I share the frustration felt by Swan Hill families and businesses with government inaction on the cost of living and doing business.

Australia now has the worst small business insolvency rate in recent memory – over 11,000 failed businesses last financial year, and the most recent reporting quarter saw the worst number of insolvencies on record – 3,331.    On average 2,481 businesses fail every quarter under the Albanese Labor government - over 22,800 businesses have failed across the nation since they were elected. Quarterly insolvencies never went over 2,000 nationally under any Coalition Government from the Howard era forward.  In fact, insolvencies were just 1,376 in the last term of the former Coalition government. Under every Labor government since Howard, business failures average over 2,330 per quarter.

Labor have also failed on housing, where the pressures are acute in Swan Hill. Families are struggling to buy their own home or pay the high cost of rent.

The Coalition has pledged a $5 billion Housing Infrastructure Programme if we form government, to unlock 500,000 more homes nationwide through infrastructure grants and loans.  Home building nationwide has stalled due to a lack of funding for the essential enabling infrastructure, such as water, sewerage, telecommunications and roads.

Under the Albanese Labor Government, building approvals have fallen to their lowest level in over a decade, dropping 8.8 per cent to just 158,690 new starts in the last reporting year. The same Government brought in over 1,000,000 migrants in their first two years in office, yet only 350,000 homes have been constructed in that time.

The Coalition will freeze any expansion of the National Construction Code for 10 years, which currently imposes an extra $60,000 on the price of a new home.  We will further reduce red tape so that owning your first home is even more affordable.

On a return to Government, the Coalition’s strong record on housing and economic management will help families and small businesses settle and thrive in Mallee.