Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the appropriation bills 2024-25. The Labor government's 2024-25 budget is a betrayal of regional Australia. Labor's budget has stripped away funding from nation-building infrastructure in regional Australia and failed to provide new money for regional programs, while refusing to fix its self-made cost-of-living crisis. Labor's decision to slash funding to restore Paradise Dam is a kick in the guts for not only the Bundaberg area but the agriculture industry as a whole.

I've been fighting for Paradise Dam to be restored for many years, and the Labor government's announcement is an enormous blow to our region. The Bundaberg area produces 25 per cent of Australia's fresh food produce, and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in agriculture have now been put at risk due to the Albanese government's inexcusable decision to slash funding to restore the dam. I recently directed a question to the Prime Minister in question time. To make matters worse, Prime Minister Albanese deflected and, when he was asked about the restoration of Paradise Dam, treated the issue as if it was a laughing matter. The Prime Minister handballed the question to Minister Plibersek, who could not answer it and could not provide certainty to agriculture industries in the Wide Bay area. I invite Prime Minister Albanese and Minister Plibersek to come to the Flynn electorate and meet with the growers and the communities set to be affected by Labor's decision to cut funding to restore this critical piece of water infrastructure. Why is the Labor government breaking another promise to regional Australia?

Under Labor, the aspiration of home ownership has become out of reach, and all migration records have been broken. Even finding somewhere to rent is near impossible in many regional areas. Amidst a housing crisis, Labor is bringing in a record 1.67 million immigrants over five years, but, on available data, it has only built 265,000 homes. While we celebrate the contribution of immigrants, our program needs to be well managed. Under the Prime Minister, the great Australian dream of home ownership has turned into a nightmare. His decisions have made the housing and rental crisis worse.

To alleviate pressure on the housing market, Peter Dutton, the opposition leader, and the coalition have announced a reduction in permanent migration from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years, and then 150,00 in year 3 and 160,000 in year 4; the return of the refugee and humanitarian program planning level to the long-term average, from 20,000 to 13,750; a reduction in the number of foreign students at metropolitan universities and an increase in the student visa fee, to be applied to foreign students who change providers; and the implementation of a two-year ban on foreign residents purchasing existing homes. By getting the migration setting right, the coalition will free up almost 40,000 additional homes in the first year and well over 100,000 homes in the next five years.

There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered about Labor's Future Made in Australia bill. This includes $13.7 billion in taxpayer funded subsidies for businesses, which doesn't address the source of Labor's cost-of-living and cost-of-doing-business crises. I'm a proud supporter of job creation in regional Australia, but I am of the firm belief that a successful industry should be able to stand on its own two feet. Eight billion dollars has been announced for hydrogen hubs across Australia, and I suspect Gladstone will be one of these sites, in my electorate of Flynn. The Gladstone Ports Corporation have publicly stated that a hydrogen industry at Gladstone will need 110 gigawatts of renewable energy to produce four million tonnes of hydrogen. This will require 10,000 wind turbines, 2½ thousand square kilometres of solar panels to be built and 45,000 megalitres of water each year. This requires over half the capacity of Rookwood Weir, near Rockhampton, to reach this target.

The things that I want to know are: how much money will be directed at the Gladstone renewable energy hub in respect of hydrogen? Where will all of these wind turbines go? Are they proposing to put them out in the Great Barrier Reef? Where will all the solar panels go—on prime agricultural land? Is this funding for hydrogen more money and subsidies for billionaires like Mr Forrest? Where will all the water come from for Gladstone's hydrogen industry? I say this as the Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline will provide 19,000 megalitres of water for industry at Gladstone. Even with the unlikely possibility of the hydrogen industry receiving the full allocation, where is the remaining 26,000 megalitres of water going to come from?

There has been speculation that large-scale desalination plants could fill the void. According to the Water Corporation, of Western Australia, seawater desalination is four times more energy intensive than groundwater collection and over 40 times more energy intensive than water sourced from dams. The math and the economics does not add up. So the economics tells us that the plan to use energy to convert seawater into freshwater and then use more energy to convert the water to hydrogen is a ridiculous notion.

Instead of addressing the causes of Labor's homegrown inflation, Labor is spending up to $315 billion—that's $30,000 of extra spending for every Australian household. Spending does not take pressure off inflation. In fact, it makes it worse, which will affect families across the Flynn electorate. Labor's focus should be on dealing with the high energy costs, high inflation and out-of-control red tape. Instead, Labor continually fails to address the fundamental realities facing most Australian businesses. The latest inflation data showed that under Labor prices across the board have risen close to 10 per cent and the increase is even greater for many essential items. Food is up 10 per cent, housing is up 12 per cent, gas is up 25 per cent and electricity is up 18 per cent. Australians are poorer under this Albanese Labor government.

There is a risk that this spending will keep inflation higher for longer. While we support any help for families and small businesses with high energy costs, this rebate is a bandaid on a bullet wound. It doesn't change the fact that Australians still won't see the $275 reduction in their energy bills that the Prime Minister promised before the election. In fact, many Australians would need to see a $1,000 cut in their bill just to get the $275 reduction. As the shadow Treasurer said, Labor waste seems to know no bounds. They spent $450 million on the failed referendum that has divided this nation, spent billions on corporate welfare, provided funding for anti-resource project activists, spent more than $85 million for spin units in the Treasurer's department, created 36,000 additional Commonwealth Public Service jobs and had $45 billion in off-budget spending, which we have opposed. When Labor runs out of money, they come after yours, and it is little wonder that personal income taxes are now 23 per cent higher than when Labor came to office.

The coalition have made it clear that we will unequivocally and unashamedly champion our mining and resource sector. We will stand up for our gas industry, recognising the crucial role it plays in meeting our national energy goals. We will support our farmers, including ending any bans on live animal exports. Indeed, we will not turn our backs on industries that make this great country tick, as Labor has done.

Regional telecommunications are critical for rural and regional Australia. I'm bewildered at the fact that the Labor government has abolished the Mobile Black Spot Program and provided no ongoing funding for other key regional communications infrastructure projects. Buried deep in the budget papers is the statement that funding for communications programs will fall, including 'the conclusion of the Mobile Black Spot Program'. The budget papers confirm that funding for the Mobile Black Spot Program ceases in 2026-27, with $0 allocated for 2027-28. Improving connectivity for people in the bush shouldn't be at the whim of the Albanese government's political strategy. The Minister for Communications needs to explain why she is abolishing the Mobile Black Spot Program while failing to provide long-term funding for other mobile connectivity programs that so many Australians rely on.

I'm pleased that the Labor government has heard my calls for change to the HECS debt system loud and clear. The changes will mean that if your student loan was indexed on 1 June 23 you will receive a credit on your Higher Education Loan Program or other student loan account. This was needed because a higher-than-usual CPI resulted in an indexation rate of 7.1 per cent when applied to student loans on 1 June 2023. The government is proposing a retrospective change to reduce the indexation rate from 1 June 2023 to 3.2 per cent. This means you'll automatically be credited the difference on your study loan account. This will be welcomed by students across the Flynn electorate and by over three million students with HECS debts across Australia.

One of the few positives that I've seen in the budget is the continuation of the $20,000 instant asset write-off until 30 June 2025. However, I would like to see the instant asset write-off increased to unlock investment and create more jobs, particularly in rural and regional Australia. I strongly welcome Peter Dutton's announcement that the future coalition will extend the value of the assets eligible for the instant asset write-off to $30,000 and make this ongoing for small businesses.

I also welcome the $11.6 million over two years from 2024-25 to continue support for men's sheds and existing national men's health research and data collection initiatives, in line with the National Men's Health Strategy 2020-2030. Men's sheds play a vital role in preventing social isolation and mental ill-health. They offer thousands of men of all ages a safe and friendly environment where they can work on meaningful projects while building strong social connections. So, I'm sure this funding will be well received.

I also agree with the following government initiatives: the $3.4 billion addition of life-changing and life-saving medicines to the PBS; $1 billion towards accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence; and $925 million for a leaving-violence program.

I want to reiterate Peter Dutton's plan to get Australia back on track. As Peter Dutton explains, first we will rein in inflationary spending to take the pressure off inflation. As a start, we will not spend $13.7 billion on corporate welfare for green hydrogen and critical minerals. Second, we will wind back Labor's intervention and remove regulatory roadblocks which are suffocating the economy and stopping businesses from getting ahead. We will condense approvals processes and cut back on Labor's red tape, which is killing mining jobs and entrepreneurialism.

Third, we will remove the complexity and hostility of Labor's industrial relations agenda, which is putting unreasonable burdens on businesses. For example, we will revert to the former coalition government's simple definition of 'casual worker' and create certainty for our 2.5 million small businesses. Fourth, we will provide lower, simpler, and fairer taxes for all, because Australians should keep more of what they earn. Fifth, we will deliver competition policy which gives consumers and small businesses a fair go, not lobbyists and big corporations. And sixth, we will ensure that Australians have more affordable and reliable energy. Our economic plan is made up of tried and tested principles, which will restore competitiveness and rebuild the economy with confidence.

Labor is pressing ahead with its new fresh food tax. It's called a biosecurity protection levy. The fresh food tax is a disorganised, shambolic and terrible idea that is not even likely to work. There are 84 agricultural commodities set to be taxed to raise around $150 million over three years. Food costs will continue to climb, because Labor is refusing to reinstate the Ag visa. Instead, it's introducing just $1 million in its budget for a skilled agricultural work liaison pilot to attract graduates to work in agriculture.

In conclusion, regional Australia has been betrayed in Labor's budget. Sadly, it is clear that Labor has no plan to fix the cost-of-living crisis for regional families, and they will feel the pain in their wallets. Under Labor, regional Australia is the poorer for being hit with higher taxes, higher mortgage payments and higher grocery and energy bills. This is an inflationary budget that has no incentive for productivity whatsoever.

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