Bill Debate: Appropriation (2026-2027) Bill 2026

BILL DEBATE:

‘APPROPRIATION (2026–2027) BILL 2026’.

Wednesday, 13 May 2026.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (11:53):

I rise to speak on the Budget Bills, the Appropriation (2026–2027) Bill 2026 and Appropriation (Parliament 2026–2027) Bill 2026.

Victoria needs fixing.

In November this State will have the opportunity to be fixed. I would say to every Victorian, ‘Here is your chance. In November you have that chance. You hav the chance to fix this State. If you elect a Liberal–National Coalition, we will fix this State.’ This State really needs fixing.

We have seen it both over the time of this term and over the last 12 long years of Labor, but you can put this most recent budget at the top of the list in identifying a Government that has both lost its way and fails to have a plan to fix the serious issues that all Victorians are now facing.

When it comes to a record of economic mismanagement that is, by contrast across this entire nation, the worst Government in Australia, this Budget clearly showed why that is the case. But more than that, when it comes to sentiment, when it comes to business, when it comes to cost of living and when it comes to crime and lawlessness on the streets, we have problems in this State, and in November we will have an opportunity to turf out this Government as they deserve to be turfed out and elect a Liberal–National Jess Wilson–led Coalition Government.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Juliana Addison): Excuse me, Member for Brighton, correct titles.

James NEWBURY: This budget was shameful – absolutely shameful. It is a $200 billion debt bomb that this Government is gifting not only to every Victorian but to every future Victorian. Paying back this debt bomb, which is now going off because of the baked-in interest that it is costing every Victorian, is unfairly shaping how Victorian taxpayers’ money can be used not only today but into the future. I mean, there is something so incredibly offensive about a Government that would recklessly use Victorian taxpayers’ money in the way that they have.

This Government has forgotten that every single dollar that comes into a Government coffer was first earned by a taxpayer – I often say the sweat and hard work of a taxpayer.

This Government treats the private sector and people who earn money with absolute contempt. Over the life of this Government what they have done is move the public sector into the centre of the economy and move the private sector out, crowding them out and treating them with contempt. The private sector has now across many sectors fallen to their knees. Is there any surprise? You look at the way the economy is now not operating, and you say to yourself, ‘Well, that is an obvious outcome of that decision.’

On the specifics of this Budget, we have a $7.7 billion cash deficit and, as I said, a $200 billion debt bomb. $32 million in interest payments per day is what we will soon be paying. That is dead money. So, Victorians are working to pay interest on an unsustainable level of debt. They are working to pay taxes to pay that debt, and their money is being flushed down the toilet. It is absolutely offensive. We see billions in tax revenue growth but at the same time cuts in things like public order and safety. At a time when we are in a crime crisis, the government is cutting public order and safety. It is absolutely outrageous. You would think that when more money is coming in and taxpayers are being taxed more, we would have the best services in the nation. It only makes sense that if you are taxing everyone more than every other state, you would have the best services in the country. What a joke. No Victorian thinks that. Most Victorians think we are being taxed the most and getting the worst services; that is how every Victorian feels. I will tell you what, if we are marking people on this Government’s service delivery, well, I do not think they are going very, very well. People are angry – they are absolutely angry – and so they should be, because their money is being wasted and the services are not up to standard.

On top of that, they are not safe in their own homes, as we know. Over the life of this Government, the reason we have got to this point is because we have seen this Government introduce or increase 67 taxes. We have seen a doubling of payroll tax and a quadrupling of land tax, and property taxes of course are now going to be increased following the broken promises of the Federal Government’s Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers. I will tell you what, you certainly would not trust them to keep their word – their word is worth nothing – but we know with Labor Prime Ministers that is always the case. We have seen many, many Labor Prime Ministers committing to never, ever, ever introduce taxes. Keating, Gillard and Albanese are all cut from the same lying cloth.

In terms of the new taxes, there are some big ones: emergency services tax, GP payroll tax, schools tax, short-stay tax, windfall gains tax, vacant residential land tax – all taxes introduced under this shameful Government. I want to talk about our alternative, and our leader outlined our 10-year economic vision. It is a vision that Victorians can believe in, rely on and trust. It is a vision that they can see from us, I hope, and feel sure about.

They can see an Opposition who will deliver good Government, who will fix the books and, in doing so, fix the State. What we have committed to is delivering a cash surplus by 2032, responsibly and in a way where we can make broader decisions to make sure we fix this state – not a fake surplus that has only been written into the books because of a dodgy backroom deal with a Labor donor, and we know that is what Labor has done, but a real surplus.

We have also committed to expanding upon our five strong tax cuts that we have previously announced, with two more. I want to spend a moment talking about those, because they are significant announcements, frankly game-changing announcements, that build to a tax cut narrative that Victorians have been hoping for and that business can rely on. If we can get the private sector to trust this future coalition government to bring money back into this state, this state will absolutely fly. We have committed to an increase in the payroll tax threshold of $1.1 million in year 1, $1.2 million in year 2 and a reduction in metropolitan payroll tax to 4.8 per cent in year 4, which will deliver relief to 23,000 Victorian businesses. For the most part that is 23,000 families, so you are talking about the best part of a hundred-thousand people who will be positively affected by that. It means the cost of hiring someone else is lower, bringing another Victorian into a job, because that is what we should be aiming for – encouraging the private sector to grow so they can hire more Victorians. Everyone wins, except the Labor Government and the public sector.

Secondly, our land tax relief package. This is important because there have been immoral decisions taken by this Government on land tax – not just wrong, not just financially wrong, but immoral. We will lift the land tax threshold back to $300,000 progressively. That will help 270,000 taxpayers. I have spoken about it in this house. I remember receiving contact, when the Government made that change, from a nurse, a single mum of a primary school–aged boy, who bought a one-bedroom apartment for her son. Her hope was that if she did extra shifts, by the time he became 20, in her mind, she would have paid off that one-bedroom apartment and she could give that to her son. The threshold change meant she was forced to sell it. I remember talking to her on the phone and she was crying her eyes out because she was a hardworking nurse who was doing extra shifts to give something to her son, and that is what this Government took away. We talk about numbers in this place, but our announcement on land tax means that nurse in my community has hope that they can build for their family’s future. That is what we believe in as a Coalition. We want to say to people like that constituent of mine: ‘If you work hard, we’ll back you. If you work hard, we’re not going to tax you.’ That is the difference: Labor taxes you; we will back you. That is why this particular commitment means so much to me, because I know how much it means to residents, not only in my community but more broadly. The average saving from that commitment is $975 a year. That is a big, big saving to mum-and-dad investors, and we know that it is mum-and-dad investors, mostly, almost solely, who will be affected by that.

We have also talked about a hiring freeze in certain sections of the back office of the public service. The Government has tried to start a scare campaign on that, but we know that Victorians can see straight through it.

The public service has grown by 60 per cent in 10 years. At the same time population growth has been just under 20 per cent. Victorians know there is a problem. In fact the Premier and Treasurer have admitted there is a problem, and that is why not only have they admitted a problem, but, as the Premier said, she has cut thousands of public service workers.

More than that – this is one of the most immoral parts not only of the Budget but of budget management and economic management more broadly – we know, in terms of budget management, the Government has also overseen at least $15 billion, but up to $30 billion, of corruption of Government money on Government projects and a Premier who has refused to look at where the money has gone and find it. How can you admit to corruption and corrupted money under your watch and then refuse to look for it? I think every Victorian knows the answer why. We will hold a Royal Commission, and I have said this: we will hunt people down and we will find the money, because it is not anyone’s money other than Victorians’. Every corrupted dollar has come from a hardworking Victorian, and we will find it. That will be a big difference when people go to vote at the end of this year: this Government does not want to find the corrupted money; we will. We will find the culprits who took that money, and that is a commitment to Victorians.

On top of that, we have committed to acting strongly on the crime crisis with more police. If you break bail, you will face jail; adult crime, adult time – important commitments. But at a local level I would say to the government: again my community has been let down. Brighton Primary School – shocking. We have had a primary school bathroom without a floor for a year – disgraceful. We have got no police station open at night. PSOs have just been ripped off our train stations, and the Government is trying to shove 20-storey towers into my community because of how much this Government hates my community.

This Government has got it wrong, but Victorians have a chance in November to fix this State. A Liberals–Nationals coalition will fix this State. This Budget is a shameful disgrace, but in November every Victorian will have the chance to fix Victoria.