Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

What's clear is that this budget contained many broken promises from a prime minister who said that his word was his bond and that the Australian people could trust him. Well, the Australian people now clearly know that, when it comes to tax, they cannot trust this prime minister. Everything, moving forward, that this prime minister says will be tainted by those broken promises and those solemn commitments he made—in his own words, over 50 times—to the Australian people before the last election. No investor, no business operator and no worker in this country can have any confidence in investing and wanting to get ahead, because this government can change the rules just like that, at the drop of a hat. They've done it twice, and they'll do it again.

There's even more pain in this budget for the Australian people. It didn't help in any way with the cost of living, and if you're over 65 and you're relying on private health insurance, that rebate has been ripped away from you, with no warning, no notice and no consultation. That's going to impact three million Australians across the country. It's going to increase the costs—about $800 per year for a single and $1,600 per year for a couple. So many older Australians are on fixed incomes. This is money, which they cannot afford and do not have, that they will lose because of the heartless and callous broken promise from this prime minister.

I've had many constituents contact me, upset, concerned and worried about these changes, and I want to share Graham from Belgrave South's concerns. He summed it up quite well: 'I would like to register my concern not only for my wife and I but for the hundreds of pensioners who will be affected by the proposed changes to the rebates announced by the government. This issue has barely had a mention in the media, but it is nothing but another tax grab by them. We have paid gold for many years. It's currently costing us $611 a month. An increase such as the one proposed is totally unfair for the senior citizens who have tried to resist adding to the public hospital numbers. It may be the last straw for many of us. I've been using my cover frequently in the last couple of years due to bouts of surgery.' Thank you, Graham, for sharing your story.

Graham's right—many older Australians rely on health services as they age, which makes this decision so galling, but, even if not directly impacted by these changes, everyone will be impacted. It will put additional pressure on the public health system, making it harder, and every Victorian knows that the public health system in Victoria is already under pressure because of the Allan Labor government's failure to fund it.

In this budget there was nothing to help Australians when it comes to the cost of living in 2026. When so many Australians are struggling to put food on the table, the best this treasurer and this prime minister could offer is a mirage, and that mirage is $250 in two years time. That is literally the only support they have offered for the Australian people. And the little secret of this mirage, which they will all claim when they say they're making a difference, is that it's not going to make a difference today for the Australian people.

Those opposite are also waiting until inflation catches your pay increase, because, if you're lucky enough to get a pay increase, which you deserve and work hard for, this government will collect more tax on it. It's called bracket creep. That's why the coalition said, 'We won't do that anymore; we're going to index bracket creep,' but this government has come out and said it will oppose it. So they want to pat on the back for saying that they'll give you back $250—about $5 a week in two years' time, once your wages have gone up and they've taxed you for it anyway—pretending they're making a difference today. This is at a time when Foodbank in Victoria are talking about how they were providing 69,000 meals a day and that has gone up to 76,000 meals a day, just in Victoria alone, just Foodbank—one organisation. Australians are struggling to put food on the table. There are stories shared by Foodbank about parents themselves not being able to eat. There's a heartbreaking story of a mother who drives her children to school, walks home and then walks back to pick them up because she can't afford the fuel and she doesn't want her children to know how tough it is. For that mum and for so many Australians, this budget provides them nothing—no support, just more spin from an out-of-touch Prime Minister, an out-of-touch Treasurer who break their word with the Australian people.

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