Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Never before have we seen a federal government so beholden to vested interests as we do in this Albanese Labor government. A quick look at housing and children's safety online and we see it on full display. In just two years of government, Labor have driven the cost of building to astronomical highs. The coalition, when it was in government, saw a record-breaking 415,240 apprentices and trainees access skill training thanks to JobTrainer, wage subsidies and the Australian apprenticeship incentive system.

Thanks to HomeBuilder, we protected the building sector from the worst of COVID, with $2.52 billion driving the construction, or rebuild, of around 42,000 homes. And thanks to our Home Guarantee and First Home Super Saver schemes, young people, single mums and first home buyers had the chance to realise the great Australian dream for the very first time. Labor have now dismantled that progress. They've abolished the ABCC; they've stripped subcontractors of their independence and opened the door to union thuggery of the dark old days.

Now we see that, in Queensland and across the country, we are in desperate need of skilled workers to build the homes and infrastructure that we need, all while slashing the $160 million committed to the life-saving Mooloolah River Interchange project on the Sunshine Coast. This federal government talks the big talk about housing and yet just slashed $160 million from one of the most needy infrastructure projects on the Sunshine Coast, resulting in 130 homes being demolished for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It is a crime. Labor are beholden to the unions—they talk the big talk, but they never actually walk it.

Now Labor are beholden to big tech and big porn. We've called for age assurance in online pornography, but Labor said no, siding with the porn industry lobby. Today, we're calling for action to outlaw criminal post boasting. Will Labor side with big tech, or will they come to the table? And I'm reiterating my call for the most common-sense solution to our social media problems. I'm calling on this government to legislate for social media ID verification and age verification. Anonymity is costing lives and livelihoods. Let's peel back the covers and expose those who would do our most vulnerable harm. Let's make social media a safer place for Australian families, children and our communities.