ADJOURNMENT

Ms PRICE (Durack) (19:51): Over the past couple of months, I've attended many shows across regional WA, from Kununurra to Port Hedland and Karratha, Dowerin and the Mid West. I've met thousands of regional Western Australians, and their feedback for the government has been clear: they are under pressure, and they feel forgotten. Consistently, I was told, 'We know that our lives now are worse than what they were four years ago when Labor came to office.' Nearly every key economic indicator backs these anecdotes.

Inflation has got the better of the Treasurer, and families are paying the price every day, whether it's at the supermarket, buying a coffee or buying the essentials for school. It is because of this government's reckless spending agenda that we have experienced 14 rate rises, with a current cash rate of 4.35 per cent. Families are hurting, the economy is tanking, the housing market has been smashed, rents are rising and power bills are through the roof, yet Labor continue to pile on more pain through their high spending and lack of practical policies.

Regional Western Australians deserve better than what they are getting at the moment. This is not as good as it gets. The coalition is putting forward the policies and plan to fix our economy and to protect our way of life.

Currently, we are paying twice for inflation—once in everyday transactions and then at tax time through Labor's stealthy inflation tax. The coalition will index tax thresholds to inflation so that, when you get a pay increase in line with inflation, your tax doesn't also go up. We will deliver affordable and reliable energy by scrapping net zero and powering our homes with a mix of coal, gas, renewables and nuclear energy.

We will make it easier to get into the housing market by capping net overseas migration to the number of houses that are available, by putting $1.5 billion into building regional and rural housing, by slashing red tape to cut the cost of a new home by $70,000 and by axing Labor's toxic taxes. A coalition government will put a speed limit on government spending, establishing the Future Generations Fund to bank 80 per cent of every resource windfall to pay down Labor's debt and build long-lasting infrastructure across Australia.

That is the way forward and how we will fix the economy and protect our way of life. How many times have we heard that the Pilbara is the economic powerhouse of Australia? This week, I met with many people from across Durack, including Tania Murray, the CEO of the Youth Involvement Council in Port Hedland, right in the heart of the so-called economic powerhouse.

I've known Tania and others involved with YIC over many years. Like so many people working in community organisations right across Australia, they get on with the job quietly without much fanfare, helping our young people who need that extra support. For many of these kids, life hasn't started on a level playing field.

Some have lost a parent to drugs or alcohol. Some have a parent in prison. Some are being raised by grandparents or even great-grandparents.

Some move from couch to couch. Some simply don't know where their next meal is coming from. Many Australians would have seen the distressing reports from Frisby Court in South Hedland recently—reports of up to 15 neglected children living largely unsupervised, often hungry, in conditions no child should experience.

Police reportedly attended the property more than 50 times, raising concerns with child protection authorities on numerous occasions. The circumstances surrounding that case have shocked many people, but, for those working on the ground with vulnerable children, the underlying issues are sadly not new. I must admit that I wasn't shocked, and I'm embarrassed to admit this.

I do ask myself: what should I have done for these children? Across regional WA, in other towns like Geraldton, Mullewa, Morawa, Carnarvon, Broome and Kununurra, just to mention a few, there are many children living in Third World conditions, and we should all be ashamed of that. Tania shared that, in the last 12 months, YIC responded to more than 700 requests for help, supported over 650 young people, provided more than 6,000 meals and organised more than 4,500 transports.

What is occurring at Frisby Court is the responsibility of state and federal governments, the relevant government departments and the families. I know that police and other agencies are doing their very, very best, but clearly it's not enough. To really shift the dial, governments need to try harder, be courageous, confront the cultural sensitivities head on no matter how confronting it may be, and accept that the new policies could be unpopular.

They could start by putting the child at the centre of policymaking, as advocated by the Valuing Children Initiative. I think our children are worth it.