"Australians simply can’t afford another three years of Labor.
At the next election, it will be time for a change.
A change for the better - for you, your family and our country.
You can read more about my plan to Get Australia Back on Track below."
Peter Dutton
Liberal Leader
We will deliver a Stronger Economy
Inflation is a huge problem for Australia.
On comparative inflation, Australia is worse than the US, Singapore, Germany, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, Italy, South Korea, Canada, France, and the entire Euro area.
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.
In three Labor Budgets, the Government has lifted spending by a staggering $315 billion – or $30,000 per Australian household.
The Reserve Bank Governor has sounded the alarm on inflation being home-grown.
Every credible economist has issued scathing assessments of Labor’s Budget because Labor has us in an inflationary hole and is still digging.
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 alleviate pressure on the housing market
Under Labor, the aspiration of home ownership has become out of reach.
Amidst a housing crisis, Labor is bringing in a record 1.67 million migrants over five years.
While we celebrate the contribution of migrants, our program needs to be well managed.
To alleviate pressure on the housing market, we will:
- 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.
- Implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes.
We believe that by rebalancing the migration program and taking decisive action on the housing crisis, 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 The money initially withdrawn from super will need to be returned when the house is sold to support retirement.
We will support Small Businesses
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities.
Peter Dutton has run a small business. The Coalition understands small business.
A Liberal and National Government will extend the value of assets eligible for the instant asset write-off to $30,000 and make this ongoing for small businesses.
This will simplify depreciation for millions of small businesses by cutting red tape, boosting investment in productive assets, lowering business costs and prices.
We will also remove the complexity and hostility of Labor’s industrial relations agenda which is putting unreasonable burdens on businesses.
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.
We will deliver more Affordable and Reliable Energy
Labor’s ‘renewables only’ policy continues to drive-up power prices.
Electricity and gas prices have gone up by 18 and 25 per cent respectively.
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
We will increase Workforce Participation
While reducing migration numbers to ease pressure on housing, a Coalition Government will encourage thousands of people to engage more in the labour market.
We recommit to increasing the amount older Australians and veterans can work without reducing pension payments.
We will double the existing work bonus from $300 per fortnight to $600.
It’s estimated this will benefit over 80,000 pensioners and veterans who choose to work.
Pensioners will continue to accrue unused pension work bonus amounts up to a maximum of $11,800 which can exempt future earnings from the pension income test.
We will also lift the number of hours those on student visas can work by 12 hours a fortnight.
We will deliver Better Healthcare
A Liberal and Nationals Government will restore the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20 on a permanent basis.
We will invest in best-practice women’s health, including endometriosis.
Concerningly, Australia is facing a looming shortage of GPs – some 11,000 by 2031.
We need more GPs – especially in our suburbs and regional areas.
Junior doctors who enter general practice earn about three-quarters of the salary of their counterparts in hospitals.
Working with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Australian Medical Association, a Coalition Government will invest $400 million to provide junior doctors who train in general practice with incentive payments, assistance with leave entitlements, and support for pre-vocational training.
We also want better outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Led by Senators Liddle and Nampijinpa Price, we will provide practical solutions to improve education, health and safety outcomes for indigenous women and children – especially in our most disadvantaged remote communities.
We will improve Community Safety
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 an offence to post criminal acts online.
Those convicted will be banned from using digital platforms and liable for up to two years’ imprisonment.
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.
We will boost Defence
Strenuous efforts are needed to maintain peace and deter acts of aggression – like those recently aimed at our Navy and Air Force.
In this critical period of risk, the Coalition will offer strong leadership backed by significant investment in defence.
We will reprioritise funding Labor has provided for Canberra public servants and make an additional investment in Defence to rapidly enhance the capability of our men and women in uniform.
We’re working with leaders in defence industry to identify projects and investments that can be made in Australia to keep us safe in an uncertain world.