David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. I had better speak a bit quicker then! In 2022 the Australian people decided to give the Albanese Labor government a chance. They trusted the promise made by Mr Albanese that life would be cheaper under his government. Well, how did that work out? We know food has gone up by 13 per cent, housing by 14 per cent, rent by 18 per cent, electricity by 32 per cent—excepting the one-off things that Labor has put in that they're calling 'cost-of-living support', which won't last for long—and gas by 34 per cent. In my home state of South Australia, we sometimes pay up to 45c per kilowatt hour, compared to places in the world where the cost is down around 13c per kilowatt hour. Experts around the world say that it will only get worse because of the policy direction of the Albanese government. When it comes to housing, the Albanese government promised 30,000 affordable homes. What have they delivered? Zero new homes have been built. As estimates highlighted, the few homes that have been delivered are actually repurposed existing housing stock, so that's another promise not delivered.

In contrast, the ACCC highlighted in December 2021, at the end of the coalition government's term, that there was an eight-year low in electricity prices under the coalition government and their policies. The coalition's policy going forward is in line with the OECD, the International Energy Agency and the expert economists and engineers of the world, who say that we can reduce the cost of power, increase the reliability of power and reduce emissions through including nuclear generation as part of our mix.

The Australian people also trusted the Albanese government on defence. They trusted Mr Albanese when he said in March 2022 that he vowed to provide Defence with the resources it needs to protect Australia. Well, how did that work out? The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, in their independent analysis, have highlighted that, despite the promises of funding in the future, in the actual three years of delivery of the Albanese government since they came to office in March 2022, funding in real terms has actually gone backwards by about $1½ billion. We see them robbing Peter to pay Paul across a whole range of projects, with some $83 billion worth of cuts across air, sea, land and space, which has decreased Australia's military capability.

In four or five weeks time, the Australian people will once again get to go to the polls and decide on who they wish to have govern this country. As one of my colleagues, Senator Scarr, said just previously, one of the key questions people should be asking themselves is: are you better off than you were three years ago? The answer for the majority of Australians is no, and that's because the government have been distracted for almost half of their term by things like the divisive Voice campaign, which cost half a billion dollars that could have been far better spent; they've been fixated on an ideological approach to energy that is flying in the face of global experts on energy policy; and, most disturbingly, they have been delinquent in their responsibility to properly resource what both sides of politics acknowledge is the first priority of government—the defence of the nation.

When you look at this budget, again, independent experts are saying that it is failing to respond to the real security threats that Australia is facing. The signature support that they're saying they'll give to Australian people is a cup of coffee a week in 18 months time. That's not helping families dealing with grocery bills, rent bills, housing stress and rent pressures today, nor is it investing in Australian industry, despite the promises of a future made in Australia. What the defence industry tell me on a frequent basis is that they see the funding going offshore to international primes, in the main, for capabilities that won't be delivered for another five to 10 years. Australian jobs are disappearing or being put at risk, and the future is not being made in Australia.

So, when Australians go to the polls in a few weeks time, they should ask themselves: are you better off than you were three years ago? Do you want a government that's distracted, delinquent and fixated on its ideology, or do you want a government that has a good track record and plans that align with international best practice in engineering and economics? Australia needs a Dutton government to get back on track.

Question agreed to.