The national security failures of the Labor government continue.
Despite imploring Labor before the last election not to change our immigration laws, Labor set about weakening them anyway. The consequences have been considerable. There was even an extraordinary admission that they'd lost control of Australia's immigration system and now they're seeking to rush through last minute legislation. This follows revelations that the Government had removed monitoring from some of the dangerous foreign criminals they released into the community.
There were also very concerning reports that Labor had removed intelligence and security agency heads from the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
The harsh reality of Labor’s cost-of-living crisis was also apparent with research released by financial group, Finder, showing that one in five Australians have no savings while nearly half have $1,000 or less in savings. One of the reasons is Labor breaking its promise to reduce household energy prices by $275. Instead, we're paying among the most expensive energy bills in the world.
The fact is that Australians are now paying so much more - 23% more personal income tax, interest payments on mortgages have increased by 39.4% and Australia is now in a “GDP per capita” recession.
Despite the ongoing housing crisis, Labor actually allowed 125,000 arrivals in January alone which just put more pressure on housing. The question many are asking is “How big can Labor’s Big Australia get?”.
The Coalition has introduced a Bill that will crack down on social media posts depicting crimes for the purpose of increasing notoriety. While state governments have responsibility for policing and criminal sentencing, this is a practical way to target one of the dark sides of social media where youth criminals are boasting about the violence and harm they cause. We’ve seen cases of this on the Gold Coast and I call on Labor to get on board and support this important policy.
On a far more positive note, I’ve spent a lot of time this month visiting and talking with local business owners, including some that have operated for decades. Our local small businesses create so many jobs for local residents and I strongly encourage you to shop locally, whether it’s in our local stores or when visiting local markets.
It was also great to visit Marymount College and chat to students about Civics. It’s so important for our next generation to learn about our Australian flag, Constitution, voting, and the different levels of government.
Until next month,
