Government performance
Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (13:01): I rise today to talk about some of our debt that is happening here in Victoria. Remember the days we used to talk about millions? I know the member for Sandringham would be very interested, and I have got the member for Malvern here as well, who I know would understand what it was like to try and pay down some of that debt here in Victoria back in the days when we were talking millions. Then we were talking ‘tens of millions’ and ‘hundreds of millions’. I remember the day, sitting around with some of the schoolkids in my electorate who were asking about debt, and I said that I am scared of the day that the words ‘hundreds of millions’ roll off the tongue like it is nothing. Never did I think in my time, whilst I was still in this Parliament, I would be referring to ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ in debt. The government let it roll off their tongues like it is nothing at the same time that those in the growth corridor are having trouble paying for their electricity bills, at a time that those people in the growth corridor are not getting the infrastructure they need and at a time that those in the growth corridor have their rents increase and their house prices go up because a government has lost control of debt and is now taxing not the rich but everyday Victorians to try and cover their incompetence whilst they are in government. It is up to this government now to explain to every person in my electorate why their rent is going up – because of land tax. For those that have gone out and invested and tried to save up their life savings to make sure they can retire well, I ask: why is this government now punishing them?