Last week, a number of concerning facts were revealed in Senate Estimates in Parliament.
1. Labor has deceived Australians about returning ISIS brides
Labor knew in June the ISIS brides would be returning. They then refused to tell Australians any had actually arrived.
Now Labor won’t say how many more are returning or when they are due.
Labor told Australians they would not be helping the ISIS brides.
They now admit providing assistance, including with passports and citizenship papers.
Community safety must come first. Australians deserve to know where these ISIS members are now, what security checks were done and what protections are in place.
2. Labor let us down with the Triple Zero outage
Last week it was revealed e-mails sent by Optus reporting the Triple Zero outage, went to an address that wasn’t monitored. They were also copied to the Minister’s office.
We also know after an outage in 2023, advice was provided to the government to establish a “Triple Zero Custodian”. The Government sat on this recommendation.
Australians need confidence in our Triple Zero system. That’s why Coalition has called for a full independent investigation.
3. The CFMEU has been meeting with Mick Gatto and John Setka
Last week it was revealed the CFMEU has been meeting with Mick Gatto and John Setka, despite being in “Administration”.
The CFMEU adds significant costs to housing and infrastructure paid for by taxpayers.
Yet Labor is hopelessly conflicted. The head of the Victorian branch is still a member of the ALP National Executive.
4. Medicare out of pocket costs keep rising
Health officials told Parliament, the average patient contribution for a GP service (at the end of 2024-25) was $49.14 and was expected to rise next year.
This is despite Labor’s promise prior the election that GP visits would be “free”.
5. Debt will soon reach $1 trillion
Treasury Officials revealed Australia currently has $960 billion in debt. This is expected to rise to $1 trillion next year.
Under Labor, spending has increased from 24% to 27% of GDP – the highest level outside a recession in nearly 40 years.
Australia deserves better than this.
