Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After six years of the previous Labor government delivering budget deficit after budget deficit after budget deficit, one of the reasons why I wanted to become a member of parliament and ran for this seat was to help bring the Australian budget back to surplus. So yesterday's news from the Prime Minister and the Treasurer was great news for all Australians, particularly younger Australians and our children. The budget next year will bring us back to surplus for the first time since 2007, since the Howard government. It will mean our children won't have to pay more, pay higher taxes and be left with higher debt.

Today I've been taking part in the Girls Take Over Parliament program, which gives young Australian women the opportunity to raise their voices with parliamentarians here in Canberra. I asked Maddy Woodward and Arrsha Clemente why the surplus was important to young people. They said, 'We will be creating a sustainable future for young people across the country, opening doors for new opportunities, funding such important sectors as education and recreation.' How true is that? That relates well in my electorate, where every school is receiving a funding increase and where we're also funding the new Moreton Bay Regional University on the Sunshine Coast at Petrie. What a surplus will mean is lower taxes for people in the future, unlike Labor's plan of higher taxes and higher rent for young people.