We have reached a turning point for all Australians as the two governing forces in Canberra laid out very different visions for our nation.

Labor continues to divide Australians, setting up arguments at the dinner table about whether mum, grandpa or the young adults deserve a better share in Labor’s socialist redistribution of wealth.

Labor may be cunning at their marketing, but they are terrible in government.  The Coalition is laying out a fairer approach, putting all Australians first and letting you keep more of the money you earn by addressing bracket creep and winding back out-of-control government spending.  

I told Parliament this week it is abysmal that Labor is ripping away rebates for almost 6 out of 10 Mallee residents over 65 who have private health insurance.  Older people will pay hundreds, if not thousands more annually, due this new Labor aged care tax – even though 5,000 people have died waiting for home care, with over 230,000 on the wait list.  The ‘Grampians’ aged care region – which includes your readers - has Victoria’s second worst wait times, at 388 days, from application to receiving some form of home care service.

Labor’s budget offers a measly $250 income tax rebate which fails to address (a) rampant inflation, (b) tens of thousands more in interest rate driven mortgage repayments under Labor,  (c) the reality that average taxpayer will lose $5,000 by 2029 due to bracket creep, and (d) a thousands of dollars more annually in higher electricity bills.  

I brought Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan to St Arnaud in May to declare we will scrap all of Labor’s new taxes, including capital gains tax changes and discretionary testamentary trusts that will hit our farmers hard – when they have already been copping it on so many fronts.

In his Budget in Reply speech, Leader of the Opposition Angus Taylor declared the Coalition will press on with our $5 billion housing infrastructure policy to help councils build the roads, plumbing, etc for new housing.  The Nationals’ Regional Australia Future Fund will ensure we get our fair share.