Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

This budget is un-Australian. It treats aspiration like a problem to be managed, not a value to be rewarded. You know the system's wrong when Queensland got a tokenistic acknowledgement of country mention, but there was not a single mention of infrastructure in this budget. This Labor budget's message is simple: lower your expectations and clap politely for crumbs. The Labor treasurer really should have included that in his talking points on how to mislead the Australian people. You can't claim to back housing while punishing the people who actually provide it. Mum-and-dad investors are not monopoly men; they're nurses, tradies and retirees just trying to get ahead. The Treasurer said 'war' more times than he said 'Queensland'. You have to be real here. This is four years of poor decisions by a Labor government, not a four-month-old war.

Last night's budget was presented as a plan for relief, but, for many in Townsville—small businesses and investors—it will feel more like pressure with better gimmicks and branding. People are working harder than ever, but they don't feel like they're getting ahead. In Townsville, mum-and-dad investors are not the big end of town. They're just teachers with one investment property, tradies trying to build some security for retirement, or small-business owners who have backed themselves and taken risks. Many of them are now feeling like aspiration is being punished instead of rewarded.

This budget adds billions of new taxes over the coming years, including higher taxes that will ultimately affect investors, small businesses, superannuation and housing. Because, when investors pull back, fewer homes get built. When small businesses lose confidence, fewer people get hired. And, when businesses are hit with high operating costs, families end up paying more at the check-out. Families are already dealing with rising grocery costs, power bills, insurance premiums and mortgage repayments. Despite all the announcements and spending, inflation is still expected to remain high. That means interest rates could stay high for longer, and, for many households, that's the difference between coping or falling behind.

Small-business owners are carrying wage pressure, energy costs and supply costs, while customers themselves are cutting back. Despite all the government spending, we are still left asking, 'Why doesn't life feel easier?' The reality is this: if inflation stays higher for longer, interest rates stay higher for longer, and that hits regional communities like Townsville particularly hard. Townsville is growing, and growth is a good thing, but growth without enough housing, infrastructure and planning puts enormous pressure on everyday Australians trying to buy, rent or build.

In this budget, many papers have now reported that there have been significant cuts to veteran services—a $5,000 cap on allied health that veterans can get starting next year, which is not enough for those that have been injured, wounded or ill from their service. People need more physio, more occupational therapy, more time in front of the GP and more time in front of the doctors, but, with this cap, they will be out of pocket or living with chronic pain. This is a bad cut. This shouldn't have happened. Another part of this budget that I think is quite concerning is the defunding of Invictus Australia. Invictus Games is a tier-1-level sporting event that supports people who have been wounded, injured or ill from their service. Prince Harry was the founding father of it. I have been at Invictus Games events. I was at the inaugural one and then went back as a coach. I've seen it change lives and I've seen it save lives, because sport is a healing power.

To cut veterans' services, to cut supports to veterans, is absolutely shameful. This government needs to have a long, hard look at itself when it comes to what its priorities should be. Because I know that Invictus—I've heard testimony from families who have said that, without this sporting event and without this coming together as veterans, their son, their daughter or their husband wouldn't be here any more. This needs to be overturned. Invictus Australia should be funded.

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