Leon Rebello
McPherson · Liberal National Party · Australia
“But it's becoming really frightening when there is nowhere else to go if i can no longer afford rent and health care too. Another person said: As a still working, self funded semi retiree (73years) old, I feel disillusioned and disgusted by our current govt, who seem to be hell bent on removing any incentive to be a self sufficient, hard…”
“I'm going to read out some of the comments that ordinary Australians in the 65-plus category have sent to me and give them a voice in this place, because those on the opposite side of this parliament are prepared to go against them. I quote one person: 'That's a joke, Leon. We currently struggle to maintain existing low cover.”
“A lot of them are hanging on by the skin of their teeth financially, when they need their insurance the most and after paying premiums for years with minimal claims. Labour will pay the price if they mess with older Australians … Another person said: So this is over $1200 for the two of us.”
“We received over 2,000 responses to those surveys, and most of the responses focused on the fact that these are older Australians who have worked for this country, who have done the right thing for so many years, and now they're finding themselves in a really difficult spot as a result of this government's characterisation of them.”
“And I say to those opposite, the ones who have contributed to this debate and those who are sitting in the chamber today or watching, you should really look at yourself and look at the content of what we're saying, because this is about your parents, it's about your grandparents and it's about people that you represent, or are supposed to…”
“I commend my friend and colleague the member for Gippsland for moving this motion in relation to the government's failure to govern for older Australians. I am livid.”
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“But we will not let a day go past as the federal coalition without reminding this government that it must think about all of those individuals like Paul from my electorate in Coolangatta who are doing it tough because of the decisions that are being made under this Labor government, under this Treasurer, who, frankly, should know better.”
“But for all of those Australians who have gone through that hurdle and bought their first home, they've now been dealt a blow with 13 interest rate rises that, again, are as a result of the government's increased expenditure, which the RBA is trying to counter by addressing interest rates. What does that actually convert to? It converts to the average Australian mortgage holder paying an extra $1,800 every month on their repayments. These are all significant issues. Again, we go back to that intergenerational fairness. We need to start thinking in this place about what legacy we are leaving for our children. The $50,000 every 60 seconds that we're paying on our debt is not sustainable. We will support this bill. We don't support all the measures in this bill but we will support it.”
“It's a domestic problem. We've seen this analysis backed in by senior economists. IFM's investor Alex Joiner has warned that fiscal guardrails have come off. Shane Oliver also said that many of the factors driving inflation do relate to government spending. Those of us on this side of the House know that when public demand grows faster than supply, inflation follows. For those who have managed to get across the line and buy their first home, I come to this place as someone who has in the last five years not only rented, so I've had that first-hand experience, but also bought my first home.”
“I know in my electorate a lot of the young people in particular that I speak to really struggle to get into the housing market, not only because there's not enough supply; where they do find a place, they're competing with others and the rents are going up. Health is up 18 per cent, education is up 17 per cent and food's up 16 per cent. It's not that these are luxuries; these are essentials for people across Australia and essentials for people in my electorate. They are everyday costs that are hurting families. When you look at our inflation rate, we are a standout and we are a standout for the wrong reasons. If you compare us to comparable countries—the UK, 3.4 per cent; United States, 2.7 per cent; Canada, 2.4 per cent; Japan, 2.1 per cent; and Germany, 1.8 per cent—it's not a global phenomenon. Again, this is homegrown inflation.”
“Then we look at inflation, which Australians see every single day. Inflation in Australia remains much higher than it should be. This isn't something that we're seeing across the world. This is homegrown inflation. Make no mistake. This is the Treasurer's homegrown inflation. On 28 January, the ABS confirmed that headline inflation in the 12 months to December was 3.8 per cent. This is outside the Reserve Bank's target band. As we all know in this place, or as we all should know in this place, the Reserve Bank's target is two to three per cent. This is 0.8 per cent above the upper end of that target. That all sounds interesting, but what does it actually mean? It means that every single Australian is paying on average up to 39 per cent extra on their electricity bills. Rent is up 22 per cent.”
“It's less flexibility during downturns and less room for genuine emergencies. Responsible economic management means living within our means, and it means finding meaningful savings when we can, not just creative accounting. We saw in Senate estimates recently that the Minister for Finance spruiked $114 billion in so-called savings. But what did we see when she was questioned and put under a bit more pressure? It became clear that they actually weren't savings at all; they were reallocations. Taking money from one program and shifting it into another one is not a saving. Instead of that, we're seeing $50 billion in new spending. So the fiscal guardrails have come off. I think being upfront and honest with the Australian people, which has been a longstanding tradition in this country, is something that has not been occurring as well.”
“And again, I draw back to my maiden speech—the founding principles of me being in this place—where I stood up and said that, as the youngest member of the coalition, I think it's important that I voice a very significant concern of the next generation. That is the debt burden that we are leaving them and the intergenerational fairness that that is creating—because, as we all know, each and every dollar that we borrow today must be repaid at some point. It's not repaid by us necessarily; it is repaid by our children and by our grandchildren. The only way we can get around that is by establishing some sort of fiscal discipline. That is something that this government is lacking. High structural spending, which is locked into the budget, means fewer options in the future.”
“You'd understand that if we saw an increase in services provided to us to the value of $16,000. But I know—when I'm out in my community, whether it's in Burleigh Heads, whether it's in Coolangatta, in Currumbin, in Mudgeeraba—that people on the southern Gold Coast do not see value for money. They do not see that additional $16,000 per Australian household being injected through value back into their household. The small businesses in my seat don't see that either. We are now on track to hit $1 trillion in debt. This is not in 10 years. This is not in five years. This is any day now. By the time we get to the next election, there's talk of $1.2 trillion in debt forecast. That isn't sustainable, and it's not fair. Not only is it not fair for us now; it's not fair for our future generations.”
“Now, when I speak to the small business owners, when they hear those sorts of statistics—that spending is outpacing economic growth in this country at such a level, four to one; that is not something that is sustainable—they know that they can't run a business like that. You can't run a household like that. So the fact that we've got a government who is prepared to run a country like that is concerning, and it's resonating with our small businesses. We've said it many times that we expect many things of the people we represent, and one of those is to be fiscally responsible. I think it is high time that we in this place practised what we preach and do the same, and it's high time that this government does that. Since coming to office, spending is now $160 billion higher, or about $16,000 for every household in Australia.”
“There is no shortage of revenue, but, again, we are running deficits because spending is out of control. This isn't the fiscal restraint that the Treasurer talks about. What have we seen? We've now seen a government—the Albanese Labor government—which has recorded the highest levels of government expenditure over the last 40 years outside a recession. Spending as a percentage of GDP is projected to reach 26.9 per cent in 2025-26, 26.9 per cent again in 2026-27 and 26.6 per cent in 2027-28, so this isn't just a temporary blip on our record. This is something that is becoming systematic. Spending growth is running at four times the rate of the economy itself.”
“I'll start with something that we've spoken about on this side of the chamber quite often: record spending and record deficits. Australia is currently running deficits, but it's not running deficits because our revenue is weak. It's running deficits because our spending is out of control. I know, in recent times, due to events happening around the world, the current Treasurer has been out and about speaking about those particular issues. I've said this in the past: there is no doubt there will be some level of contribution based on what's happening elsewhere, but we can't take away the fact that we have seen this record spending over the last three years. We've seen inflation running over the last three years as well. In 2024-25, the Commonwealth raised $717 billion in receipts, which is 25.9 per cent of GDP—the highest level in 25 years.”
“We are not asking for favours. We are asking for a fair environment in which to operate. That is the sentiment of many small-business owners across my electorate on the southern Gold Coast. As I said, I had the opportunity to go and sit down with Paul the day after he sent me that email, and we talked through some really serious issues. Paul is someone who had never reached out to a politician before. The fact is, we're seeing—as, I'm sure, are colleagues across the political divide, but I know we are especially on this side, and I look at my colleague and friend, the member for Lyne—this becoming all too frequent, and it's becoming all too frequent because of the decisions that are made in this building. For the rest of my contribution, I'd like to speak to that record—to the full operations of this government.”
“Just risk, hard work and long hours. Right now, small business is being crushed. More than 700 small businesses reportedly went broke on the Gold Coast in 2024. That is not a statistic. That is families losing livelihoods. It is happening in our own street. The Coolangatta Pie Shop—operating since the 1960s—will close on 30 June. Waffle & Bean is gone. Dreamtime Artistry is gone. Established operators. Decades of trade. Gone. Here is what we face: Margins shrink. Risk rises. We employed someone in good faith under a wage subsidy program. The employee resigned after just over three months. We met every obligation. We carried the cost. We received nothing. That is not support. That is risk transfer. … … … Small business is constantly described as "the backbone of the economy." If that is true, policy must reflect it.”
“In light of that commitment, I received an email from a constituent in Coolangatta only a couple of weeks ago, and I've had the opportunity since to go and meet with that particular individual and hear about their business. I did tell them I would put their concerns on the public record in this place, and I think it's appropriate for me to read out the email that I received, because, within the context of the debate that we're having here, it showcases the interests, the needs and the concerns of people in the area that I represent on the southern Gold Coast. The email that was sent to me said: Dear … Mr Rebello, My name is Paul … I am a veteran and co-owner— of a small business in Coolangatta— … a Mum and Dad small business established in 2012 … We built this business ourselves. No safety net. No corporate backing.”
“But appropriation bills and appropriation debates are one of very few opportunities in this parliament where we can examine the total list of operations of government and the direction of fiscal policy in this country, and those are the areas that I intend to address. When I came to this place in the middle of last year, in my first speech here in the House of Representatives I made a comment that, in my time in this place, it is my duty and privilege to represent the people of McPherson, to share with this place their thoughts and their values and to work hard to ensure that they get the attention of government when they need it. I think about those words very often.”
“I rise to speak today on the appropriation bills 2025-2026. For those watching from home, these bills provide legislative authority for additional funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for decisions taken since the 2025-2026 budget, and that includes decisions announced in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The government is today seeking approval for $12.7 billion in additional appropriations, of which $9.1 billion is for ordinary annual services of government, $3.5 billion is for non-ordinary services and $9.2 million is for parliamentary departments. Let me be very clear in saying that the opposition doesn't support all of the policies and programs that are contained within the budget. However, given the bills provide the legislative mechanism to fund government operations, we will not oppose or delay them.”
“At a time of growing global instability, are we really surprised that fuel markets are volatile? How can our farmers produce food, if they can't afford the diesel to run their tractors, seeders and headers? Pretty soon we'll be importing all of our fresh produce too. The buck stops with the energy minister and the Prime Minister, who have the legislative tools to deal with this crisis thanks to the former coalition government. It is on this government to now show up and use them.”
“Fuel security is not simply about getting our cars from A to B; fuel security is national security. Fuel powers the tractors that produce the food on Australian tables. It runs the boats of fishermen who sustain coastal communities and export to the world, it powers the trucks that keep supermarket shelves stocked and it fuels the aircraft of our ADF—the very planes we rely on to defend this nation in times of conflict—yet today Australia is dangerously exposed. Twenty-five years ago this country was fully self-sufficient in oil extraction and fuel refining. We once had seven fuel refineries in this country. Today we just have two, and, unbelievably, both of them are being squeezed by Labor's carbon taxes through the safeguard mechanism—taxes these refineries simply do not need while they're already struggling to survive.”
“My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Has the minister investigated all funding commitments, both secret and public, made by the Albanese Labor government to extremist Islamic organisations which have mourned the death of the evil Ayatollah Khomeini?”
“These local entrepreneurs spoke about innovation, productivity and the rapid emergence of AI. What is clear is that this sector does not need government overreach stifling its advancement; it needs government to understand it, keep pace with it and remove barriers so that innovation can thrive. The shadow minister's visit reinforced the value of having access to a national coalition team that's ready to listen—one that ensures local communities like mine contribute directly to the development of national policy. This is what effective government does: it enables rather than stifles, it listens rather than lectures and it backs aspiration, enterprise and hard work.”
“This outstanding training provider puts more than 400 young people through trade pathways each year, yet it told us the system is making it harder, not easier, to train the workforce Australia desperately needs. We also visited RE/MAX Regency, in Robina, and heard firsthand about conditions in the southern Gold Coast housing market. Homeownership, the opportunity to build a life and put down roots, is slipping further out of reach for too many Australians. This government is falling behind on its housing targets, and the consequences are being felt across the entire housing ecosystem. To round off the senator's visit, we held a meeting with tech startup founders from across the Gold Coast who embody the sheer strength of the Gold Coast's growing tech sector.”
“We began with a visit to Suburban Security Screens, in Currumbin, a local manufacturer that has supported builders and housing delivery, including social and affordable housing, for more than 25 years. I congratulate Dale and the team on their contributions to housing and security across our community. Their experience is a familiar one: strong demand, the need for skilled workers and a desire to grow, all constrained by unnecessary red tape and regulatory complexity. Cutting red tape is not ideological. It is practical and it directly impacts productivity and housing cost and supply. It was fitting that, when we visited the Gold Coast Trades College next, their messaging was similarly unambiguous. To address Australia's housing crisis, we need tens of thousands more tradies—and we needed them yesterday.”
“I rise today to speak about the recent visit of our shadow minister for housing and homelessness and former shadow minister for productivity and deregulation, Senator Andrew Bragg, to my electorate, on the southern Gold Coast. As the government continues to ram through policy without meaningful community consultation or engagement to ensure its decisions are fit for purpose, Senator Bragg's recent visit to our community is a great lesson for this government and this prime minister on the value of listening to communities when shaping national policy. During his visit, Senator Bragg and I met with a cross-section of local businesses, educators and industry leaders who are contributing to Australia's economic future but who are also being held back by regulation, skill shortages and policy failures.”
“But, at its core, this debate is not about a balanced threshold or a revenue line in the budget. It's actually about whether Australians can rely on the long-term promises that are made by those who represent them. It is about whether we as a parliament choose to reward prudence or choose to punish it. It's about whether we strengthen self-funded retirement or slowly erode it. If we do believe in aspiration, if we believe in stability and if we believe that Australians who work hard and save diligently should not become an easy target for shifting fiscal pressures, then we cannot support this bill. For these reasons, I urge those around me in this place who are supposed to stand up for and represent their constituents to join us in rejecting it.”
“Instead of coming after a new form of tax, if the government were actually serious about addressing the issues that matter to Australians, about addressing the cost pressures that Australians, their families and their small businesses are facing, they would tackle inflation at its source—instead of trying to impose taxes where they don't need to be imposed. They would focus on their excessive spending and on weak growth, rather than reshuffling offsets within the existing retirement income system. This legislation is symptomatic of where Australia is going under this Labor government. Labor is taking this country in a direction—in fact, we're already here—of high tax and of high spending. This proposal should not be viewed, in and of itself, in isolation. It is Labor wanting to spend more and pour debt petrol on the inflation fire.”
“It's welcome from this side of the House of Representatives. But we do also need to be honest about the scale and the timing. The reality is that the low-income superannuation tax offsets do not put money back into household budgets right now, today. They don't lower the grocery bills now. They're not assisting in paying electricity bills now. And that's the problem—because Australians across the Gold Coast, across my electorate and across the country are all facing cost-of-living pressures right now, and future offset adjustments in superannuation do very little to relieve those stresses and those pressures.”
“Rather than confronting that waste and confronting that lack of fiscal guardrails, this government is hunting for new pools of capital and wanting to tax those. This is an absolute breach of trust in Australia. It's also symptomatic of a broader pattern, which is that this government puts higher spending first and then new taxes to pay for it later. That's not reform; that's fiscal mismanagement. I've heard some of the contributions of those opposite, and they've spoken about the low-income superannuation tax offset and said that the inclusion of that is evidence of balance. Now, we have been honest about our position on this, and we haven't gone against the government on this part. We have said that any measure that supports low-income earners building retirement savings is welcome.”
“I'd like to speak in particular about the impact on small businesses and small-business owners because, make no mistake, this legislation is an attack on small businesses. They're looking at small businesses particularly closely because the reality is that so many Australians who own small businesses hold their assets in super. As I've said, this legislation, this proposed bill, is the result of a government that has lost control of its spending. Labor's actually got a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The problem confronting Australia at the moment is that structural spending growth is outpacing sustainable economic growth, and, when governments spend beyond their means, they inevitably reach for new taxes to fill the gap—to fill the hole. That's exactly what we are witnessing here today.”
“We were told by the government that they were going to make life easier for Australians, for Australian families and for Australian businesses. But we've seen the absolute alternative, which is less flexibility and less choice. And life has been harder for Australians. It has been harder to pay the mortgage, to pay the bills, like the energy bill, and to make ends meet. The fact of the matter is that inflation and high interest rates have beaten this Treasurer and this government, and this legislation is a consequence of that, because we all know that, when this Labor government runs out of money, it comes after yours. Many voices have spoken up against this proposal—many of which are not from our side of politics but from the other side of politics.”
“But at the last election Australians were not presented with any form of policy that longstanding superannuation settings would be fundamentally altered. They were not warned about these changes. These promises do matter in a democracy, and Australians do hold governments to account based on what they promise and what they don't speak about. Major structural tax changes should be put clearly and transparently to the Australian people. But this proposal appeared out of nowhere, with limited consultation and a rushed legislative timeline. That's why this debate has resonated so strongly with Australians and with Australians in my electorate on the southern Gold Coast, who speak to me time and time again about the issues they are facing under this Labor government.”
“Under the revised design, an additional 15 per cent tax applies to superannuation earnings attributable to balances above $3 million, resulting in an effective 30 per cent rate on realised earnings above that threshold. There is a new threshold of $10 million which applies a 40 per cent rate. The thresholds are now indexed, and the tax applies only to realised capital gains. This bill exposes the fundamental difference between those on this side of the House and those in government. It is a difference that relates to our level of respect for Australians, our level of respect for those who work hard and save. We on this side of the House are not trying to create any sort of divide between those who are perceived to have and those who are perceived to not have.”
“The government, as a result of that pressure, has corrected two serious design flaws: (1) it has abandoned the taxation of unrealised gains, protecting SMSFs, holding farms and small businesses from being taxed on gains that they have not made, and (2) it has agreed to index the $3 million threshold, which prevents bracket creep from slowly expanding the tax base over time. These changes confirm that the original position that was taken by this government and by this Treasurer was fundamentally flawed. It also shows a broader issue with this government, and that is that Labor cannot be trusted with tax reform and that this Treasurer cannot be trusted with tax reform. So this bill now reintroduces division 296 in a revised form following the government's earlier proposal in 2023.”
“I've said time and time again that those on this side of the House would rather tighten the federal budget than the family budget. This bill is the consequence of a government that doesn't agree with that statement. So let's turn to what the substance of this bill is, because, as a coalition, we have always said we will be constructive where we can be. There are parts of this bill that we do agree with, but there are also parts that we don't. The bill reintroduces Labor's division 296 super tax in a revised form. This has followed—and I'll give you the context—sustained pressure from the coalition and from industry.”
“I rise to oppose the Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Bill 2026, because it strikes at something quite fundamental. It's about the trust Australians place in their retirement system. Superannuation is not spare change for the government to raid when budgets tighten. It is deferred income. It's the product of decades of hard work, of discipline and of sacrifice. Australians make decisions about their future based on the rules set by this parliament and the government of the day, and they are entitled to expect that those rules will not be rewritten whenever it becomes politically convenient. This bill undermines that trust, and once confidence in the system is shaken it is extraordinarily difficult to restore.”
“ASIO already has 18,000 individuals on its watchlist. Every additional high-risk returnee increases pressure on an already stretched agency. Labor should not hide behind NGOs or bureaucratic ambiguity. Transparency strengthens democracy, and secrecy erodes it. Australians deserve to know who is making these decisions and why. Serious questions do remain about process and accountability. When was this self-managed returns policy adopted? Was it approved by the National Security Committee of cabinet? Were ASIO's full powers explored? Were temporary exclusion orders considered for the entire cohort? These are questions that we need answers for from this government. These are legitimate questions about national security governance, and the Australian people that we represent deserve answers, not even more evasions.”
“We have said time and time again that we will work constructively on this. In fact, the coalition's keeping Australia safe bill closes current loopholes that allow third parties to repatriate terrorists. Our bill requires the express permission of both the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs before any assistance can be provided. Now, if ministers want these returns, they should sign their name to them. Our bill makes it an offence to assist the return of people associated with terrorist organisations without ministerial authorisation, because national security should never be outsourced to NGOs. These women chose to enter and remain in an ISIS declared area. Islamic State was not a social movement; it was a brutal terrorist regime. Security experts warn that radicalisation does not simply disappear.”
“It allows these parties to organise, without direct Commonwealth authorisation, the return of individuals who entered a terrorist declared area, joined a listed organisation or committed a terrorist offence. That is reckless. We must protect our way of life. Labor have an array of tools at their disposal to do this, yet they choose not to use them. The Australian Passports Act allows refusals on security grounds. Temporary exclusion orders also exist for precisely these circumstances, and the coalition has used these well in the past. Every lawful avenue should be pursued to delay or prevent return when national security is at risk. Labor say that they're powerless, but, if they truly oppose these returns, they could use existing powers robustly and work with us—with the coalition—to strengthen the law if necessary.”
“The Minister for Home Affairs says his hands are tied. Which is it? We know that the home affairs minister met with Save the Children before a previous cohort returned, and public servants were asked to leave the room. We know that a political supporter travelled to Syria carrying dozens of passports. No-one carries more than 30 passports into a conflict zone without significant coordination. And we now see footage emerge of the home affairs minister embracing that very individual leading third-party efforts to repatriate these terrorist sympathisers. Here lies the problem. These third parties are out there actively assisting in these individuals' repatriation to Australia, and the Prime Minister's doing absolutely nothing to stop them. Labor's policy of so-called 'self-managed returns' has created a very dangerous loophole.”
“The Prime Minister once said, 'My word is my bond.' But, on national security, Australians are seeing the opposite. Labor claims that it does not want ISIS brides—ISIS criminals, ISIS terrorists—and their children to return to Australia. Yet considerable assistance has clearly been given, including the issuing of passports. We're told that this government is not assisting, but federal and state agencies have reportedly been meeting for months to manage their return. Australians deserve clarity when it comes to national security, and they're not getting that clarity from this government. They deserve honesty, and they deserve to know whether terrorists are going to be moving in next door to their families. Labor could not be more divided on this. The PM said that they're not welcome. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has issued passports.”
“Without stability, Australian families across my electorate in McPherson, from Burleigh Heads to Currumbin to Coolangatta, will continue to pay the price for Labor's higher inflation, for higher interest rates and higher debt. It's time we reined in expenditure and put Australians and our future generations first.”
“That's why we call on the Treasurer to adopt clear, measurable budget rules, rules that restore discipline to the management of our nation's finances so that the people who come after us, our kids and future generations, are not burdened by the choices of today. We call on the Treasurer to adopt rules that ensure spending growth is sustainable, rules that anchor debt and rules that bring transparency and accountability back to the budget process. Without discipline there is no stability. Australians are really hurting at the moment. They're hurting when they're running their businesses, they're hurting when they're paying the cost of groceries and they're hurting when they're paying the cost associated with raising a family.”
“That's $72 million every day—$72 million that cannot go to hospitals, that cannot go to schools, that cannot go to essential services and that, at a time of increased threat, cannot go to Australia's defence. Instead, it goes to servicing the consequences of fiscal recklessness. Let me be clear: responsible government spending on essential services is necessary. Programs like the age pension, like Medicare and like aged care are vital, but spending must be targeted, efficient and effective. What we're seeing instead is spending driven by political convenience and short-term interest, piling up debt with no regard for the generations who will ultimately foot the bill.”
“Labor's taken a blowtorch to the fiscal guardrails that responsible governments of both persuasions have respected for decades. Treasury officials have confirmed that there are no quantifiable fiscal rules guiding Labor's budgets. What does that mean? It means no measurable spending cap, no debt anchor, no clear path back to balance, no speed limit and no seatbelt, just a foot on the accelerator. Since coming to office, Labor has added a $100 billion to the national debt. Debt is now on track to breach $1 trillion any day now and $1.2 trillion by the next election. Every single minute $50,000 of taxpayer money is burned just on paying interest on that debt.”
“It's Australian families, Australian individuals and Australian small businesses. Out-of-control spending is driving inflation, and higher inflation keeps interest rates higher than they otherwise would be. The average mortgage holder is now paying around $21,000 more per year in interest compared to under the previous government, and that burden could rise even further. This isn't abstract economics; this is real pressure on real household budgets. Let's look at where their money is going. Interest payments on Commonwealth debt alone are now one of the largest line items in the Commonwealth budget. That should alarm every member of this House. Under Labor, spending has blown out from 24 per cent of GDP to 27 per cent, the highest level outside a recession in nearly 40 years.”
“Today I rise to condemn this treasurer for refusing to take responsibility for the government's out-of-control spending—spending that's fuelling inflation and keeping interest rates higher for longer. In Senate estimates, we saw the finance minister proudly spruiking $114 billion in so-called savings, but when pressed it became clear that these were not savings at all. They were simply reallocations: money taken from one government program and shifted to another. That's not savings; that's reshuffling the deckchairs. At the same time, government spending is growing at four times the rate of the economy itself. That trajectory is simply not sustainable. In fact, the Treasurer's own budget papers show he's added $50 billion of new discretionary spending in this financial year alone. And who pays the price for this?”
“Migration must be better aligned with genuine workforce needs: aligned to our national interest. But this alone is not the answer. We must rebuild domestic pathways into skilled work. Recently I visited the Gold Coast Trades College in Currumbin, where educators spoke frankly about emerging trends that young tradespeople are seeing. Too many students are deterred from taking up trades not because of a lack of ability or interest but because the system makes it too hard. Apprenticeships can be expensive and overly complex, and sectors themselves are burdened by layers of regulation that discourage both students and employers. Young Australians want clear, achievable pathways into secure work.”
“I rise today to speak on Australia's need for skilled workers and this government's utter failure to deliver meaningful results. Skilled workers are needed in this country for many reasons. They support our local small businesses, facilitate major construction projects and touch every sector of our economy. In Labor's first term, Australia welcomed more than 1.2 million migrants. With numbers of that scale, there is no way we should be experiencing the chronic skill shortages that we are seeing right now across this nation. This points to a clear failure of this government to use our migration system in a manner that is strategic and effective in supporting our national interest. The desire to come to Australia, while admirable, should not be the sole qualification.”
“They knew that this was a serious betrayal and that it would carry serious consequences, yet they still chose to abandon our nation. These people left Australia to fight against our values and our way of life, and that is why we're introducing a bill to protect Australia. Our legislation would make it a criminal offence to facilitate the re-entry of individuals linked to terrorist organisations or who support terrorist causes. If you choose ISIS over Australia, you should not expect Australia to welcome you back. The door must be shut. I urge the government to support this bill in the national interest.”
“This isn't about attacking providers. Centre based care plays an important role, but it should be one option among many, not the default dictated by policy design. Government policy should, at its core, support parents. The first responsibility of any government is to keep Australians safe, and that means shutting the door on ISIS terrorists. Right now, a group of individuals linked to ISIS is seeking to return to Australia, yet this Prime Minister is not doing everything possible to stop them. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. Passports have been issued, visas have been granted, and the Commonwealth has been actively engaging with state governments about their return and resettlement. These are people who, against all government advice, chose to leave Australia to join an extremist terrorist movement.”
“Australian parents already patch together care in makeshift ways—time at home, help from grandparents, centre based care, flexible work arrangements. They make it work because they have to. But government funding and regulations remain built around a narrow one-size-fits-all model that doesn't always reflect the way that families actually live. Jen shared how young parents are doing everything they can to get ahead, yet they're being squeezed from every direction, juggling work, rising bills and childcare options that simply do not meet their needs. Through Childcare Choice Australia, she's calling for balance and genuine flexibility. Not only is a system that supports flexibility fairer for families; it streamlines access to care, strengthens workforce participation and reflects how care already happens in practice.”