STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Chief Nationals Whip) (13:42): Under Labor, Australia's debt has hit the eye-watering figure of $1 trillion. That is not just a number on a Treasury spreadsheet; it's a bill that every Australian and every small business will be left to pay. Right now, the interest on that debt is costing Australians.

Every minute. Labor delays hard decisions, another $52,000 disappears, not into roads and not into hospitals but into interest payments. That is money that could be supporting families in Capricornia who are doing it tough.

It could be helping pensioners keep the lights on. It could be backing our farmers, our tradies, our local businesses and the essential services regional communities rely on. Instead, Labor keeps spending, keeps borrowing and keeps pretending there are no consequences.

But there is a cost. When Labor spends, Australians pay. They pay through higher taxes, higher prices, higher mortgages and fewer opportunities for the next generation.

Australians know you cannot run a household budget like this. You cannot keep putting everything on the credit card and expect someone else to pick up the bill. Government should spend carefully, respect taxpayers and live within its means.

Labor's trillion-dollar debt is not responsible economic management; it is a burden on working Australians and a betrayal of future generations. The people of Capricornia deserve better than a government that spends and leaves everyone else to pay later.