Tom Venning
Grey · Liberal Party · Australia
“Residential burglaries, commercial property theft and daylight shoplifting have left citizens and business owners feeling completely helpless as crime targets every sector of this great regional community. Police statistics show the town is in the midst of a spate of burglaries, with 34 incidents recorded in the first half of June alone.”
“For the Port Augusta community, the most difficult part of this crime wave is what they view as a revolving door bail system for serious juvenile offenders and a lack of quality youth diversion programs in the region. Police can only do so much.”
“Mr Kean was personally chosen by the Prime Minister to lead the Climate Change Authority. It has now been revealed that he spent over $32,000 on one single trip to Brazil last year for an international climate conference.”
“Imagine sitting around the dining table with your family and telling them, 'We're going to spend more money than we receive every year for the next 10 years.' You wouldn't. In fact, you can't, yet that's exactly what this Labor government and this Treasurer are doing. To pay for this, they deploy toxic taxes, assaulting aspiration.”
“Labor cannot manage money, so they continue to come after yours. The average Australian's paying 39 per cent more tax under this government. Since Labor was elected, Australia suffered the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world.”
“It's lifting prices, inflating government charges and pushing hardworking Australians into paying more tax. While Labor profits from this inflation, their tax cuts do not keep up. At 70c a day, they won't even buy a cup of coffee a week.”
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“Labor does not have a revenue problem; Labor has a spending problem. The primary problem confronting our country right now is structural spending growth that is vastly outpacing sustainable economic growth. When governments spend beyond their means, when they refuse to make the tough decisions, they inevitably reach into the pockets of taxpayers and find new taxes to fill the gap. This is precisely what we are witnessing. Rather than confronting waste, rather than prioritising programs and rather than restoring a shred of discipline, Labor has chosen to hunt for new pools of capital to tax. Trust is fundamental in tax reform. Australians accept reform when it's principled, predictable and based on broad consultation.”
“It distorts the effective tax, changes your income flows, and if it was on superannuation generally, there would be a revolution about it. It would destroy super. Even the so-called father of the superannuation system, former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, who I know our Treasurer is so fond of, has explicitly said workers will be caught up in this net. Industry analysis has demolished the government's claims, revealing that the idea that this would hit only a small number of Australians was a furphy. It was going to hit 1.8 million Australians. They are looking at small businesses particularly closely because so many Australians who put everything on the line to run a small business hold their assets in superannuation. This brings us to the root and branch of the issue.”
“Rather, inflation and high interest rates have beaten this Treasurer and this government. You don't have to just take the coalition's word for it. Just look at what Labor's own stalwarts are saying. Sally McManus, Bill Kelty and Paul Keating all came out to say the family savings tax is a bad idea. It is a bad idea. Labor told the public that this tax would target only the few, but even Labor's mates called out their fibs. The Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, warned the government, stating: I do think it's got to be indexed because you've got to make sure eventually people don't end up there. Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty was even more scathing. He said: I think taxing unrealised capital gains is bad policy.”
“When it comes to retirement savings and nest eggs built over decades of blood, sweat, tears and hard work, the bar for legitimacy must be higher. Labor failed to clear that bar. We have a government that cannot be trusted. We were promised by Labor, and specifically by this treasurer, that they had beaten inflation and high interest rates. We were told by this prime minister that they were going to make life easier for families. Yet what is the reality? Families have less flexibility, less choice and less to pay the bills with. Life has become immeasurably harder for hardworking Australians. They are struggling to pay the mortgage, to pay the grocery bills, to pay the exorbitant energy bills and just to make ends meet. The fact of the matter is that inflation and high interest rates have not been beaten by this Treasurer.”
“At the last election Australians were not presented with a policy to tax unrealised gains in their superannuation. They were not told that longstanding superannuation settings—settings that Australians have planned their entire lives around—would be fundamentally altered. They were not warned that indexation would be stripped away. Promises matter in a democracy. Major structural tax changes should be put clearly, honestly and transparently to the Australian people before an election. Instead, this proposal appeared out of nowhere with limited consultation, shrouded in secrecy and forced onto a rushed legislative timetable. That is why this debate has resonated so strongly in our suburbs and in our regions. Australians instinctively understand when something has been slipped in without their consent.”
“Over time, more Australians would have been captured by this tax, not because they were wealthier in real terms or because their standard of living had improved, but simply because inflation, the silent thief in the night, had eroded the value of their threshold. That is bracket creep by design. It is a deeply flawed policy. If it wasn't flawed policy, then it was a sneaky, deliberate trick to take more of Australians' hard-earned savings. The government's humiliating backdown demonstrates one thing clearly—this was never settled policy grounded in principle; it was a blatant revenue grab that was exposed, and it collapsed under scrutiny. The fundamental issue here is trust, and the sad reality is that Labor and the Greens simply cannot be trusted.”
“Imagine a farmer or a small-business owner being handed a massive tax bill for an asset that they haven't sold, using money that they do not have, simply because the paper value of their property or their business went up. It is economic vandalism. It would have bankrupted so many businesses, including so many farmers and small businesses in my electorate of Grey, who have had the driest season in history, particularly 2025. Equally concerning was the government's stubborn refusal to index the $3 million threshold. We are living in a severe inflationary environment—an environment being made materially worse by this treasurer and his utter willingness to pour debt petrol on the inflation fire. In that context, failing to index thresholds is nothing less than a silent tax hike.”
“When a flagship economic policy crumbles so spectacularly under the first signs of public examination it speaks volumes about the dysfunction at the very top. Let's look at the original design of this policy. To tax unrealised gains represents a fundamental break with the longstanding bedrock principles of the Australian taxation system. Australians are fair minded people. They've always understood and accepted that tax is paid when income is realised, when a gain is crystallised and when cash is in your hand. To propose taxing paper gains, particularly in volatile asset classes where values can fluctuate wildly from one month to the next, was not some 'minor tweak' as the government tried to spin it. It was structural. It was a structural shift that would have set a deeply dangerous precedent across the entire tax base.”
“Let the records show that the Liberal and National parties and community pressure have forced Labor to abandon their disastrous taxation on unrealised gains and their insidious indexation freeze. They did not backtrack out of sudden benevolence or a renewed understanding of economics. They backtracked because they got caught. This was never a proposal just aimed at hurting retirees, though it certainly would have done that. This was a proposal aimed at hurting future generations. It was a calculated attempt to steal the future of younger Australians away from them, banking on the hope that they would not have the knowledge or understanding to see what is happening to their retirement nest eggs. Through our scrutiny, we also expressed a clear, undeniable breakdown in the relationship between the Prime Minister and his Treasurer.”
“I rise today to speak on a matter that cuts to the very core of this government's character, its competence and its fundamental lack of respect for the hardworking people of Australia. What we are witnessing in this chamber, and what the Australian public is watching unfold with increasing alarm, is a government that has been completely found out. This is a government in full retreat, scrambling backwards under the sheer weight of its own flawed ideology. Thanks to the sustained, unrelenting scrutiny from the coalition, from the superannuation sector, from small-business owners and, most importantly, from everyday Australians, we have forced Labor to step back from the most outrageous, destructive elements of the proposed family savings tax.”
“In South Australia, only seven per cent of land is considered productive, and unfortunately we are turning that into developments. Volunteer grants are open. Please apply to my office today. We have grants available of $1,000 to $5,000 for community groups in the electorate of Grey. Small communities run on volunteerism. In Bute—as I said in my maiden speech—a township of only 250 people, 34 individuals run the Lions Club. As we know, without volunteers, our communities wouldn't run, whether it is running the school bus, running the canteen, helping the footy club, helping the netball club or, indeed, driving the elderly around to get to their appointments at the nearby hospital or in Adelaide. So please reach out to my office. Volunteer grants are open.”
“I've had suicidal farmers come to me because of what's happening to their land in this part of South Australia. Why is it that we are building homes on prime agricultural land? If you understand where Adelaide sits in the state of South Australia, there is plenty of unproductive land right near the city. So why are we building homes on productive farming land? Let's have the Gold Coast of South Australia between St Kilda and Port Wakefield. This is unproductive land. We should be developing houses here, not on prime agricultural land. The same goes with renewable energy zones. Again, we could be building solar panels and wind turbines where we do not have productive farming land. Instead, the Labor state government continually is putting pressure on farming.”
“South Australia is a big state, and the electorate of Grey is a very big electorate. It is 910,000 square kilometres, representing an area bigger than New South Wales, and, in that, there is some productive farming land and there is some unproductive farming land. It would make sense for us to preserve our productive farmland. Well, no; the opposite is, indeed, happening. Periurban Adelaide is pushing into the electorate of Grey, and the state government has changed their rules around what is considered agricultural land. The township of Roseworthy once was a small farming community; now it is destined to have around 60,000 to 80,000 people as Adelaide expands. This is prime agricultural land, and it will be for generations and generations to come.”
“You must remain in the conversation. I will stand with the people of Yorke Peninsula, the people of the Eyre Peninsula and the people of the Spencer Gulf until the waters are clear again and marine life returns.”
“As the algal bloom tracks north-west towards Wallaroo, where I live, it leaves devastation in its wake. Locals are expressing deep sadness and feeling powerless. I've been following the tireless work of citizen scientist Lochie Cameron at Corny Point, the relentless efforts of the team at Great Southern Reef and diver Stefan Andrews, who has described the grief and frustration of seeing waters turn toxic. While I acknowledge the state's recent grants, financial bandaids do not solve the ongoing trauma. The algae is moving, not vanishing. As the member for Grey, I am staying close to this issue and holding the line for my constituents. I call on this House: do not stick your head in the sand. Come and witness what is going on. This is not over. Just because the bloom left metropolitan beaches doesn't mean you can walk away.”
“This heartbreaking loss underscores the unpredictable danger of these conditions. The message from emergency services is very clear: never ride, drive or walk through floodwaters. Please obey the road closures. To those impacted: we stand with you. As always, for emergencies, please call triple zero or the SES on 132500, but, for non-emergency assistance or help navigating federal and state support, please reach out to my electorate office on 1300301742. We are here to help you through this. While relief spreads across metropolitan Adelaide that the algal bloom has, in the words of the Premier, 'virtually disappeared' from city beaches, I remind this House that for the people in the Yorke Peninsula and the Eyre Peninsula the nightmare is far from over. In fact, the nightmare has just begun in the Spencer Gulf, and I've seen it firsthand.”
“Over the weekend, torrential rains led to devastating flooding across regional and remote South Australia. The highest official falls over the three days included 175 millimetres in Yunta, 150 millimetres in Minnipa, 147 millimetres in Arcoona Bluff, 111 millimetres in Ceduna and 108 millimetres in Wudinna. Yunta received more rain in just two days than it did in all of last year. Braemar Station recorded over 200 millimetres, and remote communities like Oodnadatta were cut off. Meanwhile, constituents like Tony Williams from Mount Barry Station reported major road damage, with conditions too perilous for even the most experienced four-wheel drive drivers. This is welcome rain, but it has had some devastating and heartbreaking consequences. I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darran Hyman of Kadina.”
“Think of Lisa Martin, who runs the Minlaton Bakery—she lost $5,000 in a single day not just in trade but because of dumped stock—or Terri Thiel in Edithburgh, who lost her home to a power network fault fire in 2019 and now has to watch the lights flicker again. These small businesses are customers too. They pay their bills. They suffer the loss of food, loss of stock and the threat of fire from flashovers. The SA Power Networks taskforce says it may take several years to fix these hotspots. I ask the minister: If Harvey Norman sold a consumer a fridge that only worked half the time and spoilt their food, would you protect them? Would they get a refund? While this isn't—well, that'll do, Deputy Speaker. I'm not going to get the next sentence in. Thanks.”
“Intermittent renewables cannot be compared with base-load energy supply. My constituents are paying premium prices for a Third World service. We are seeing constant outages caused by insulator pollution—dust and salt build-up on the lines—because of a lack of maintenance. Last month I was in Minlaton to hear concerns of Yorke Peninsula locals. I can tell you the emotions were high. People are fed up. They are tired of paying for something that keeps on failing them. While some of these are state and supplier issues, the federal government needs to look at strengthening the consumer protections for power outages.”
“In the Yorke Peninsula and the mid-north, we aren't just worried about unfair trading practices; we are worried about the lights staying on. Early this year, the wholesale electricity price in SA spiked to over $20,000 per megawatt hour. That is the highest spot price ever recorded. Last week I was with Senator Kerrynne Liddle at the SIMEC mining operations near Whyalla. This is where the hematite and magnetite is coming from to feed the steelworks. At full noise, this mine consumes 50 megawatt hours. At over $20,000 per hour, that is a million dollars an hour, removing any chance they have of making any money that month. So SIMEC employs engineers to predict the weather, hence they shut down the operations when there is no wind and no solar in the grid. That is the reality of a wind-and-solar-only grid.”
“In Tarcowie this isn't just an inconvenience; it's a threat to life. In 2004, three residents died while alone. In those instances, limited reception was a major concern for emergency response. This doesn't sound like consumer protection. If a supermarket drip-feeds a $2 fee or Netflix increases their cost, this government pounces. But, when a telco takes money from a farmer and leaves them unable to make calls to an ambulance, the government looks the other way and has nothing to say. This brings me to the second half of this crisis: the total failure of our regional power grid. While the state and federal governments obsess over a reckless push towards net zero, the basics of grid stability in South Australia have been left to rot.”
“While the government pats itself on the back for protecting the suburban shopper, it is presiding over a systematic failure of consumer protections for regional Australians who are paying for services they simply do not receive. Let's talk about telecommunications. Labor talk about 'strengthening' consumer guarantees, yet they have overseen the most botched consumer transition in our history: the 3G shutdown. The minister promised equivalent coverage. I invite the minister to come to Weetulta or come to Tarcowie and tell them that the silence on their phones is equivalent. The 4G rollout wasn't finished before the 3G plug was pulled. Families are forking out thousands for Starlink or expensive boosters just to get the basic signal they used to have for free. Where is the consumer protection for them?”
“I rise today to address the consumer protection measures laid out by the government. At the outset, I want to acknowledge that much of what is contained in this agenda is, frankly, the right thing to do. Whether it's banning unfair trading practices, ending the cynical trap of dodgy subscriptions or finally cracking down on the sneaky practice of shrinkflation, these are commonsense wins. Common sense is not something you typically associate with Labor, the Greens and the teals. However, it is one thing to tinker with the fine print in a comfortable Canberra office; it is quite another to provide regional customers with anything like the same level of protections as those in the cities.”
“I'll tell you what I would cut—the $15 billion of corrupt money given to the construction sector and CFMEU rorts, or the 10 per cent of identified corruption in the $50 billion a year we spend on the NDIS. As Liberals we stand for lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower taxes and lower spending. We must cut red tape to help businesses grow. As such, we have called on Labor to form a joint taskforce on spending restraint. If the Prime Minister is serious about our economy, he will back this proposal. We are running out of time and we must stop inflating the economy before it bursts.”
“The average Australian with a mortgage is now paying around $21,000 a year more in interest than they were under the previous coalition government. After nearly four years of Labor, everyday Australians are paying more for absolutely everything: energy, 40 per cent; food, 16 per cent; rent, 22 per cent; insurance, 39 per cent. Labor claimed they would fix child care, yet out-of-pocket costs are up 11 per cent. Energy—the net zero ideology is failing. With temporary energy expiring, the truth is out. Electricity prices have jumped 32 per cent this year alone, and now, suddenly, Labor is whispering about spending cuts. Do we really trust Labor to cut spending after years of zero restraint? I certainly do not.”
“Government spending per person has grown by 32 per cent since 2007, double the rate of tax growth. Australia's best and longest serving treasurer is worth listening to, Dr Jim Chalmers, and you should take some notes. This never-ending cost-of-living crisis is homegrown. Domestic inflation is running hot at 4.9 per cent, and, because of this, our living standards have plummeted. In fact, under Labor, Australia has suffered the biggest fall in household disposable income in the entire developed world. For the first time in Australian history, Aussie kids will be worse off than their parents. That should be a national shame. Our inflation is now worse than any major advanced economy—higher than the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and Japan. When inflation stays high, interest rates stay high.”
“Costello contends that, while Australia was in a strong debt-free position two decades ago, the nation's sovereign economic capital has since been severely run down—a wasted 20 years. From its position of zero net debt 20 years ago, the Australian government has come to carry a net debt of nearly $20,000 per citizen. But the better way to think of that—because not all people pay taxes—is this: if you combine the net debt of the South Australian state Labor government and the federal Labor government, over the South Australian workforce that's over $100,000 per worker. That debt will be paid off by their children and their grandchildren. Since 2007, tax per person has risen by approximately $16,000 in constant dollars. Yet the government continues to signal that further tax increases may be necessary.”
“The Treasurer's own budget papers show that he has added $50 billion in new discretionary spending in this financial year alone. Government spending is at its highest level outside of a recession in nearly 40 years. Because of all this hot air, Labor's debt is racing towards a staggering $1 trillion. That's $1,000 billion. Just to pay the interest on that debt, Australians are shelling out $50,000 every single minute. That is money that adds demand and keeps pressure on prices. Last week, an article written by the greatest Australian treasurer, Peter Costello, stated that the long-term fiscal focus established by the 1998 Charter of Budget Honesty, which was designed to protect future generations from unsustainable policy, is now gone.”
“There is a crisis that everyday Australians are feeling right now. There's a crisis happening at the supermarket check-out, at the petrol pump and at the kitchen table, where the monthly bills stack up. To understand what Labor are doing to our economy, think of it as a balloon. Every time the government announce a new program, every time they borrow more money and every time they refuse to rein in their budget, Dr Jim Chalmers is blowing more hot air into this economic balloon. But here is the reality: if you keep pumping air into a balloon, eventually it pops. When this balloon finally bursts, it is not just going to blow up in Labor's face; it is going to hurt everyday Australians who are already stretched to their absolute limits. Labor's reckless spending is out of control.”
“Labor has abandoned these people, withdrawing upgrade programs and watching passively as existing operations nosedive and new players falter. If we do not drastically change course, regional Australia will be permanently grounded. They deserve a government that builds bridges and connectivity, not one that manages terminal decline.”
“Instead of endless reviews, we need practical, immediate reform. Take Whyalla as a prime example. Why does an airport receiving just two flights a day require eight staff for security screening? That mandate slaps a ridiculous $60 onto every single ticket. If we shared that cost across the entire national aviation network, regional ticket prices would drop instantly. This is being called for by the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association and its chair, my friend, Dean Johnson. Aviation is not a luxury in regional Australia; it is used for essential infrastructure. It is the only viable link for the workers in Anna Creek Station, the Indigenous communities in the APY Lands and the students studying in Port Lincoln.”
“The government has gambled over $160 million of taxpayer money to keep Rex breathing, yet they cannot guarantee that the smaller routes will not be slashed. Australians know what happens next. High-yield routes will be cherrypicked, and the rest will be forgotten, left on the runway. With the exception of the member for Leichhardt, find me one Labor, Greens or teal parliamentarian who needs to take a Rex flight regularly for work. None. And, because of Labor's mismanagement, we are now facing an unprecedented chokehold on our skies. The Qantas Group and Virgin Australia control an astonishing 98.3 per cent of the market. What is this government's fierce response to this suffocating duopoly? A productivity review. The regions do not need an 18-month academic exercise to tell them they are being gouged.”
“EY walked away with $25 million in fees. Meanwhile, the ratepayers in the cities of Albany and the Shire of Esperance are left staring at nearly $1 million in unrecovered debt. Labor is forcing local councils and regional ratepayers to subsidise aviation failures, and it is because Labor and the Greens only care about cities. It's as simple as that. We're looking at the restructured and flimsy entity burdened with $168 million in debt with no timeline for it to be repaid. Labor's Minister King herself said, 'There is no timeframe.' So we are expected to believe that Air T, a company that recently reported adjusted earnings of US$6.7 million, is going to finance debt of $168 million while expanding an ageing fleet from 30 to 44 aircraft. I'd like to hope so, but it just does not stack up.”
“They know this because my councils, except for Olympic Dam, run every airport in regional South Australia—and nearly all run at a loss. Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Whyalla, Port Augusta and Coober Pedy are run by the council, and all lose money. Something is clearly not right. Under this government's watch, the regional aviation sector has become a graveyard. First, Bonza collapsed, leaving a trail of stranded passengers and repossessed aircraft. Then came the agonising, slow-motion administration of Rex, a historic lifeline for bush communities in Ceduna to Coober Pedy and Whyalla to Port Lincoln. The government champions the AAT acquisition as a victory, but a closer inspection reveals that this so-called rescue could easily become a flight of fancy. Unfortunately, the true winners of this scenario are the administrators.”
“Imagine living in a capital city and waking up to find the train lines dismantled, the buses sold off and the major highway gates shut. That would be a national outrage. Yet this is exactly the kind of isolation being inflicted upon regional Australians by this government, which is flying blind when it comes to regional aviation routes. Clearly it costs more to run regional routes versus city routes—and that cost difference is 152 per cent and rising. Regional communities and regional councils like Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy and Roxby Downs know how important regional airlines are not only to see a specialist doctor in Adelaide but also to bring a specialist from Adelaide to their local clinics and their hospitals.”
“We are losing that ability to innovate and think for ourselves in this nation, even in our regional communities. Look at all the small tool shops and the small tackle shops getting overrun by centralised corporates coming out of our cities and taking our regional jobs and innovation. We stand for lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower taxes and taking the handcuffs off Australian enterprise. In closing, small business is the backbone of Australia, and particularly regional Australia. If we support small businesses and family businesses, our society will prosper and grow once again. Right now, inflation is killing us. There is no real growth in our economy, particularly in our regional economies, and we need to focus on small business.”
“These are predominantly small family owner-operators who have poured generations of sweat into their vines, and right now they are drowning. They are drowning under immense commercial pressure. They are drowning under systematic regulatory failure, and they are drowning under the crushing weight of rising costs—pardon the pun! Where is this government support? It is completely absent. Labor has abandoned small and family business. They have ignored desperate calls for red tape relief. They've ignored the plea for simple regulation. They have failed entirely to provide a clear pathway to grow and employ Australians. The opposition stands firmly with small and family businesses, the farmers of which I am one, the fishers, the viticulturists who back themselves.”
“We need to bring back technical skills to our regional TAFE centres to keep feeding in to our small businesses. Why is it that Labor does not care about small business? It's very clear: you cannot unionise small business. That is why small business is under siege and will always be under siege by this Labor Party. The Labor Party is run by unions and union bosses. You will not find that in small business. Whether you're a farmer, a publican, a fencing contractor, a fisherman, a truckie or any of the other small business owners and workers that live in the electorate of Grey, you are absolutely struggling. Whether it is increased inflation and goods or the lack of skills, we are all under pressure. Earlier this year I wrote directly to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry about the absolute crisis facing our wineries.”
“by leave—Small business is under siege. There's no doubting that. I like to think of a society like a home. To build a society, you need foundations, and unfortunately those foundations are not sound in regional Australia right now, where our small businesses are absolutely under siege. Those foundations are access to health services, access to housing, access to child care and, importantly, access to the skills and training which feed small businesses. This government talks about free TAFE. Well, come out to regional South Australia and look at what's happened to TAFE out there. You can get your boat licence at Coober Pedy, but you can't do anything in that local TAFE towards the local industry. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is all spin.”
“Small and family businesses are also suffering from a lack of commonsense support in the way of critical infrastructure. On the Eyre Peninsula, we are home to the Southern Hemisphere's largest fishing fleet and some of Australia's most fertile land, yet business owners still cannot access accurate weather forecasts via Doppler. That is why I've established a petition—and everyone should sign it—to get Doppler radar on the EP.”
“In the broadacre cropping industry, the final regulatory decision from the APVMA on paraquat and diquat will be handed down in mid-2026, but there is no plan to assist farmers with this transition. If no viable and affordable replacement is available at scale, the impact on farmers will be significant. There needs to be support for growers for the transition away from these chemicals, including support for the inevitable increased costs, yield reductions and additional labour requirements. Not only are farmers competing against government subsidised sectors overseas and fighting the elements but they are also now fighting against their own government just to stay viable. The sheer volume of compliance regulation is punishing the very entrepreneurship we need to feed this country and grow agricultural exports.”
“For the shops, the cafes, the local workforce and the family enterprises, these power bills are a death knell. Insolvencies have exploded since this government took office. Confidence is crushed. Instead of throwing a lifeline, what does this government do? It reaches for the handcuffs. That is exactly what this government is doing to small and family businesses. They are slapping handcuffs on our economic backbone. Through their draconian industrial relations changes, they've replaced flexibility and fairness with confusion and compliance. Our small and family businesses are being forced to work longer hours for less, bogged down by ever-increasing layers of red tape, and nowhere is this red tape felt more tightly than in our regional family businesses.”
“Now that temporary rebates have expired, the truth is laid bare. Electricity prices have surged 37 per cent in the past year alone. Last week, I had the privilege to be at a SIMEC mine south of Whyalla. That's the hematite and magnetite mine that feeds Whyalla and the export port. They have a 50-megawatt line servicing that mine, and only a few weeks ago the price in South Australia––the wholesale price, which the energy minister likes to talk about all the time––reached over $20,000 a megawatt hour. That is $1 million an hour just to run that business. They employ people to monitor the weather patterns. In South Australia we're at 82 per cent renewables, and the price fluctuates so much. Prices go from negative $200 to, in this case, plus $20,000. This is the reality of Labor's energy systems.”
“And if you're in South Australia, where I'm from, we're only second to Victoria, both with big Labor spending governments. If you live in South Australia and you combine the state Labor government debt and the federal Labor government debt, it has now reached over $100,000 per worker and rising. Governments don't pay down your debt. Taxpayers do, your children do, and your grandchildren will. This is money that is adding demand to the economy and keeping relentless pressure on prices. After nearly four years of Labor, the numbers are terrifying. Insurance is up 39 per cent, rent is up 22 per cent, and food is up 16 per cent. But perhaps the most devastating blow to our small and family businesses is energy. Labor have spent years papering over the crisis they unleashed on our energy system.”
“The small and family businesses of Australia are quite literally under siege. We must start by looking at the harsh economic reality that this Labor-Greens government has engineered. Headline inflation hit 3.8 per cent in January, but domestic inflation—the pain generated right here at home—is running even hotter at 4.9 per cent. Make no mistake; this is not just a cost-of-living crisis. This is a cost-of-government crisis, a cost-of-doing-business crisis, with inflation higher here than any other major economy. Government spending is now at its highest levels outside of a recession in 40 years, and Labor's debt is racing towards a staggering $1 trillion. Every single minute, the Australian government is paying around $50,000 just to service this debt.”
“We could have built more than three Doppler radars for the cost of these upgrades, and that is why I've launched a public petition demanding the federal government deliver a Doppler radar for the people and industry of the Lower Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association are calling for this, and the Eyre and Far North RDAs are calling for this. My state colleague Sam Telfer and the SA Liberals have committed to put $5 million towards this project if they win at the next election, in March, but they cannot do it alone. I'm urging the Lower Eyre Peninsula community to sign this petition. Let's take the fight and force the federal government to step up, bridge the gap and deliver the critical weather data that the region deserves.”
“The Eyre Peninsula is an economic powerhouse. With a gross domestic product of over $5 billion, a world-class farming sector and the Southern hemisphere's largest fishing fleet, the Lower EP doesn't just power South Australia; it powers the nation, yet it is the only region in Australia with a comparable economic output that lacks Doppler radar coverage. Minister Watt's office has advised me, in response to my question on Doppler radar, that the Bureau of Meteorology has no capacity to expand the network. In political speak 'no capacity' means no cash. Frankly, that excuse is insulting when put alongside the $96.5 million the BOM spent on a new website—a website that failed again on the weekend, during floods in South Australia.”
“If anyone helps bring people back who are linked to terror without clear, direct ministerial approval, they will face up to 10 years in prison. If Labor ministers want these returns, they should step up and sign their names publicly. No more hiding behind bureaucratic excuses or outside groups—Australians deserve absolute clarity. They deserve total transparency and, most importantly, they deserve a government that refuses to compromise and that will always put Australia's security first.”
“Growing up, I took safety for granted. We all did. But the fact is that, today, Australia just isn't as safe as it used to be. With the Middle East situation rapidly escalating, tough border policies are more important now than ever. We must protect our way of life. But look at Labor and the Greens. We only see national security contradictions. They say ISIS brides aren't welcome, then they quietly issue passports. They pretend their hands are tied while letting NGOs arrange secret returns for people who joined a terrorist regime. Radicalisation doesn't just vanish. ASIO currently manages 18,000 individuals on a stretched watchlist. Adding high-risk returnees is just completely reckless. We cannot compromise or make exemptions when it comes to national safety. This is exactly why the coalition created the 'keeping Australia safe' bill.”
“We boosted staffing at DVA to speed up claims and we even added a question in the census to track the number of veterans in Australia, so we finally know where our veterans are and what they need. That is a record to be proud of. It is a record of action, not just words. The coalition stands with our veterans. We stand with their families. We will continue to fight for a system that is transparent, fair and respectful of the service and sacrifice of every Australian who has worn that uniform.”