Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today on what will most likely be the second-last Thursday of this parliament. I was first elected to represent the mighty electorate of Durack in 2013, and I can confidently say that this 47th parliament is the least effective that I have witnessed. As this parliament draws to a close, it is worth taking time to reflect on this term and whether this government has improved the lives of everyday Australians. As we get ready to go to the polls, the question that Australians will be asking themselves is this: 'Am I better off now than I was three years ago?' Sadly, for the vast majority of Australians, the answer will be no.

Under Labor's economic mismanagement, Australians are experiencing the longest sustained period of inflation since the 1980s. Under those opposite, interest rates have increased 12 times, energy bills have risen by $1,000, living standards have collapsed, 27,000 businesses have gone insolvent and we're also in a record-breaking household recession. In the last few weeks, we've seen Labor patting themselves on the back and rubbing their hands together for, hopefully, some good pre-election news, for the government is hoping for an interest rate cut when the RBA meets on 18 February. Let me tell you, Deputy Speaker: I want to see interest rates come down. People are hurting out there. Higher interest rates have been absolutely devastating, and they've meant that families with a typical mortgage have had to pay an additional $50,000 of interest since Labor came to government in May 2022. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that we will get a pre-election cut, as core inflation—the RBA's preferred measure—still sits outside the RBA's target band at 3.2 per cent.

While Labor's failure to deal with the rising cost of living is front of mind for most Australians, people in my part of the world, in regional Western Australia, are also deeply concerned by this government's attacks on farmers and failure to invest in the bush. The Prime Minister often credits Western Australia with his election in 2022. Why, then, did he insist on betraying Western Australia and our regional communities by banning the live sheep trade? This policy wasn't based on science or animal welfare concerns; instead, it was all about currying favour with inner-city voters on the east coast. The Prime Minister said that live exports were in decline and that this policy would boost domestic production. Well, how out of touch was the Prime Minister? Already we know that to be a furphy because, in the same week in January that the Tammin sheep abattoir closed—and it is going to be back in Durack at the next election—the Moroccan government announced they would begin to take our live sheep. Confidence has collapsed since this decision, and the domestic market is suffering as a result. Farmers are rushing to get out of sheep, and farming communities are hurting.

In terms of regional infrastructure: as I've pointed out to the House several times, this government is failing us. Those opposite ripped up the Building Better Regions Fund and replaced it with their Growing Regions program. Not one cent has been delivered from that program to fund projects in Durack. Two projects were announced but not a single cent has been delivered. Round 1 was a complete joke, marred by delays, and, incredibly, the minister—who happens to be sitting here in the chamber—underspent the pool by about $90 million. Honestly—there weren't enough projects that could have spent that $90 million? This meant that projects like the Newman Youth Centre in the Pilbara weren't supported in round 1. But incredibly, just months out from an election, it's now all of a sudden deemed worthy of funding. Why wasn't it funded in round 1? The minister is sitting here, so I ask her that. This was always a worthwhile project, and Labor should not have delayed its approval, because, as we in the bush know, this has inevitably led to cost blowouts.

Failing to manage the economy and failing to support our regions are typical features—

The minister has a lot to say at the moment about people listening here, but she has failed regional Western Australia—as have many of the ministers. Whether it's housing—

The minister continues to talk over the top of me, such is the disrespect of this government. We have seen underspending on a fantastic program which should be supporting regional areas. This government has failed Western Australia and Western Australians. They will remember that when we finally get to that election date.