Opened the debate
Aldred argued that small businesses were suffering from cash flow issues and bill shock, with the Australian Taxation Office rejecting payment plan requests despite earlier government assurances of compassion. Aldred stated that the Victorian government had broken its promise to fund and build the West Gippsland hospital, with no construction having commenced since the 2022 pledge. Aldred contended that state restrictions on native timber harvesting forced reliance on imported timber, while the failure to develop a coal-to-fertiliser project in the Latrobe Valley damaged Australia's sovereign investment reputation. Aldred warned that renewable energy zoning on 1.8 million hectares of prime farmland threatened food security and national security. Finally, she demanded mandatory minimum timeframes for superannuation death benefit payouts, citing ASIC reports that processing issues caused significant delays for thousands of Australians.