Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Here we go. We are two years into my first term in this place, and we are two-and-a-bit years into this government. We know there will be an election before my third anniversary is up. In fact, the Prime Minister could call an election at any time in the next 10 months.

What have we learnt from being here? We've learnt that this is a government who likes talking about what it's going to do without actually doing it. So far we've heard about the Voice that they would deliver for Australians, which fell flat because they wouldn't talk. We've heard about a Housing Australia Future Fund that has spent tens of millions of dollars to build a sum total of zero homes. Even things that we might not support—we were told that this government would pass a new EPBC Act, which we'll not see legislated in this chamber before this term is over. We've seen a water policy that will destroy people out there. And we heard from a previous speaker about how this government has delivered two surpluses. That hasn't been delivered by this government. This has been delivered by the working people of Australia—the people that do things, the people that make things, the people that grow things and the people that care for things. That is who is forgotten in this government.

They go out there and talk about this cost-of-living relief. It doesn't exist. Things cost more. Things are harder. Things are worse for people than they were when this government came in, because this government is the influencer of governments. It doesn't do things; it just wants to be seen to associate itself with doing things. A government that does things would have delivered real energy relief. It would be building more housing. It would be supporting the people in their jobs and the industries that make the surplus, because money handed out to the good things we want to do happens only if we do the things we have to do. Under the policies of this government, we'll only be exporting our pollution and our problems. We are importing energy now that we should never have to. We're importing items we've no doubt had to because this government is not up to the standard required.