BUDGET-IN-REPLY SETS OUT INITIATIVES

The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, has provided his budget-in-reply address.

It contains a range of initiatives which address many of the issues that people across the Lyne electorate are raising with me.

If elected at the next election, a Coalition Government will:

Tackle the cost-of-living and housing crisis by:

• Cutting the permanent migration program by 25% from 185,000 to 140,000 and returning the refugee and humanitarian intake closer to the long-term average of 13,750.

• Capping the number of foreign students

• Placing a 2-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes.

• Supporting passage of legislation to implement the $300 electricity rebate, noting that Labor’s policies are driving higher electricity prices.

Tackle spiralling electricity prices by:

• Delivering a sensible “technology-neutral” energy policy which will include roll-out of nuclear energy on brownfield sites. Around the world there is a stampede into nuclear energy. We must have more baseload always on and always reliable AC power in our grid mix to lower electricity costs.

• Reversing $13.7 billion subsidies for yet unproven green hydrogen, and critical minerals – these need to stack up on their own merits.

Tackle spiralling crime and domestic violence by:

• Introducing uniform knife laws across Australia

• Toughening bail laws related to family violence; and

• Toughening penalties for online crime

In health, we will address the GP workforce crisis by investing $400 million to provide junior doctors who train in general practice with incentive payments, assistance with leave entitlements, and support for pre-vocational training.

And under a Coalition Government we will double the existing work bonus from $300 per fortnight to $600.