OUR CLEAR VISION AND PRACTICAL PLAN

The WA state election is now over. It was not the result that we wanted however the swings that the state party achieved means that WA Labor has suffered a massive hit and go to the next WA state election in 2029 defending what are now marginal seats.

What’s significant about the state election result is the swings as they relate to our federal seats – and they are encouraging. Our result in the Legislative Council has also been greatly assisted by the large swings to us. 

A huge thank you to all our candidates, campaign teams and Party members for the enormous contribution you made to delivering those outcomes. The Liberal Party of WA would not be in a position to hold Labor to account without your hard work.

And of course – congratulations – to our newly elected Members.  We all look forward to watching you hold the Cook Labor Government to account.

Our role as the Liberal Party of WA now, is to get out there and fight for our great state against an Albanese Labor Government that has shown time and time again it has walked away from WA.

We need to be out and about every day between now and the Federal election, talking to Western Australians about the important choice they face and explaining to them why they should vote for a Peter Dutton Government.

This election is about who can better manage the economy and help Australians get ahead.

We know that Australia can’t afford to continue on its current path.

Under Labor, inflation is higher, interest rates are up sharply, and we’ve had the largest fall in living standards in history. Housing is unaffordable and our country is less safe.

We need to explain to Western Australians how under Peter Dutton, Australians can do better, how we can rebuild the economy and get Australia back on track.

We need to explain to Western Australians our plan to deliver:

• Low inflation, by cutting wasteful spending, reducing tax and red tape.

• Cheaper energy with a mix of renewables, gas and zero-emissions nuclear energy.

• More affordable housing, by funding critical infrastructure and restricting foreign investors.

• Safer communities, by getting tough on violent crime, boosting border security, and improving online safety for children; and.

• Quality healthcare, funding more GPs, more bulk billing, including more Medicare subsidised mental health sessions.                              

ANTHONY ALBANESE’S PRIDE AT HANDING WA MINING INDUSTRY TO UNIONS

There is no clearer betrayal of Western Australia than Mr Albanese’s statement that he is proud of the fact he has handed control of the mining sector to his union mates.

Media reporting in The West Australian recently revealed “right of entry” visits to mine sites by union officials in Western Australia’s crucial Pilbara have exploded with a rise of over 300 per cent at one site.

This mirrors how Mr Albanese gave control of the construction sector to the CFMEU with disastrous consequences.

Having militant unions controlling the mining sector in the Pilbara will be a disaster for the West Australian and national economy. The Albanese Government changed the laws to allow their union mates to have almost unfettered access to workplaces in the Pilbara and WA’s world leading mining industry.

It is now patently obvious that Mr Albanese's union mates are flexing their muscles in the Pilbara with right of entry visits reaching these unprecedented levels and Mr Albanese is delighted by this.

Union activity in one of the biggest wealth creating regions in our nation it will bring nothing but increased strike action, significant disruptions, cost blow-outs, and a strong risk to future investment and competitiveness. This is a direct threat to the competitiveness of Western Australia’s world leading resources industry. It is an attack on the productivity of one of our most productive industries.

The Albanese Government’s explicit promise that its industrial relations changes would not give unions increased powers in the Pilbara has proven to be hollow. Instead, they've empowered unions to impose their will on businesses, even when it goes against the wishes of the employees themselves.

This is further proof the Albanese Government’s laws are a direct attack on Western Australia and our mining industry.

Mr Albanese keeps saying he gets Western Australia, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. His government has enacted legislation that directly affects the well-being of our State and the industry that is the engine room of the nation’s economy.

Yet again, Mr Albanese and Labor have walked way from WA.

LABOR’S ABJECT FAILURE ON TARIFF NEGOTIATION WITH THE UNITED STATES

The Trump Administration’s decision to impose tariffs on Australian industries is disappointing. But what’s worse? Labor’s complete failure to prevent it. Australian families and businesses will pay the price for Labor’s weakness.

When the Coalition was in government, we successfully negotiated exemptions from US steel and aluminium tariffs in 2018. We fought for Australian industry. We protected Australian jobs.

Yet under Mr Albanese, Australia has been left out in the cold.  He is the only member of The Quad who hasn’t met President Trump face-to-face. That failure of leadership has cost us.

The United States enjoys a significant trade surplus with Australia. We are investing billions into the US defence industry through AUKUS. Yet this Labor Government couldn’t even secure a fair deal for our own industries.

This is a damning indictment of the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Trade Minister. They had every opportunity to stand up for Australia and, guess what, they failed.

Once again, Labor’s weakness is hurting Australian workers and businesses.

IT'S TIME TO GET OUR ECONOMY BACK ON TRACK

Australia’s living standards have plummeted under Labor – the worst decline in the world.

Prices continue to go up at a rapid rate for Australian families, hard-working Australian families, and they're going up at a faster rate than they were when the last data came out.

It's just more pain for Australians.  

The stark reality is only the Coalition will get our economy back on track to improve Australians living standards, to grow the economy and truly beat inflation.

We know what must be done - and Australians know Labor isn't capable of reversing its serious economic damage.

We will: 

Lower inflation:

Inflation is a huge problem for Australia.

Australia’s core inflation is higher than the US, Singapore, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Canada, France, and the entire Euro area (as at September 2024).

The reason interest rates have gone up 12 times is because the Government can’t control its spending – and because of its reckless energy policy.

Labor Budgets have lifted spending by a staggering $347 billion – or $33,000 per Australian household.

The Reserve Bank Governor has sounded the alarm on inflation being home-grown.

A Liberal government will deliver a back-to-basics economic plan.

This includes reining in inflationary spending, winding back regulatory roadblocks, lower taxes and more affordable and reliable energy.

We will also stand up for consumers, small businesses and farmers by delivering stronger penalties for anti-competitive behaviour in the supermarket and hardware sectors.

Cheaper Energy:

Labor’s ‘renewables only’ policy continues to drive-up power prices.

Electricity and gas prices have gone up by 32 per cent (without rebates) and 36 per cent respectively (as at November 2024).

Renewables have a role to play in our energy system. But we can’t rely on weather-dependent energy alone.

We need power 24/7 – especially for our hospitals, factories and freezers that need to operate around the clock.

Australia has three energy goals:
Cheaper power. Consistent power. Cleaner power.

We won’t achieve these goals under Labor’s ‘renewables only’ policy, but we can achieve all three.

By following the other top 20 economies in the world which use zero-emission nuclear power or are taking steps to put it in their mix. And by ramping-up domestic gas production for affordable and reliable energy in the more immediate term.

You can read more about our plan to secure Australia’s energy and economic future at AustraliaNeedsNuclear.org.au

Affordable Housing: 

Under Labor, the aspiration of home ownership has become out of reach. Interest rates and rents have had their highest increases in over a decade. Building approvals have fallen to their lowest level in over a decade.

At the same time, Labor has brought one million more people to Australian in just two years. Just 350,000 homes were constructed in that time. Further, red tape and union corruption have added to costs and delays.

Labor has also revealed it is looking to introduce new housing taxes (including changes to negative gearing), which would reduce investment and push up rents.

The Coalition is determined to restore the dream of home ownership.

We will boost housing supply, rebalance migration, incentivise first home buyers and take pressure off interest rates and rents.

We will unlock up to 500,000 new homes by investing $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure like water, power, and sewerage at housing development sites.

And to further address supply constraints, the Coalition will freeze any further changes to the National Construction Code for 10 years.

At a time of high inflation, Labor has increased the compliance burden for new housing projects, adding up to $60,000 to the price of a new home.

Our freeze on red tape will provide certainty and let builders get on with the job of building more homes for Australians.

Amidst a housing crisis, Labor has brought in one million people in just two years. A new person is migrating to Australia every 46 seconds.

While we celebrate the contribution of migrants, our program needs to be well managed.

To alleviate pressure on the housing market, we will:

Implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes.

• Reduce permanent migration – from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years (then 150,000 in year three and 160,000 in year four).

• Return the refugee and humanitarian program planning level to the long-term average – from 20,000 to 13,750.

• Reduce the numbers of foreign students at metropolitan universities, increase the student visa fee and apply it to foreign students who change providers.

By rebalancing the migration program, the Coalition would free up almost 40,000 additional homes in the first year.

And well over 100,000 homes in the next five years.

A Coalition Government will allow Australians to access up to $50,000 from their super to buy their first home. The money initially withdrawn from super will need to be returned when the house is sold to support retirement.

Under Labor, interest rates remain high because of homegrown inflation which has been consistently higher than other major economies.

We will take pressure off interest rates by responsibly managing the economy, including reducing wasteful spending.

Safer Communities:

A Coalition Government will provide much needed leadership in tackling knife crime.

We will work with states and territories to develop uniform knife laws across all jurisdictions.

Laws which give police the powers to stop and search using detector wands – like Queensland’s ‘Jack’s Law’. And laws which limit and restrict the sale and possession of knives to minors and dangerous individuals.

A Coalition Government will also make it an offence to use mobile phone and computer networks to cause an intimate partner or family member to fear for their personal safety, to track them using spyware, or engage in coercive behaviours.

We will toughen the bail laws that apply to these new Commonwealth offences.

A Coalition Government will make it illegal to post material glamourising violence, drug and property crimes to increase a person’s notoriety.

It will take a Coalition Government – once again – to stop the people smugglers and to deport criminals.

It will also take a Coalition Government to turn the tide of anti-Semitism afflicting our country.

Anti-Semitism is not just a threat to one segment of our community. It’s a threat to our social cohesion and democratic values. Some of the most strident anti-Semitic standard-bearers have come from our university campuses.

We will also provide the moral and political leadership which makes it abundantly clear that we expect the law to be enforced readily – not reluctantly – against those inciting hatred and violence.

Quality Healthcare:

Our health system is facing significant challenges.

We have a serious shortage of GPs. Under Labor, the GP bulk billing rate has dropped 11 per cent and 372,000 Australians are going without the affordable mental health support they need.

A Dutton Government will:

• Guarantee the growing funding of Medicare.

• Support Australians to receive healthcare in a timely way wherever they live.

• Invest $9 billion into general practice to restore Medicare bulk billing and ensure all Australians have affordable access to healthcare.

• Grow our GP workforce through new incentive payments, entitlements and training support.

• Restore the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20 on a permanent basis.

• Support Australians to access suicide prevention services.

• Build on our historical work in Government to support women’s health through developing new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.

• Invest in cancer treatments, such as specialist cancer nurses to support Australians with Ovarian Cancer – the deadliest cancer affecting women.

• Invest in cutting-edge medical research to drive treatment breakthroughs and advancements for Australians.

• Deliver new investments in best-practice training for health professionals to address women’s health issues, including endometriosis, menopause and peri-menopause.

• Support regional health worker attraction, recruitment and retention initiatives.

• Ensuring cheaper medicines and targeted healthcare for women through a specific review to ensure they are able to get the best quality care when they need it most.

• Continue support for the timely access to medicines through community pharmacies.

• These priorities will ensure we deliver quality healthcare.

Only the Coalition offers strong and decisive leadership, ready to stand up for Australia's interests at home and abroad.

Our clear vision and practical plan to get Australia back on track is available at www.liberal.org.au/our-plan

Between now and May 2025, be sure to spread this plan as far and wide as you can.

Tell all your family members, neighbours, friends and colleagues that ours is the only party that can deliver results.

I look forward to joining you on the campaign trail for the Federal Election. Thank you.