Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Having heard the previous Labor speaker but one, I am now absolutely convinced that the federal Labor Party still genuinely believes in socialism. The shadow minister, the member for Rankin, really ought to know better, especially since he has a PhD in economics. In this country, we want to encourage people who are on welfare to get off it. It is not in their interest to stay on welfare and it is not in the national interest of this country. This government certainly takes the preferable policy position of trying to encourage Australians who are able to work to get off welfare and to make a contribution to the economy and to their own lifestyle and self-esteem. If anyone believes that the Labor Party with a new leader is any different to the old Labor Party, I am very sorry to say that they will be terribly disappointed.

Recently, I was asked why I thought the Howard government had had the privilege of being elected on four successive occasions. I thought about it and the two words that came to mind were ‘political courage’. This government has the courage to make decisions. This government has the capacity to make the difficult calls. This government has implemented policy which, quite frankly, has been very unpopular but really has been in the national interest. The shame of it all is that the Labor Party, throughout its decade in opposition, has known deep in its heart that it was taking the wrong position and that the coalition government was taking the right position. It still refused in a very churlish fashion to support the initiatives and policies that the Howard government was implementing.

Nothing was more significant than the decision of the Howard government to introduce sweeping taxation reforms, which included a very contentious GST. But we all know that that was in the national interest, and Queensland Labor Premier Peter Beattie was the very first to sign on the dotted line. The GST now brings in excess of $7 billion into the coffers of the Queensland Labor government. Unfortunately, they are squandering it—

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