Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

That's what he said. He promised everyone: 'You can vote for me. I'm not changing them.' Guess what? He has completely changed them, and he's reintroduced bracket creep. A whole new tax rate, 37 per cent, has been put back into what was legislated under the coalition. I think that in my own electorate there are about 10,000 people who will be impacted by that, who are going to be hit with an additional seven per cent as well as all the costs of living. The government goes on about wages going up. That's great. They've gone up a little bit—that's good. The problem is that inflation and the cost of living are way outstripping the amount by which wages have gone up. It means that families are 7½ per cent worse off than when Labor came to office. Over the last two years of the Albanese Labor government, family budgets have been absolutely smashed. The Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, is aware of that and the shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, is aware of that. Higher mortgage repayments and higher taxes under this government are bad for Australians. That's why the Liberals and Nationals will take to the election next year policies that will help Australians. The Prime Minister, once again, promised not to change taxes on unrealised capital gains in superannuation and on franking credits. He's also broken his word on that.

After three Labor budgets, the average person in the electorate of Petrie is worse off. There is nothing in this budget that restores what has been lost. Families are doing it tough. Small businesses are doing it tough. The latest inflation data shows that under the Albanese Labor government prices across the board have risen by close to 10 per cent. Food is up 10 per cent. Housing is up 12 per cent. Gas is up 25 per cent. Electricity is up 18 per cent. 'Remember this in May 2025'—that's what I'd say to the people of Petrie and people right around the country.

Deputy Speaker, those opposite have also funded in this budget some 'future made in Australia', but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered about this by the minister opposite. Where are the 100,000 jobs in manufacturing that have been lost since he came to office? Under the coalition government, under the shadow Treasurer, there were a million jobs in manufacturing during COVID. Now this guy gets up and says, 'Oh, there's 900,000 jobs in Australia.' In the last two years, 100,000 jobs in manufacturing have vanished, yet now the propaganda of those opposite is 'a future made in Australia'. We know that in this budget there's money for unions and money for a Treasurer's spin unit. And there's money for some sort of future made in Australia, when they've already lost 10 per cent of manufacturing jobs. With insolvencies at levels not seen in a decade, under the Albanese government people are doing it tough.

What we can agree on, of course, as the shadow Treasurer has outlined, is the $3.4 billion in life-saving medicines added to the PBS; a billion dollars towards accommodation for women and children fleeing DV—don't forget that the Morrison government delivered a lot in that space, 6,000 places; and $20,000 for the instant asset write-off, which should be extended to $30,000 and made permanent.

Let's just have a quick look in Petrie. There's nothing for Petrie—nothing, right? First of all, they got rid of the Stronger Communities grants, which were really important for all the local not-for-profit organisations in our electorates around Australia. The Albanese Labor government axed the lot—all gone for Stronger Communities. So $2,500 to $20,000 for local people—it might be for local sporting equipment or for solar, to help reduce their energy bills, on their roof. This program ran for years under the coalition government. If you want that back, the only way you're going to get that back is to vote Liberal and National in 2025. Under the leadership of Peter Dutton, that's what we need. There's nothing from this government for Stronger Communities. This provided some $150,000 for groups in Petrie every year—and it's been axed, I'm sad to say.

I've spoken with the Prime Minister, on last year's budget as well, about other funding required in Petrie, and, once again, it hasn't been given. The NRL Dolphins need a high-performance centre that will also benefit grassroots sporting organisations in Petrie, including Redcliffe High students. We wanted $15 million for a high-performance centre. That has not been funded—left out again. What will that cost to build later on, with inflation? It's going to go up even further. For the Tigers AFC, the Aussie Rules club, there was a fifty-fifty agreement with the Moreton Bay Council to fund female change rooms. The Prime Minister has not funded that for the people of Petrie either.

The Aspley Memorial Bowls Club needed a cover over their second green in Aspley. At the time, two years ago, it was $600,000. To build that now is going to cost $1.3 million. There's no money for that from the Albanese Labor government. The Redcliffe Leagues Softball Association needed $500,000 to upgrade a new clubhouse, which would have been done to help with regional competitions, with the Brisbane Olympics coming in 2032. To build that will now cost $1.3 million, and the Albanese Labor government has also left that out.

Peninsula Power Football Club, one of the best little football clubs in Australia, right in my electorate—they're not in the A-League but they're right behind it; in fact, they're probably the 17th best football club in Australia. There is nothing there for LED lighting. Once again, the Albanese Labor government has been found wanting when it comes to these clubs in Petrie.

To the Aspley Hornets: I was out there on the weekend watching their football club play well, and they absolutely smashed the competition. We wanted new female change rooms there. This weekend the Aspley Hornets women's team is playing, and I encourage you to get down there and watch them this weekend. The coalition, the Liberal National Party, committed at the last election $780,000 to help build new female sports clubs, and there's nothing in this budget from the Albanese Labor government, nothing from the Prime Minister—or his sports minister, by the way, who's in the neighbouring seat, the member for Lilley. What's she's doing to advocate for the local area? Absolutely diddly squat—that's what she's doing. The Aspley Hornets are missing out because the Albanese Labor government is not focusing on Queensland.

I don't know what the member for Moreton is getting over there, but Petrie did very well under the coalition government and under the Albanese Labor government—absolutely nothing.

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