Written by Mark Nicholson

Both the Liberal and Labor parties have been on a spending spree, trying to buy your vote with your money. They're both out there committing billions of dollars they know they don't have. One Nation refuses to join this bidding war. The only thing we're bidding for is a budget back in order, because Victoria can't afford another four years of reckless spending.

$175 billion.

That's the current debt, and we’re on track to $200 billion by 2030. That's about $24,500 for every man, woman (and everything in between) and child in the state. The interest alone is $24 million every single day. A million dollars every hour. That’s a new hospital every month, lost to interest.

So whenever you hear them committing money to a project you don't care about, or tax cuts for some slice of society you're not part of, or dangling free stuff in your face, you should hear the sound of a cash register. Actually, these days it's the beep when you tap your credit card. Now imagine owing $200 billion on that card. You'd wince every time you went to tap. They don't. They never hesitate. Because it's not their card. It's ours.

With the state in this kind of shape, going on a spending spree is not just financially irresponsible. It’s morally repugnant. And yet Labor keeps on spending. Free dental (which is really just ten walk-in clinics, mind you). Free abortions. Capped public transport fares. Capped tolls. Free, free, free! Capped, capped, capped!

I don't think it's controversial to say Labor can't be trusted with our credit card any more. They got us into this mess. And we’re sure as hell not going to let them try and spend their way out of it.

Now, the Coalition. They've been on a spending spree too, but surely they've been more conservative, right? Let's check the receipts.

$10 billion?!

That's right.

RMIT economist David Hayward went through the Coalition's numbers. He worked out they've committed to about $7 billion in tax cuts (which you and I probably won't get) and $3.4 billion in new spending. That's more than $10 billion in commitments. That’s money they know they don't have. Then, with a straight face, Jess Wilson promises a surplus by 2032.

I’m sorry. I'm not buying it. Are you?

Labor has been carrying on like that Doors Doors Doors ad, screaming "Everything's free! Everything must go!" The Liberals have simply turned around and pulled a Bunnings: "We'll beat it by 10 per cent."

And the campaign has barely started. Over the next five weeks they'll both be offering you more free stuff. They think you're too stupid to work out that free dental is paid for by you. Free fares are paid for by you. And the interest on the debt is paid for by your kids.

Victoria doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem. Spring Street already takes plenty from you: land tax, stamp duty, and an emergency services levy slapped on your rates notice. Every extra dollar they've ever taken, they've found a way to spend.

And Victorians know it. You know your power bill, your rent, your insurance and your weekly shop all keep going up. You also know that when government spends like there's no tomorrow, somebody pays. It's you, through higher taxes, higher charges, and the services that get cut when the money runs out.

Even business is nervous. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry looked at this year's election spending and said: "We simply don't have an accurate enough picture of what the true debt situation is in Victoria."

Nobody can tell us how deep the hole really is. The budget papers Victorians get to see are a political document, written by bureaucrats and politicians to tell the story the government wants told.

That's why One Nation will do something the uniparty never will. We'll open the books and publish the true financial position of Victoria. Before anyone spends another dollar, we need to know what state we're in, and we'll show you exactly what we find.

Then we'll rebuild the budget. Every dollar must justify itself. The essentials get paid for first, and frontline services are protected: police, nurses, teachers, paramedics, firefighters. After that, we work out what's discretionary and what's a luxury we can no longer afford. Every line on the expenses sheet has to earn its place. It's the only way to cut the waste and duplication in the system. We start from scratch and rebuild.

And we won't do it in a dark back room. We'll do it in the open. Full transparency.

We'll build YourMoney.vic.gov.au, where you'll see every dollar as it's spent. Just as you can with your own bank statement. We're going to start treating public money like it's your money. Because it is.

That includes every state project, in full public view. The business case. The tender. Every bid. The contract. Every variation, published within 30 days with the name of whoever signed it. Every invoice. Every payment.

Just imagine if that existed right now. No more hiding behind "commercial in confidence". No more jobs for the boys. No more waiting years to find out $15 billion of Big Build money may have been lost to union corruption and organised crime.

So rather than stepping up to a podium every day with a novelty cheque, we're going to get the full picture of Victoria's finances, and put a process in place so we never end up here again.

This is an entirely new way of governing. One that isn't afraid to give you the transparency you deserve, and that treats public money like it’s your money.

We’re offering Victoria a real deal this election. We’re not going to run around promising free stuff for everyone with money we know we do not have.  We don’t think you’re that stupid.

One Nation isn’t going to bribe you for your vote. We want to earn it.