Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (11:27): I rise today to speak about the disastrous Albanese Labor government's budget. This is bad for Australians, it's bad for rural and regional Australians and it's particularly bad for my people in my electorate of Dawson. Just before the budget came out, there was an announcement that it was going to be a budget for the Bruce. For those who don't know, the Bruce Highway basically connects Brisbane to Cairns and Queensland. It's how all the farmers up north get their produce down to market. It's how people get their supplies up from the city. And it's how families get around and keep themselves safe. It's also how the tourists and the grey nomads travel up and down the coast, particularly in the wintertime. Right in the middle of it is Dawson, my electorate. From Mackay up to Townsville, right in the middle section of the Bruce Highway, is where my people live. There have been two reports put out recently. One of them had to be required under freedom of information, and it gives star ratings, which go up to a five-star rating. That particular section of the Bruce Highway in my electorate of Dawson only gets to a two. It needs a lot of work. There is another report which shows it's one of the most dangerous sections of all of the Bruce Highway. So where would you think the money would go? Where would you prioritise? How much did the electorate of Dawson get for my section of the Bruce Highway—for my people's section of the Bruce Highway? A doughnut: absolutely nothing! It's unbelievable! Let's explore where the money did go. The money went to a bloated bureaucracy, to increase more bureaucrats in Canberra—36,000 more bureaucrats in Canberra at a cost of over $24 billion over the forwards. I have a little bit for those opposite about how the real world works if you have a project—say that you want to fill a pothole. In my electorate of Dawson, there's no shortage of potholes that need filling on the Bruce Highway. You have the boss, the middle management, the foreman and then the labourer who actually fills the pothole. But after a couple of days with the pothole not getting filled, what's Labor's answer? 'We need more bureaucracy; we need to add another layer to the four lines. Then we have the boss, senior management, middle management, the foreman and then the labourer. What happens? Everything just goes round and round and round in circles, and nothing actually happens. It all gets chewed up in the internal bureaucracy. Mr Hill: A bit like this speech! Mr WILLCOX: But what do they do? What would the Nationals do? What do they do in private enterprise? This would be good for the member for Bruce to hear: they actually cut one of the layers out so that then the boss tells the foreman to tell the labourer, 'Mate, you need to fill that pothole.' That's how you get things done. You don't get things done by sending internal emails going round and round and round in circles. Don't worry, I understand what you do—I understand what those opposite do. They flatten everyone's tyres—they flatten every Australian's tyres and then they say, 'We'll give you a little bit of air for it and you'll be grateful.' That's exactly what they've done with electricity prices. Say that your tyre is 35 psi. Let the tyres down one day and then turn up the next day with a little compression and say: 'Oh, five or 10 psi. That'll be enough to get them by.' That's exactly what they've done with electricity prices. For most of the people in my area, electricity has gone up by over $1,000 a year—$1,000 a year!—and what have they done? Given them $300 and expected them to be grateful. How fantastic is that? Absolutely amazing! It's disastrous budget, but don't just take my word for it. Ross Gittins said in the Sydney Morning Herald: This does not fill me with confidence in the Albanese government's capability. Quite the reverse. And from Cherelle Murphy from Ernst & Young: This budget discards fiscal discipline, structural repair and policy reform, and does little to drive productivity growth. It's a bad budget, it's bad for Australians and it needs to be rethought. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mrs Andrews ): The time allotted for this debate has— Mr Rob Mitchell: I know you want to get rid of me, Karen, but come on! The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I beg your pardon! The question is that the motion be agreed to, and I call the member for McEwan!