Since the election of the Albanese Government, the reality for Australians is that they have had a sharp reduction in their standard of living with their real disposable incomes down close to 10% over the last two years.
A significant part of that is the 12 interest rate hikes in that time, meaning Australians are really struggling to make ends meet. Homeowners with a typical mortgage of $750,000 are nearly $35,000 worse off.
Australians are also paying a very significant increase in their personal income taxes despite the personal income tax cuts - now paying 20% more personal income tax. So they are having to cut back on discretionary spending.
The Coalition is out talking with retailers every day, and we're certainly seeing that withdrawal of some discretionary spending. People are working extra hours but still they're cracking open the piggy bank, digging deep into their savings.
Under Labor, prices have increased by more than 10%, including for our most basic needs:
Food up 11%;
Health up 11%;
Education up 11%;
Housing up 15%;
Rent up 15%;
Financial and insurance up 17%;
Gas up 25%.
Australians want - and have a right to see - signs of hope that their standard of living is going to be restored. The Coalition understands the way forward to restore stronger standards of living.
A Coalition Government will tackle inflation as an absolute priority. We will do this by cutting wasteful spending, reducing red tape and delivering affordable energy. We will also protect consumers and small businesses from corporations or union bosses who misuse their power.
The fact is that Australians can't afford three more years of Labor.
ALBANESE IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY
The Albanese Labor Government has handed out 3,000 tourist visas to people who are clearly not tourists. They don't intend to return to Gaza and they can't return to Gaza.
Former deputy immigration secretary Abul Rizvi said this decision was politically driven and almost certainly done against departmental advice.
If the Albanese Labor Government offers this cohort more permanent visas, like it is contemplating, they will be able to access Medicare, welfare and other benefits. It costs roughly $25,000 per year per visa holder, so if all 3,000 are moved onto more permanent visas it will cost Australian taxpayers $300 million over four years.
Australians deserve to know what Tony Burke’s plan is for the almost 3000 tourist visa holders he has said can’t go home. Will they displace other refugees from the capped intake? Or will taxpayers be required to fork out millions of additional dollars in the midst of a cost of living crisis?
AUSTRALIA OUT OF LINE WITH OUR SECURITY PARTNERS IN GRANTING VISAS TO PEOPLE LEAVING PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Australia has granted about 3,000 visas to people leaving the Palestinian territories since the 7th of October.
This compares to:
Canada - granted 254;
United States - granted 17;
New Zealand - granted 153;
United Kingdom - granted 168; and
France - granted 260.
This means Australia has been granting, in some instances, more than 10 times the number of visas in the same period of time to our closest and most like-minded security partners and friends.
It appears that the reason we've done so is that we rushed our process, skipped the usual security vetting, and allowed in people on tourist visas to leave Gaza when the other countries have been putting them through rigorous processes to check for security concerns.
The Albanese Government must urgently explain why Australia appears to have accepted more migrants from Gaza than almost any other country in the developed world and why Australia has taken a more lenient approach to vetting visa applicants.
Many of these countries require face-to-face interviews or biometric tests to even apply for a visa – conditions that the Albanese Government has waived.
Under Labor, Australia is apparently unique in being willing to hand out tourist visas to Gazans in an average of 24 hours – and in some cases as quickly as one hour – while bypassing all the usual checks, including those the former government did in Syria and Afghanistan.
The key issues on which Australians deserve to have answers, to know if their national security is being compromised, have Anthony Albanese ducking under the table.
Parliament isn't getting straight answers, but more importantly Australians are being denied straight answers from a Labor Government which is clearly rushing the process.
SO LET’S GET AUSTRALIA BACK ON TRACK
As Peter Dutton has said:
First we will rein in inflationary spending to take the pressure off inflation.
As a start, we will not spend $13.7 billion on corporate welfare for green hydrogen and critical minerals.
Second, we will wind-back Labor’s intervention and remove regulatory roadblocks which are suffocating the economy and stopping businesses from getting ahead. We will condense approval processes and cut back on Labor’s red tape which is killing mining, jobs, and entrepreneurialism.
Third, we will remove the complexity and hostility of Labor’s industrial relations agenda which is putting unreasonable burdens on businesses.
For example, we will revert to the former Coalition Government’s simple definition of a casual worker and create certainty for our 2.5 million small businesses.
Fourth, we will provide lower, simpler and fairer taxes for all – because Australians should keep more of what they earn.
Fifth, we will deliver competition policy which gives consumers and smaller businesses a fair go – not lobbyists and big corporations.
And sixth, we will ensure Australians have more affordable and reliable energy.
Our economic plan – with its tried and tested principles – will restore competitiveness and rebuild economic confidence.
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