Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Infrastructure) | Hansard source

I rise today to respond to the Governor-General's speech and, in doing so, to reaffirm the enduring value of the institutions that uphold our constitutional monarchy. The office of the Governor-General and His Majesty the King's representative in Australia carry great responsibility and symbolism. I thank Her Excellency for the dignity in which she discharged her role in the opening of the 48th Parliament and for reminding us all of the solemn duty that we have to serve the Australian people.

The Governor-General rightly observed that many Australians remain under significant pressure. The cost of living is the No. 1 issue across homes across the nation, and rightly so. Prices are up, wages are stagnant and essential services are harder to access than ever before. Australians expect their government to respond not with slogans but with a coherent plan to erase these burdens, yet what we have seen from the Albanese government is a pattern of high-spending, high-taxing policies that offer little relief and even less reform. Their plan to tax unrealised gains in superannuation accounts above $3 million is a prime example. It punishes those who save, complicates the tax system and opens the door to further encroachments on Australians financial security. Instead of encouraging thrift and responsibility, the government seeks to penalise it.

What Australians need is not more government overreach but more opportunity. The best way to reduce cost-of-living pressure is to restore productivity, to rein in inflation and to address energy insecurity. Policies that reward work, that encourage private enterprise and that enable families to make choices for themselves are the foundation of a stronger economy. Creating greater dependence on the state is not value for money; it is a trap that risks diminishing personal responsibility, initiative and aspiration. Behind every economic figure lies a family budget. Behind every fiscal decision is a household trying to stay afloat. Every Australian family deserves the dignity of choice and the freedom to chart their own course. That requires economic stability and a government that trusts its citizens more than it trusts the bureaucracy.

Turning to health care, we hear the same tired refrain from Labor—that they alone are the custodians of Medicare—but this is simply not true. Support for Medicare is bipartisan, but good stewardship of it requires more than throwing billions of dollars at a broken system. Despite record health spending, outcomes remain stubbornly poor. Emergency rooms are overcrowded; waiting times are up; general practice clinics are closing, particularly in our regions; and bulk-billing rates are falling. Some Australians are delaying or avoiding seeing a doctor because they simply cannot afford it, despite the Prime Minister's broken promise that Australians would need only their Medicare card to see a doctor.

Labor has announced $1.1 billion for mental health programs, but results remain elusive. According to the National Mental Health Commission, outcomes have not improved in any meaningful way. One in five Australians now delays mental health care due to cost. Among young people, the rate of mental illness has surged to nearly 39 per cent. These are not abstract figures; they are the daily struggles of everyday, real Australians. It is not enough to fund mental health services. We must address the root causes of the mental distress: social isolation; economic insecurity; lack of purpose and opportunity. That requires policies that build strong communities, encourage connection and give people a reason to hope.

On housing: the government promises to build 1.2 million new homes by 2030, but Treasury's own advice suggests this target will not be met. The question is not whether Australians want more housing—of course they do. The question is how this government is proposing to deliver it. Announcing a target is really easy; meeting it requires practical action: faster planning approvals, cooperation with states and the removal of barriers for private development. With what Labor is doing and their policies, rents are soaring; mortgage repayments are unaffordable; we now have Australians with negative equity in their homes, after the disastrous five per cent deposit scheme; and young Australians are locked out of the housing market. The government's $43 billion housing promise will mean little, unless it actually delivers roofs over heads. Australians are tired of announcements without results.

Child care is another area where government spending is skyrocketing, but outcomes are not. Billions of dollars in new subsidies have been pumped into the system, yet families continue to struggle with affordability. According to the ACCC, many childcare operators have raised fees beyond the value of the new subsidies, and, as a result, out-of-pocket costs for families have increased by almost 10 per cent in the last year alone. There is no such thing as free child care; it is paid for by either the parents or the taxpayers. And, when the government subsidises costs without introducing competition or efficiency, prices rise. Families are being short-changed, and children are not necessarily receiving better or safer care as a result. There's a one-size-fits-all system that offers families no choice or freedom to decide what works best for them. It is also silent on unpaid care work.

At the same time, our education system is underperforming. Australian students are falling behind on international benchmarks in maths, science and literacy. Our 15-year-olds today are nearly two years behind where they were two decades ago in mathematics. Only 28 per cent of year 10 students meet the minimum civics standards. That means most students are graduating without a basic understanding of the system of government that protects their rights. This is not just an educational failure; it is a democratic failure. We cannot expect young Australians to value and defend our democratic institutions if we have not taught them how those institutions work. Education reform must focus on restoring rigour, respect for truth and civic understanding. Our students deserve far better.

The Governor-General's speech referred to building a more resilient economy. But words from this government must be backed by action. Under this government, Australia now ranks last in the OECD for economic complexity. That means our economy is dangerously undiversified and heavily reliant on a narrow range of exports. We are vulnerable to global shocks, and we are falling behind in advanced industries. Real resilience comes not from more regulation or subsidies but from encouraging innovation, attracting investment and backing Australian enterprise. Labor's industrial relations changes have created uncertainty and imposed burdens on small businesses at the very time we should be helping them grow.

On energy, the facts are sobering. Despite another Labor broken promise, to lower bills by $275, the average household is now paying over $300 more. Under this Labor government, emissions are rising again for the first time in a decade and our electricity grid is becoming less reliable, with AEMO warning of supply shortfalls as early as next year. This is all while Labor is spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on legislated renewables targets that are never going to be reached. We must ensure that our transition to a low-emissions future is pragmatic and affordable. That means investing in firming technologies, protecting energy security and ensuring that households and businesses are not left to bear the cost of poor planning. This government's obsession with net zero by 2030 has driven manufacturing offshore, impacted Australia's sovereign capability to have smelters that can stand alone without taxpayer funded bailouts, and driven families and businesses to the brink—for a target that will never be achieved. They are driving agricultural, manufacturing and economic poverty, and we must abandon the net zero fantasy.

National security is another area where ambition must be matched by delivery. The government says we face the most dangerous strategic circumstances since the end of the Second World War, yet our defence spending remains inadequate. AUKUS is a landmark partnership that should be supported, but nuclear submarines that arrive in the 2040s won't protect us in the 2020s. We need to invest in sovereign capability now. That means missiles, drones, cyberdefences, shipbuilding and workforce recruitment. Our defence industry are under immense pressure to deliver, but the support they receive is patchy. If the threats are real—and they are—then our response must be real too. National security cannot be a part-time priority. We must pursue peace through strength in our region.

Finally, I am dismayed that the Governor-General's speech made no mention of the disturbing rise of antisemitism in our country. Synagogues have been attacked, Jewish owned businesses vandalised, and families threatened and targeted. This is unacceptable in any democracy, let alone in a country like Australia that prides itself on tolerance and respect. We must stand unequivocally with our Jewish community. The failure to mention these issues in the government's agenda is not just an oversight; it is a signal—a signal that some threats are just not politically convenient to confront.

I see very little in the government's agenda that speaks to aspiration, to enterprise or to national unity. Instead, I see slogans over substance, division over any kind of community cohesion and dependency over dignity. The coalition will continue to stand with the forgotten people. We will fight for policies that make life better for families, safer for communities and stronger for the nation. We will hold this government to account and we will offer Australians a better way.