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

On 21 May I was able to reflect on and mark two years since I was elected as the federal member for Flynn. Two years have consisted of countless meetings, countless kilometres and very good results for our region. It has been an absolute privilege to serve our community. My electorate office team, consisting of Nicole, Kellie, Leanne, Melanie, Cody, Natalie, Lane, Taylor, Margie and James, have been able to help thousands of constituents, whether through assistance with general enquiries or through helping residents who have fallen through the cracks of bureaucracy. We've had some wins and we've had some disappointments, but our commitment to serve the people of Flynn has not wavered.

We've held more than 100 mobile offices for residents in their communities to see me or my friendly team face-to-face. It has become very clear that Australian families and households and small businesses in particular are really doing it tough, and the people of Flynn are no exception. My team and I have called more than 20,000 people to check on them and see how they're coping with the cost-of-living crisis, and many of these stories have been heartbreaking. Over the last two years I've been able to ask constituents in the Flynn electorate: 'Are you better off today than you were two years ago? Do you feel safer and more secure than you did two years ago?' The Labor government has now had three budgets, but the decisions they have made have made it harder for those families and for communities.

Australians can't afford another three years of the Albanese Labor government. Peter Dutton, the opposition leader, has recently delivered the coalition's budget in reply. He has outlined part of his vision for Australia—to get our country back on track and to keep our nation safe and secure. He has outlined the following measures: to increase workforce participation by recommitting to doubling the work bonus for around 80,000 pensioners and veterans. The coalition will double the existing work bonus from $300 per fortnight to $600. Pensioners will continue to accrue unused pension work bonus amounts up to a maximum of $11,800, which can exempt future earnings from the pension income test. We will support small businesses by extending the value of assets eligible for instant asset write-off. This will mean the coalition will extend the value of assets eligible for the instant asset write-off to $30,000, and make this ongoing for small business. This will simplify depreciation for millions of small businesses by cutting red tape, boosting investment in productive assets and lowering business costs and prices.

We will deliver more affordable and reliable energy by ramping up domestic gas production. This includes defunding the Environmental Defenders Office, which is halting vital projects through lawfare. We will ensure gas is delivered to where it's needed by reinstating the national gas infrastructure plan, and will commit to an annual release of offshore acreage for exploration and development in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

We will incentivise junior doctors training in general practice, working with the Royal Australia College of General Practitioners in the Australian Medical Association. A coalition government will ensure $400 million to provide junior doctors who train in general practice with incentive payments, assistance with leave entitlements and support for pre-vocational training.

We will boost defence by reprioritising wasteful spending. The Labor government has announced an additional 36,000 public servants in its budget, costing Australian taxpayers $24 billion over four years. The coalition sees areas like defence as much more of a priority than office staff in Canberra, given the precarious times in which we live and the threats to our region. The coalition will prioritise Canberra-centric funding and make an additional investment in defence to rapidly enhance the capability of our men and women in uniform.

The coalition believes that by rebalancing the migration program and taking decisive action on the housing crisis, it would free up almost 40,000 additional homes in the first year and well over 100,000 homes in the next five years. Changes would include the implementation of a two-year ban on foreign investments and on temporary residents purchasing existing homes in Australia. We would reduce the permanent migration program by 25 per cent from 185,000 to 140,000. The program would then increase to 150,000 in year 3 and 160,000 in year 4.

I'd like to back Peter Dutton to be our next Prime Minister and get our country back on track at the next election.