Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity today to discuss a number of issues regarding the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008 and cognate bills. I would like to begin by congratulating the Treasurer, the Hon. Peter Costello, on delivering yet another excellent budget, the reception of which has been remarkably positive. Not only does this budget deliver for every Australian; it also provides for the financial security of our nation in years to come. This year’s budget provides an underlying cash surplus of $10.6 billion as well as personal tax relief and funding for investment in our nation’s future in projects such as education, agriculture and infrastructure.

This year’s budget has been described as ‘the best received on record’, as the ‘something for everyone budget’, and as ‘delivering many pleasant surprises for many Australians’. But budget nights have not always been synonymous with pleasant surprises and positive reactions. There was once a time when budget night meant tax hikes and increased pressure to stretch the family earnings. Indeed, this government inherited a $96 billion debt, compliments of Labor Party incompetence, when it came into government in 1996. But, since then, the responsible economic management of the Howard government has brought this nation out of debt and created the financial security we enjoy today. It is for this reason that the Howard government has been able to produce yet another surplus budget. I would, therefore, also like to compliment the Prime Minister on the excellent management of what is now a $1.1 trillion economy.

As I have already outlined, the response from the Australian public to this year’s budget has been overwhelmingly positive and this has been particularly visible from those in the electorate of Hume, which I have the honour to represent. I was glad to announce this year’s federal budget in my electorate as a bonanza for all Australians. This is a description which the local media ran with because this budget truly delivered for all, no matter what their income, occupation or residence. As a nation we have never been in a more prosperous situation. However, we live in a country with unpredictable weather patterns and in some areas an often ruthless climate. No-one knows this better than the many farmers in my electorate who have been struggling with the worst drought on record for more than 100 years. The prolonged drought continues to place significant pressure on the resilience and strength of farmers and their families in Hume. Like many other farming communities around the country, these battlers are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the physical, mental and financial challenges this drought has created.

Lack of significant heavy rainfall in much of the drought affected areas of the Hume electorate has also placed considerable pressure on many small and large businesses which service the agricultural sector. The government has recognised the severity and devastating effect the current drought has had on farmers as well as businesses. This is why this year’s budget continues to provide a range of support programs and various services to assist farmers and rural businesses to help ease the burden of the drought.

It is a terrible understatement to suggest that these services are anything short of essential for farmers to manage the financial and emotional strains this drought has created. Every day I receive phone calls from farmers in the Hume electorate who report their increasing frustrations with trying to eke out a livelihood so ultimately dependent on rain. It is therefore pleasing for me to be able to reassure these farmers that the government understands the struggle that they face and has acknowledged the difficult circumstances that their families continue to endure. As part of this reassurance, this budget provides an additional $314 million over three years in exceptional circumstances assistance, including $273 million for primary producers and $42 million for small businesses who service primary producers. This will bring the total expected exceptional circumstances spending to $688 million in 2007-08, which is in addition to the $428 million spent in 2005-06 and an expected $740 million in 2006-07.

Countless farmers wake up every morning to face the huge emotional burden inflicted by another daunting day without rain. Depression and anxiety are becoming widespread throughout many of our farming communities. The number of farmers we lose to suicide increases with every month that passes without rain. This is why the Australian government has provided $13 million over two years to expand counselling and support services, to establish a drought assistance hotline and to provide information to farmers in the region. The new Mental Health Support for Drought-Affected Communities measure will provide crisis counselling services for distressed individuals in drought declared areas, and education and training for clinicians and community leaders. It will also increase the capacity of communities to respond to drought related psychological trauma.

In a local newspaper report, New South Wales Farmers Association President Jock Laurie is reported as being heartened by the additional $314 million for the continuation of exceptional circumstances funding. In the same article he is quoted as saying:

Farmers also welcome funding to establish a School of Dentistry and Oral Health at Charles Sturt University, which will help address the chronic shortage of dentists and oral health workers in rural NSW. For some time the association has been calling for access to comprehensive dental facilities for people in rural areas as well as programs to attract and retain dental health workers and appropriate training facilities and incentives for dentists with rural backgrounds.

It is essential that access to services such as dentists and medical practitioners is retained in our rural and regional communities. Currently there are limited rural training opportunities for dental students to undertake clinical training outside major metropolitan areas. However, people with an interest in rural dental practice will now have the opportunity of undertaking and completing their training in regional New South Wales, as funding will be provided to Charles Sturt University to construct dental education facilities, with 240 new training places for dental and oral health students over five years. Rural communities will significantly benefit from more dentists practising and training within their regions. Significant difficulties have also been recognised in recruiting and retaining GPs in rural and remote areas. The Australian government has recognised this and continues to provide funding for incentive grants, such as the Rural Retention Program, to encourage GPs to move to and stay in rural and remote areas.

While farmers throughout the Hume electorate continue to pray for more rain, what little rain we have seen often creates adverse effects on many roads in Hume which are magnified by the inexperience of many drivers in wet conditions. I am also well aware of the increased number of my constituents who now commute long distances to jobs in towns and cities because of the drought. I am deeply concerned that when we do eventually see this drought break we will see an increase in fatalities on our roads. In February this year a report appeared in the Goulburn Post summing up my concerns. I shall read a segment from that report:

The weekend’s rain may have been a blessing to property owners in this area, but it has create havoc on the Hume Highway. Seven separate accidents occurred within the space of three days, and all were within 50 metres of each other on the notorious section of road near the Carrick and Towrang intersection, 10km north of Goulburn.

As many of my parliamentary colleagues are aware, I have been lobbying for improvements in this particular section of road since 2003. I was therefore greatly pleased to announce, a week after this article appeared, that a $7.4 million project to improve the road safety at Towrang and Carrick roads would finally commence. These improvements will make it easier and safer for traffic from Towrang and Carrick roads to turn onto the southbound lanes of the Hume Highway.

The Australian government will also contribute $60 million in 2007-08 to the Coolac bypass in the electorate of Riverina. The government is fully funding the bypass, at a cost of $179 million. The bypass involves new dual carriageways over almost 12 kilometres of the highway. An adjacent four kilometres of the highway will also be realigned. I raise this particular initiative because I have had a significant interest in the Coolac bypass for over a 19-year period during my time as a state member of parliament and more latterly as the member for Hume in the federal parliament. I congratulate the member for Riverina for her persistence in ensuring that this funding was made available.

This Australian government acknowledges that high-quality, efficient transport infrastructure is essential to Australia’s productivity, economic growth and future prosperity. It also acknowledges that increased funding is needed to reduce accidents and make roads safer. The government is, however, continually frustrated by stupid state government legislation which slows down the construction process. The tragic death of three people in the Yass-Murrumbateman area on the weekend is a clear indication of the considerable need for continued investment in improved safety on our roads. While the government has announced the duplication of the Hume Highway in southern New South Wales, it is up to the state government to start implementing the use of this funding to help decrease the number of people who are killed on our country roads. Their inability to expedite the construction phase of major road projects is an indictment of their incompetence in utilising federal funding. To assist in dramatically reducing road fatalities on our major arterial road corridors, it is essential that when money is made available we expedite the lead-up processes for planning prior to the construction of those roads to ensure that the construction phase is carried out without unnecessary obstructions or delays.

The government has announced that, under the AusLink national network project, contributions will be made to reconstruct and seal Main Road 248 West in the Upper Lachlan Shire. I was very pleased to announce that funding, because when I was a state member the Greiner government in its wisdom saw fit to undertake a project called the three by three project, where 3c per litre of fuel was allocated to local government municipalities over a three-year period to help them catch up on the backlog of roads that were 60 years old and needed some reconstruction to make them safe for people to drive on.

The 152 local councils in New South Wales will also receive $85.6 million in 2007-08 from the AusLink Roads to Recovery program. That is a fantastic program because it recognises the significant contribution that local government makes to its road program; it was finding it very difficult, through its rating processes, to keep funding up to ensure that those roads were kept up to standard. The unincorporated areas of the state will receive $600,000 from the program. In addition, councils will receive $156 million in untied local road grants.

New South Wales will receive $14.3 million in 2007-08 under the AusLink black spot program, which will fix about 93 priority crash locations. I am very pleased to see that many local government areas in the electorate that I represent have taken the initiative to identify and put in appropriate evidence to that program to ensure that they receive funding to assist them in fixing up those black spot areas, where accidents occur reasonably regularly and, more importantly, in contributing to safe road environments for young people, who seem to be having an increasing number of accidents in those black spot areas.

The government will also continue its substantial financial assistance to local governments for the maintenance and preservation of local roads by providing $3.2 billion over the five years from 2009-10 in untied local road grants. This increased funding will contribute to the reduction of deaths on our roads by making them safer. Unlike the New South Wales RTA, local government road building is both efficient and expeditious. That is why the federal government is continuing its Roads to Recovery partnership with local government.

It is estimated that by the year 2020 the number of Australians over the age of 65 will have doubled, from two million to four million—undoubtedly, a number of us in this place will fit into that category in the not-too-distant future—and we will have to provide adequate assistance to maintain that ageing population. The continued support of our elderly requires careful economic management and planning now. This budget provides funding of $1.6 billion to secure the future of aged care for Australians. This funding further reforms the aged-care system to increase the availability and fairness of aged care over the next five years.

We also need to be able to support our current older Australians, our retirees, our pensioners and our veterans. We must continue to respect their dignity and the important contribution that they have made to this country. That is why the budget has delivered for older Australians through additional payments for seniors, carers and veterans. This budget will help to improve the standard of living of veterans and war widows.

In Hume we have a number of branches of the organisation Legacy. This organisation provides a uniquely Australian service through its provision of financial, emotional and social support for the loved ones left behind by those who gave their lives to serve our country and defend our freedom. It was therefore with great pleasure that I was able to notify the president of one of our local Legacy branches of the remuneration this budget provides to many of his Legacy ladies. This includes a one-off non-taxable bonus payment of $500 to more than two million senior Australians.

The Howard government has acknowledged the invaluable contributions that carers make to our communities and has recognised the valuable dedication of this generally unpaid work. A payment of $1,000 provided to carers who receive carer payment—an income support payment for people who are unable to participate in the workforce full time as a result of their caring responsibilities—has therefore been delivered. Recipients of the income supplement carer allowance, which provides assistance to people who provide daily care and attention at home to a person who has a disability or severe medical condition, will also receive a lump sum payment of $600.

In addition, recipients of carer allowance receiving the $600 payment who also receive a wife pension or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs partner service pension will also receive a payment of $1,000. I would like to congratulate and commend the quick implementation of these payments by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Mal Brough. This has ensured that funding is benefiting our older Australians as soon as possible.

People older than 75 make up approximately 70 per cent of veterans, and as this population continues to age it is vital that they receive a high level of support to ensure they achieve the highest possible quality of life. The Australian government remains committed to providing top-quality, comprehensive health care and appropriate services to help veterans and war widows manage their daily lives. An allocation of $10.4 million to increase fees being paid to veterans home care service providers will ensure that veterans and war widows can continue to receive quality in-home respite care service, helping them to live independently in their own homes for longer. Veterans with a disability receiving the special rate and intermediate rate pensions will also have their fortnightly payments boosted by $50 and $25 respectively, thanks to a $159.6 million budget allocation.

One of the most immediate responses I received in my electorate was from constituents wanting more information on the government’s increases to the Photovoltaic Rebate Program. In fact, it was at 9 am on 9 May that the first of many constituents contacted my office inquiring how they might be eligible for this innovative rebate. The Australian government has invested around $52 million in the Photovoltaic Rebate Program, which is part of the government’s broader commitment of more than $340 million to solar technology. The funding allocated in this budget will increase the rebate for solar panels on homes from $4 per watt up to a maximum of $4,000 to $8 per watt up to a maximum of $8,000. Australians have recognised that as individuals they can make a difference to the sustainability of our environment. This rebate program means that more households, schools and community groups in Hume will have a greater opportunity to take an active role in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as well as reducing their electricity costs. In Hume the doubling of the rebate for solar panels has provided an even greater incentive to many of my constituents to install solar panels on their homes. I have urged all my constituents to take advantage of the Australian government’s new $150 million solar power package and apply immediately for the increased rebate.

I also congratulate the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, for ensuring the quick implementation of this program. Managing Australia’s $1.1 trillion economy requires experience and discipline. This government therefore continues to make the necessary and often difficult decisions in Australia’s long-term interests so that it can lock in prosperity and build security and opportunity for all Australians.

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