STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Chief Nationals Whip) (13:44): The hard truth for Australian families is this: inflation and interest rates are still too high, and household budgets are being stretched to breaking point. The reason is clear: Labor has lost control of the budget and it has lost control of the economy. Every time families go to the supermarket, fill up the car, open an electricity bill or make a mortgage repayment, they are being reminded of what Labor's economic mismanagement means in real life.

Labor promised life would be cheaper. Instead, Australians have had higher prices, bigger repayments, rising rents and more pressure on small businesses and families right across the country. Here in regional Australia, we know these pressures hit even harder.

When costs increase, communities like ours feel it immediately. Australians do not want excuses. They want a government that understands that every dollar it spends has consequences, and every failure to control inflation ends up landing on the kitchen tables of hardworking families.

The coalition understands that fighting inflation must be the priority. That means responsible spending, lower taxes, support for small businesses and policies that grow the economy without fuelling the cost-of-living crisis. So whatever the RBA does today, the message to Labor is simple: stop blaming everyone else, stop spending money Australians do not have, and start taking responsibility for the inflation and interest rate pain Australian families are living with every single day.