Opposition vows to make sure Albanese government is ‘held to account’ for their lies

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Let's stick on these changes. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, he introduced that bill as I said at the beginning of the program of lies and exaggeration to the house today to change negative gearing and capital gains tax. He told the house that he was proud to obviously deliver this legislation. Well, since he's delivered that budget, I'm not sure he's too proud about how the debate's going.

[00:00:22]Joining me now, Shadow Regional Health Minister Anne Webster. Good to talk to you. Thanks for your time. Um that little clip I just showed there of Chalmers and Burke talking while the Attorney-General's making a very important point at the dispatch box, didn't show much respect for the person doing her job on the day, I wouldn't have thought.

[00:00:44]>> Well, they don't.

[00:00:45]This is the most arrogant government and the hubris that the Labor government is showing to to their own ministers for goodness sake. They're so good at giving lectures and moral higher ground. And you know, if we look at this budget, what a classic that they could go to an election without even mentioning, well, actually saying that they won't make changes. And here they are, they've made the chambers at changes and there's nothing to see here. It does my head in and the fact that we now have ruling that we effectively gagged from calling their behavior out for what it is, which is lying.

[00:01:32]And the government has lied to the people of Australia and they ought to be held to account for it and that is our job in opposition to do exactly that.

[00:01:43]>> Look, I was very surprised also about Milton Dick's ruling on the word lie. I mean, he went back over various speakers through history and said that they'd made a similar ruling, but surely you as a party and you as a a member of the House of Representatives in question time, if you get up and say to the Prime Minister in a question, you lied to the Australian people before the election about capital gains tax and negative gearing, there's nothing wrong at all with that question. It's perfectly legitimate.

[00:02:16]>> Well, it's it's a statement of fact.

[00:02:18]That's the problem here.

[00:02:20]>> Correct.

[00:02:20]>> And it it is our job to actually make those statements of fact and to call out the government. I I don't know whether your viewers understand that role.

[00:02:32]People like politicians to be nice and to get along and you know, not play tough. Well, this is unfortunately, as we are seeing with the Albanese government, a dirty game and they have taken the Australian people on as mugs and we will absolutely call them out. I mean, you talked about CGT changes, Steve, and I have, you know, incredibly respected business people, small business people in Mildura, Peter and Fiona De Villi, who have run a highly respected business for 35 years.

[00:03:11]They wrote to me yesterday. They are so deeply distressed because they have invested so much. They have employed and grown their employment to 75 from 17 35 years ago.

[00:03:26]They are investing in their community.

[00:03:28]They highly respected members of the community and here the government is effectively penalizing them without a word of it prior to the election.

[00:03:38]Without a word other than saying, "No, no, no, nothing to see here. We won't be making these changes." Well, they are experiencing this now and to say that they are feeling deflated is um, you know, it it doesn't really express it.

[00:03:54]People are very worried about these changes and ultimately it is labor doing labor things. Uh, they are a socialist government. They want bigger government and they ultimately want a and a government economy. They don't want private enterprise. If they did, they would be doing much better than they are now.

[00:04:15]>> Uh, and you had Matt Canavan and and others up uh, in your region uh, I think last week. Uh, the renewables debate. We talk about it on Chris's show all the time, on Peter's show all the time. Uh, companies trying to run roughshod over people's farms. You've even got the Victorian government, you know, threatening to throw people into jail if they don't let uh, the transmission line company onto their property.

[00:04:38]Uh, what did you show uh, your leader and others when you had them in your area?

[00:04:45]>> Yeah, thanks Steve. I had uh, Matt Canavan and Darren Chester, the deputy leader of the Nationals and also Danny O'Brien, the leader of the Nationals in Victoria, uh, come to St. Arnaud, uh, a little town in my electorate. Uh, 220 farmers turned up who have been fighting for their right to farm for years. For years and I have stood with them and developed legislation at federal level uh, to protect prime agricultural land from exactly this kind of railroading that has been going on.

[00:05:21]They are a uh, a pretty they have been, I should say, a very devastated farming community and they represent they've now got 50,000 followers uh, and so they're not a small uh, not-for-profit so to speak. They actually represent a lot of farmers around the country. Matt Canavan came down to announce that we >> There's a lot of anger there. I mean, I I've talked to these people on the ground and I think I think you're doing an outstanding job and you should keep going and I think the rest of the country starting to get bloody annoyed about this net zero and farmers being railroaded. And thanks for your time, appreciate it very much.