirees but for the whole of the Australian government. Those superannuation balances Labor is taxing are not sitting idle.”
“But this bill raises around $2 billion a year—that is it. In the context of a $1 trillion debt, that's not a structural solution to the government's fiscal pressures. When $2 billion inevitably proves insufficient, the temptation will be obvious: lower the threshold, expand the tax and bring more Australians into the net. Maybe the line becomes $2 million, maybe $1 million. Maybe they'll just tax all super and give everyone a $20,000 dignified retirement stipend. Who knows? We simply cannot trust this government and we simply cannot trust this treasurer. Once the government begins to treat superannuation as a convenient revenue source, the pressure to keep expanding that revenue will never go away. We can already see the broader direction of travel.”
“They structure their investments, they plan how much they contribute and they plan the kind of retirement they want and that they can afford. They do all of that on the assumption that the rules governing the system will remain stable. But what this government has done with these bills is fundamentally change that system. Now we have a different tax rate depending on the size of someone's super balance. It's a wealth tax. There's no denying that. The government says it's about aligning superannuation with what it calls dignified retirement. Dignified retirement is your choice and my choice, not the government's choice. The problem with the argument by Labor is very simple. As I said, who decides what counts as dignified? Today the government says that the line in the sand is $3 million.”
“That brings us to a much deeper issue in this debate, and that is the integrity of the superannuation system itself. Superannuation was built on a contract. Australians would set aside part of their wages during their working lives. Those savings would be invested productively across the economy, and, in return, they would have security and certainty in retirement. But that system depends on one crucial ingredient, and that is trust—trust that, if the Australian people followed the rules, the rules would not constantly change and trust that, when people make long-term decisions about saving for retirement, governments won't move the goalposts halfway through the game. Superannuation is not a short-term investment. People make decisions about their retirement savings in their 30s and 40s that will affect their lives decades later.”
“When the Howard government benefited from strong revenues generated by growing an economy, they returned those revenues to the Australian people, and they did so through broad based tax relief. This government sees historically high tax returns and immediately starts looking for ways to take even more, because this government cannot live within its means. There is, of course, a small increase to the low-income superannuation tax offset now attached to this bill, and we support that. It's a tax cut, but it's small—only around one-fifth of revenue collected by that tax—and, in a cost-of-living crisis, it is pretty strange that this government didn't choose to deliver more immediate tax relief. That is the stark difference between this government and what was done under the Howard government.”
“You look at somebody with a super balance over $3 million and you would say, 'Well, they can pay it.' People are focused more on mortgages, rents, groceries and energy bills, not multimillion dollar retirement accounts. I get it; Labor politics—I withdraw that. It is very tempting to say, 'We'll let this one go through to the keeper,' but where does it stop? The real problem facing this government is not that the Australian people are paying too little tax. The real problem is this government cannot control its spending. Tax receipts today are already at historically high levels as a share of the economy. They are at levels we have not seen since the Howard years, but there's a very important difference there.”
“Under Labor, Australians are taxed when they work. We all accept that. It pays for our hospitals, our schools, Medicare—all those services that you rightly deserve. They are taxed when they retire, and now you're going to be taxed when you die. At some point we have to ask: when does it stop? I do acknowledge it is easy to see the politics in this proposal. The government says this tax applies only to balances above $3 million and imposes an even higher rate on balances above $10 million. Clearly, in a cost-of-living crisis that is only getting worse under Labor, many Australians would say they're not going to lose any sleep over that. In my electorate, the average super balance is $170,000. I say to the people of my electorate: I get it; I understand.”
“The art of taxation, it has been said, is to pluck the goose with the least hissing. Labor thought they could do it here, but Australians have hissed loud enough that even the Prime Minister heard it. So the Treasurer was forced to retreat, but now he's back again with his latest proposal to tax retirement savings. Let us be clear here. This is not the policy the government took to the last election. This is something completely different. In one important respect, it is something much worse, because the original bill explicitly excluded the tax from applying to when someone dies. That safeguard has now very quietly disappeared. Australians abolished death duties in the 1970s because they were widely recognised as unfair, punitive and ineffective, yet here we are in 2026, watching their quiet re-emergence under this Labor government.”
“Even voices on that side—it cannot be denied—raised questions within their own ranks and began to question in. The original proposal crossed a very clear line in our tax system. It would have taxed unrealised gains, paper increases in asset values that existed only on a spreadsheet. No sale, no income received, but what you would have seen is people like farmers and business owners who, under the then rules, would have had to sell off their businesses, carve up their farms or simply walk off the property because of an overreach of this government. Australians rightly pushed back on that. They also noticed something else. The Treasurer had quietly refused to index the threshold meaning inflation would slowly drag more and more Australians into that tax overtime. The way we see inflation growing at its current rate would only expedite that.”