Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026; Second Reading

Payman questioned the value for money of government spending, citing that no wage theft cases had been referred to police despite significant funding for investigations. Payman criticised the awarding of a $16 million contract to Accenture for the Australian Climate Service after a previous Bureau of Meteorology website project went significantly over budget. Payman also highlighted widespread non-compliance by government agencies with AI transparency policies and the cancellation of the AI advisory body and Australian Space Agency Advisory Board, arguing these decisions wasted taxpayer money and undermined regulatory oversight.

Kovacic argued that the government’s spending was driving inflation and interest rates higher than in other advanced economies, leading to a collapse in living standards. Kovacic cited economists who attributed rising inflation to strong public demand growth caused by government expenditure. Kovacic stated that families were paying significantly more on mortgages and that productivity had declined, leaving young Australians with a greater debt burden and reduced home ownership prospects. Kovacic called for the government to focus on cutting regulation and reducing energy prices rather than expanding parliament.

Roberts criticised the allocation of $2.9 billion for net zero measures, arguing that such projects were financially unsustainable and lacked private sector interest. Roberts claimed that off-the-books spending on net zero initiatives had reached $33 billion and warned of the long-term costs of maintaining and replacing renewable energy infrastructure. Roberts argued that there were no legal requirements for remediation of wind and solar sites, unlike mining projects, and stated that the total economic cost of the net zero transition was estimated in the trillions. Roberts contended that the government was funneling taxpayer money into schemes that would result in financial losses.