De-Anne Kelly (Dawson, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary Trade) Share this | Hansard source

You’ve worn them! The member for Hinkler: sartorial splendour! Average mortgage rates have not been that low for 30 years. The small business lending rate now is down from 14.25 per cent to 8.75 per cent.

What about Australians at work? I can recall doorknocking before the 1996 election. As I went from house to house, guess what I found? Generally the person who answered the door was an unemployed young person, someone at home watching a video, looking pretty disappointed with their lot. I can recall handing out how-to-vote cards at polling booths where there were very disgruntled young people coming through. If you talked to them they did not have a job. The youth unemployment rate was some 30 per cent. It is one of the great shames of the Labor Party’s time in government that they did not give a future to young Australians.

The number of Australians at work—I will refer to my own electorate shortly—now totals some 10 million. The unemployment rate has fallen from 8.2 per cent in March 1996 down to 5.1 per cent. The figure for the long-term unemployed has fallen from 197,800 to 95,800, so much so that we now have programs looking at the long-term unemployed. Certainly it is difficult to take people who may have drug and alcohol problems, as they have in Mackay, perhaps living under a bridge, and get them used to a work ethic. It is a long, hard road, but I am very pleased to see that a number of the employment agencies in Mackay are giving real hope to the long-term unemployed.

What about household wealth? Household wealth has increased from $2.048 billion in 1996 to $4.553 billion. That means the average Australian now has a stake in their own future. They own a home or are paying off a home. They have considerable assets. They are far more prosperous. It is a great thing to see young people in my electorate, perhaps 20, with a new car, a mobile phone and looking to put down a deposit on a house, looking at a prosperous and secure future with a place to raise their own family.

What about waterfront crane rates? I recall that it was said that they could never improve from 16.9 per hour. The rate is now 27.7, helping our exporters considerably with lower costs and a far more efficient waterfront.

I want to now talk specifically about the budget. In our budget there is $2.3 billion for AusLink, including Roads to Recovery. This is significant assistance for roads like Farrellys Lane, which is a major turn-off from the Bruce Highway into Paget in Mackay. Mackay is now the largest coal exporting port in the world. It is significant for us to be able to ensure that port access is efficient. I look forward to some of the AusLink money being spent in Mackay to make sure that our exports travel efficiently.

I want to talk about taxpayers as well. With the coal boom in my electorate, I am very pleased to see that hardworking coalminers and others in the seat of Dawson will benefit from new tax scales. It was only six years ago that the top marginal tax rate cut in at $50,000. That is changing. We are now looking at new tax scales. This low tax scale will be 15 per cent to $25,000, 30 per cent to $75,000, 40c in the dollar to $150,000 and 45c in the dollar for above $150,000. What a change! What an incentive for people in the electorate of Dawson who work hard, who work four days on, four days off or who may work shift work.

For senior Australians there are also benefits. They are eligible for a tax offset, which means they will pay no tax up to $24,867 for singles and $41,360 for couples. Families will now be able to earn up to $40,000 a year without having their part A entitlement reduced. These are significant benefits for families. I would like to talk about older Australians for a moment. This was the first government to tie the age pension to male average weekly earnings. Again, I remind constituents of what the single pension rate used to be back in 1996. In 1996 the total single pension rate, taking into account the pharmaceutical allowance, was $8,873.80. The married rate at that time was $7,355.40. Now, 10 years later, thanks to the coalition government, we are looking at a total single pension rate of $13,143 and a total married pension rate, obviously per person, of $10,922.60. Why? Because for the first time we have indexed it to real earnings.

The government has removed the cap on the number of child-care places that can be provided. Child-care fees of eligible parents on welfare, while they are looking for work or completing training, will be paid in full by the Commonwealth. These changes mean that, for the first time, there is a real opportunity. If a mother wants to go back to work to top up the family’s income, there will be no cap on the number of places that can be provided.

For those selfless people in the community who care for someone with a disability, there is a one-off payment of a $1,000 lump sum carer bonus. In Dawson, 800 selfless carers will get that $1,000 carer payment, and another 2,600 recipients of the carer allowance will receive a $600 one-off bonus. This is a significant recognition of the enormous contribution these carers make to caring for those in our community who are unable to care for themselves.

I now come to skill shortages. I would say that the rarest thing in Dawson at the moment is probably a young person with skills. We are really chasing young people with skills. The Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, Mr Hardgrave, has visited the Dawson electorate and we are delighted with the support he is putting into apprenticeships and training. There are now 3,500 people in the region who are undertaking apprenticeships and training. That is to be augmented by the removal of barriers to a nationally recognised training system. Only recently I visited three young people—Jai Bailey, Joshua Ribaldone and Ryan McKenzie—all of whom are looking at federally funded training programs to give them the opportunity to become electrical apprentices and boilermakers. For young people to get that training and be able to see themselves in a secure career in the future is a tremendous outcome. Training features of the budget include: an allocation of $2.5 billion for training and apprenticeships, which is a significant investment in our young people; $106.7 million over four years for New Apprenticeships Centres; $53 million over four years to create a nationally recognised apprenticeship program; and $6 million being allocated to the national skills shortage strategy—which, with businesses, will find solutions to address current and future skills shortages.

I will turn very briefly to doctors. I am very pleased to see that Minister Abbott is investing in funding medical graduates. Since 1996, in Queensland the number of medical graduates has increased by 25 per cent, while the population has increased by only 21 per cent. This government has put in three new medical schools, with 160 funded places. We are putting in the hard dollars to create medical graduates in Queensland. But I am disappointed to say that, unfortunately, this is not matched by the Queensland Beattie government.

In the last three years, in Queensland, 2,462 out of 4,000 doctors have resigned. You have to ask yourself why, out of a total of 4,000 doctors, 2,462 would resign. The reason is that Queensland Health is an appalling system to work in. Why would that be? Recently, in 2004-05, the Queensland government hired 4,853 public servants—and how many doctors did it hire? It hired 123. Public servants are great people, and we work with many fine ones in Canberra. But I will tell you what: if you need medical care, you need a doctor; you do not need more public servants.

The fact is that 90 per cent of first- and second-year registrars in Queensland refused to renew their contracts. The reality is that the amount of money the Beattie government says they are going to commit to this is not going to change a system which is awash with public servants, is bureaucratic, has red tape and is an appalling workplace environment for medical graduates. I am delighted that this federal government is doing all that it can to increase the number of medical graduates and the number of medical schools, but the reality is that until Queensland Health lifts its game the crisis in Queensland is going to continue.

I would now like to return to senior Australians. I am delighted that the Treasurer has addressed the intergenerational challenge that we face—the reality that there will be fewer younger Australians to pay the way for an ageing Australia. The sensible thing to do, of course, is to encourage senior Australians to provide for their own retirement and take responsibility for themselves where they can. The superannuation changes are going to go a long way to addressing that. At the core of this plan for intergenerational change is a proposal to exempt Australians aged 60 or over from any tax on their end benefits where those are paid from a superannuation fund. This will apply from July 2007. That means no tax on a lump sum or a superannuation pension. This is a tremendous incentive for all Australians, but particularly for older Australians and for the self-employed, to invest in super to provide for their own retirement. It will boost national savings significantly.

I will now deal specifically with the seat of Dawson. Minister Dutton has delivered a sound outcome for the Airlie Beach charter boat industry. As you would know, Mr Deputy Speaker, Airlie Beach has more beds on the water than it does on land. The Whitsunday charter boat industry is world renowned. Many overseas visitors fly to the Whitsundays to go game fishing and to rent for a week or a few days one of our magnificent modern charter vessels and go out to 76 tropical islands. Charter boat owners will no longer be at risk of having their charter business effectively closed down by the ATO because of an arbitrary level of profit to be declared as the criterion for a legitimate business. Charter boat owners, like every other business in Australia, will have to prove on the existing criteria that they are running a legitimate business, but 50 per cent of them will not be at risk, as they were, of closure due to some arbitrary profit limit arrived at by the ATO. This is a great relief to the hundreds of charter boat operators at Airlie Beach, whose whole industry was at risk. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the chairman of the Whitsunday Bareboat Operators Association, Mr Adrian Pelt, the secretary, Annie Judd, as well as numerous others, particularly Minister Dutton, who gave us a very good hearing.

I would now like to talk about recreational fishing grants. There is a huge recreational fishing industry in the seat of Dawson. The region has already successfully applied for four projects under the program totalling $234,394, which were funded. We have looked at successful projects, such as the Molongle Creek boat ramp, which received $41,500 for a community activities area; the Home Hill Boat Club, which received $18,394 to improve fishing amenities at Groper Creek; and many others. I am very pleased to see that this very successful program is already being supported with additional funding in years to come.

Illegal fishing, however, is a concern for our fishers, and there is $389 million over four years in the budget to deal with illegal fishing to protect the nation’s fish stocks from foreign poachers. It is very important that we ensure that, with the fishing areas open to Australian fishers, those are not exploited by foreigners. I am delighted to see this initiative in the budget.

In terms of more Dawson initiatives, there is $9.7 million for financial counselling. I would like to mention the George Street Neighbourhood Centre, which has a very good financial counselling service. It provides that not only for farmer but for others. During tough times, people can be very reluctant to approach friends or perhaps an accountant if they are in financial crisis. The George Street Neighbourhood Centre has done an outstanding job in financial counselling. I am very pleased to see this additional funding for financial counselling.

In terms of Roads to Recovery, I would like to mention the funding for some of our shires: Mackay City Council will get an additional $1.7 million; Burdekin, $835,000; Bowen, $826,000; Mirani, $297,000; Sarina, $334,000; and Whitsunday, $495,000. Again, this will enable them to take on Roads to Recovery initiatives within Dawson. This will add to the already extensive work being done on the Bruce Highway—Wilmington Overpass, something that has been near and dear to the hearts of many of those near the town of Bowen, and $10 million for the realignment of the Bruce Highway at The Leap.

I would like to talk now in the time left to me about the resources boom in Dawson. I am pleased to see that there is now $100 million in addition to that already committed to develop clean energy technology as part of the Asia-Pacific partnership. It is absolutely vital that we look at more initiatives to ensure the continued success of our coal export industry in Australia and, particularly, in my electorate. Dawson is the coalmining powerhouse into the future.

This is a sensible way to approach the responsibility of greenhouse gas abatement. Under the Labor Party, they are going to sign the Kyoto protocol, a tax on coal exports. As many of the major mineral and coal exporters out of Australia have said to me, they would move their capacity offshore. You do not build a nation by closing down its major resource industries as the Labor Party have proposed; the way to build a future is to look at technological ways of ensuring abatement of greenhouse gases. I might add that Australia has met its greenhouse gas abatement targets, but it is very important to see in the budget that there are more initiatives to ensure that that good work continues.

In terms of the post resources boom, obviously in my electorate the community of Bowen are working hard to ensure that they are in line to secure the Chalco refinery in Queensland. I am very supportive of their initiatives in that regard. Chalco is looking at taking up a bauxite lease in Aurukun, and we will be looking at a greenfields refinery.

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