MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Mr CHESTER (Gippsland—Deputy Leader of the National Party) (15:20): It's now official. Our country is being run by a jellyfish caucus. The modern Labor Party has become a blubbering mess and is a political party which has simply lost its spine.

Jellyfish are defined by their lack of brains, their lack of bones and their lack of heart. They are spineless and they are gutless, without the brains to think for themselves, drifting along on the ocean currents. Now, does that sound familiar?

We have a jellyfish caucus drifting along the opinion polls, focus groups and the will of an untrustworthy prime minister. They don't even have the guts to be upfront with the Australian people. Today the Labor Party guillotined debate on its budget of broken promises after only 24 members of the jellyfish caucus actually spoke on the second reading of the bill.

Government members interjecting— Mr CHESTER: You can speak now! You could have spoken earlier. You gagged your own debate.

Twenty-four members of the jellyfish caucus spoke on their own bill. Where were the rest of them? If these changes were that good, if they were so good, you'd think they'd all be lining up to come and talk about them.

They'd be making these bold statements about their changes, and they'd cut them up into little Instagram posts and be promoting them on social media. But only 24 turned up. The jellyfish caucus went missing in action.

They were hiding in their offices. But they can't hide from the Australian people forever. There's another thing the modern Labor Party, this jellyfish caucus, has in common with its spineless ocean soulmates.

Jellyfish have long tentacles, and they can sting without warning. That sums up this budget—sneaking up on small-business owners, sneaking up on farmers, sneaking up on retirees, sneaking up on veterans and stinging them with more taxes. The jellyfish caucus didn't have the spine, the brains or the guts to take these changes to the Australian people at an election.

This goes to the very core of why 66 per cent of Australians believe the country is heading the wrong direction. The latest mood-of-the-nation survey is a damning indictment of this government. After four years of the Albanese government, Australians are worse off, and they know our country is heading the wrong direction.

The most common thing I'm hearing on the ground is this very simple message: Australians want their country back. They are angry, they are frustrated and they have been left behind by a prime minister who promised to govern for all Australians. This prime minister, as we know, is big on promises but very short on delivery.

Unlike the Prime Minister, I actually get out and talk to a lot of people in regional Australia. More importantly, I listen to their concerns. I listen to our farmers.

Our farmers are world class. One of the reasons our farmers are world class is they know how to manage risk. They manage risk, like seasonal conditions.

They manage risk, like commodity prices. More recently, they manage risk around fuel and fertiliser prices. But how on earth are our world-class Australian farming families meant to manage the risk of a deceptive Labor Party—a party that misleads constantly, is loose with the truth, fabricates facts and breaks its promises?

In each electorate, how are farmers meant to manage the risk of Labor candidates who are simply allergic to telling the truth, who can't be honest with the Australian people and a prime minister who says 12 months after the election that he simply changed his mind? He just changed his mind about the taxes he promised he wouldn't introduce. He promised not once, not twice, not three or four times.

In his own words, he promised 50 times no changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and trusts. That is not how this great Australian democracy is meant to work. The Prime Minister has simply trashed our democracy with his catalogue of broken promises in this budget.

I've had the good fortune of being through several elections to come to this place. Let me just explain to some of the class of 2025 opposite how it normally works. What happens in an election campaign, normally, is that the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, the Nationals, the Greens and Independents have policies.

They make commitments. They make promises, and then the Australian people vote on them. That's how our democracy has traditionally worked.

Call me old-fashioned, but that is how democracies have tended to work in this place in recent years—until this election. Who could possibly believe another word from this Prime Minister as we lead up to next election? The budget confirmed the great deceit at the heart of this government.

This is a government which was simply elected on a foundation of deceit, broken promises and trickery. After the federal election in May last year, the Prime Minister said: We have a mandate for what we took to the Australian people. That is our mandate.

I agree with him. I agree with the Prime Minister. He had a mandate for what he took to the Australian people.

He's admitted in his own words that he doesn't have a mandate for the broken promises in this budget. And every one of those members opposite knows it. Every member opposite knows it.

We watch them in question time and, as soon as the Prime Minister starts to stumble on the details and doesn't know his own budget, the heads go down, the phones come out and they say, 'My God, I wish he'd just stop talking.' And that's what the Australian people are saying. The Australian people are saying, 'My God, I wish he'd just stop talking.' Every time he talks, he breaks another promise.

The Prime Minister admitted in his own words he does not have a mandate for the broken promises and higher taxes announced in this federal budget. Now the Prime Minister also told Australians—these words will hang around this prime minister's neck like an albatross all the way to next election. Mr Hamilton interjecting— Mr CHESTER: I didn't even mean that one.

I didn't even mean that as a dad joke. An albatross! The interjections are disorderly, Deputy Speaker Claydon.

The Prime Minister told Australians: My word is my bond. And it gets better: 'I believe when you go to an election and you make commitments you should stick to them. My word is my bond.' Wow, Prime Minister!

He also said, 'I will lead a government that keeps its promises.' Ms Mascarenhas interjecting— Mr CHESTER: Louder! I can't hear you. Get excited.

Let me know what you're really saying. Why would any Australian believe a single word he says after a budget of broken promises and higher taxes? Why would any Australian believe your prime minister when he's just delivered a budget of broken promises and higher taxes and every member opposite campaigned on the same broken promises?

I don't recall any one of you opposite coming out and saying— Government members interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Enough interjections from members on my right. I've had enough. Member for Gippsland, direct your comments through the chair and don't engage with that, please.

I asked them to stop. I don't expect any more. Mr CHESTER: I'm fine, thank you, Deputy Speaker Claydon.

I appreciate the encouragement. Thank you. Why would any of those opposite think they can go back to their constituency at the next election and say: 'Trust the Prime Minister.

He's a man of his word. His word is his bond.' You have fundamentally broken the trust of the Australian people. Those opposite have fundamentally broken the trust of the Australian people and they know it.

They are waiting out there for every one of you with baseball bats, and they can't wait to have the opportunity to let you know what they think of this prime minister and his broken promises. Why can't this prime minister just do the honest thing with the Australian people and take his proposed changes to the next election, like every other prime minister in history has done?

I'm going to finish where I started, because it's now obvious to every Australian that this prime minister never had any intention of keeping that promise, and it's because he leads a spineless, jellyfish caucus that doesn't have the guts to tell the truth to the Australian people. They do not have the guts to tell the truth to the Australian people before an election and stand on their record and try and get elected.

They think Australians will forget about those broken promises and toxic taxes. But they are wrong, because on this side of the House we'll continue to stand up for the rights of small business owners, we'll back our farmers and we'll support aspiration among young people and Australian families. Only a coalition will deliver the policies that will improve our standard of living and restore our way of life, because Australia is worth fighting for.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): I'm just going to remind everybody in this House that words matter. Robust debate is very welcome in this chamber, but you should think very carefully about the words you use, particularly when directed towards each other. There is a code of conduct in this House, and I think we all should reflect on that a little bit.