STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (13:42): If you incinerate the Christmas ham, it does not matter how neatly you try to carve it; you cannot save it. It belongs in the bin, just like Labor's budget—broken, unpopular and completely unfit for purpose. This government's tax carve-outs have become messier than grandpa hacking the Christmas ham with a chainsaw.

Instead of making the clean cut to axe it, Labor has butchered its toxic tax policies to pieces. It's now a chaotic mess that will create new compliance costs, hitting Australians during this Labor-created cost-of-living crisis. Every day, Australians are watching inflation decimate their pay packets.

Carve-outs have turned toxic taxes into an administrative nightmare and finance experts have exposed the truth. This budget punishes the people with ambition who are just trying to have a go. Young Australians trying to build security through modest investments are being heavily punished by Labor.

The truth is simple: a confusing policy is a bad policy. The saddest reality facing families is there'll be nothing left to carve, because Christmas is already out of reach for many. This government's spending crisis means families are having to choose between keeping the lights on and buying their groceries.

For those people, there will be no festive joy, only economic misery served cold by Labor.