Thursday, 1 August 2024

Government performance

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (10:44): As a result of the government’s decade of waste and mismanagement, Victorian home owners are paying the price. Labor cannot manage money, and debt is at a record high. As a result, cost-of-living pressures are getting worse, but as they get worse this government punishes Victorians through higher, unfair taxes. A very real example comes from a retired constituent of mine who has lived on his property for over 30 years and is being hit by this new tax. He recently received a windfall gains assessment valued at over $30,000 due to land rezoning. This constituent did not initiate rezoning, nor was he even aware of it occurring, nor is he trying to make a buck, but he has been ordered to cough up $30,000 within eight weeks of receiving the notice. If the payer cannot afford to pay up-front, they can elect to defer, but doing so incurs accrued interest. In this instance this adds up to potentially an additional $18,866 over 10 years on top of what this constituent is already forced to pay through no fault of his own. All the while this government wastes billions of dollars and is then rorted by organised crime via the big rotten build projects. It is the government’s massive waste and mismanagement that has left us with a bill of $187 billion of debt in Victoria, and families, retirees, mums and dads – everyone – are being shaken down by this rotten government.