Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This government promised higher wages, but what did we get? It was the biggest income decline in the developed world. That's what we got. It was the largest fall in living standards in any advanced economy over the past year. This government promised it would fix the housing crisis. What did we get? It was record immigration numbers. More and more people are coming into this country, and we can't even put a roof over the heads of the people that are already here. That's what they've done. This government promised a royal commission? What did we get? Where's the royal commission into the pandemic response? We got a whitewashed COVID inquiry with no teeth, designed to cover up the failings of this political class, who wouldn't even support my inquiry into excess mortality.

This government promised no new taxes on your hard-earned super. What did we get? We got a doubling of the concessional tax rate on some superannuation accounts and the taxing of unrealised gains. This government promised us that they would bring the country together and bring Australians together. What did we get? We got a socially divisive referendum that attempted to divide us by race. That cost hundreds of millions of dollars. That's what we got. This government promised a kinder, gentler, more respectful tone. What did we get? We got Labor ministers defaming the Leader of the Opposition as a paedophile protector. That's what we got. We got a Prime Minister who dismisses those with questions as nothing but chicken littles. That's what we got.

I'm almost out of time. I haven't even touched on the energy crisis, the infrastructure crisis, the multiple foreign affairs bungles, the hopeless state of our Defence Force, the epic unsustainability of the NDIS, the war on small business, our woke educational system or the legislated theft of wages from casual employees. What is this Labor government? It is a ship without a rudder at sea in one of the most turbulent times in modern history. To be blunt, this government is a disaster. That's what it is. I and many other Australians have no confidence in this government's ability to do anything apart from make it worse.