Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

O'Connor's mineral and agricultural wealth drives the Australian economy, and in this toxic budget my regional communities have been sorely neglected. Families dealing with rising power bills, high grocery prices and increased mortgage stress have received no cost-of-living relief. Medicare bulk-billing remains the exception, not the norm, and we need new initiatives to attract and retain regional GPs. While Labor throws millions at Medicare urgent care clinics in the cities, there is not one planned for anywhere in my vast electorate. Labor claims this budget is creating intergenerational fairness, but in reality it's robbing our young people and families of the opportunity to grow their wealth while simultaneously curbing the self-sufficiency of our self-funded retirees. For our seniors, it's never been harder to access Support at Home, and not one new aged-care bed has been allocated in this budget. Wait times for home care and aged care have blown out to over a year, and our brave O'Connor veterans will be severely impacted by the $5,000 cap to their DVA funding. Our small businesses, farmers, explorers and mining operations will be crippled by the changes to the capital gains tax. No new road or water infrastructure funding further stifles investment and regional growth. Ultimately, O'Connor's mining and agricultural wealth drives this nation's prosperity. This budget raises a fundamental question: are we investing enough in the very regions that sustain Australia's economy and future? And the resounding answer is no.

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