John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

because that is the nature of the nation and that is the nature of the American people. This nation has every reason to be very proud of our friendship with the people of the United States, although on a lot of issues we approach things rather differently. That applies in relation to the social welfare system of this country, where this nation has struck the right balance between the overpaternalistic social welfare structure of Europe and some of the less desirable laissez-faire features of the social welfare structure of the United States. When it comes to the social security safety net, the Australian way is the best way.

In relation to the particular question asked by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, let me remind the House that HECS was introduced by the Labor Party when it was in government. We supported it, once again illustrating that when Labor brought in something that was good when it was in government we supported it, unlike the approach taken by the Labor Party in opposition. In relation to the OECD examination, I do not accept the conclusion drawn by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I point out to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that in real terms Australia’s public expenditure on educational institutions increased by 32 per cent between 1995 and 2003—

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