Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I happily withdraw it, and I again make the point that it is passing strange that she who interjects regularly to disrupt a speech is so sensitive and requires a withdrawl. But as I was saying, I have no hesitation in reminding all members of this House of the economic circumstances Australia faced in 1996. Government debt had grown from $30 billion to $96 billion. This had real consequences. It arose because of successive Labor budget deficits. In the last five years of Labor government, net government debt rose from $30 billion to $96 billion and the real consequence of this was that the interest bill on that debt was $8½ billion each and every year. That was $8½ billion each and every budget that could not be spent on the priorities that members opposite particularly say they care so much about—priorities like health and education. As this government went about paying off that debt, taking the budget measures necessary to pay off net government debt through budget surpluses, we were opposed every single step of the way. That is an important point. The past conduct by Labor administrations is a window into what their future conduct would be if ever they had the chance to run the nation’s economy. Back in those days taxes were higher; now we have had successive tax cuts that back in 1996 would not have been imaginable. This budget again cuts tax, it again increases higher education spending, it again increases healthcare funding, it increases childcare funding, family assistance, environment funding, road funding—the list goes on. When we each look at our local electorates and the citizens we represent, we can see the real benefits of that on the ground in our local communities.

I had the pleasure of being able to announce $400,000 of AusLink funding for a major road upgrade in Seville in the Yarra Valley. This is a road upgrade that the local community have been wanting for 20 years. It is part of the $250 million contributed to the AusLink strategic regional program. In Seville that is something that has been on the plans for a long period of time but is only possible as a result of strong economic management and a budget that provides the funds for these resources. In a similar way, Casey recently received $525,000 to fix four critical accident black spots, the biggest of which is at Walmsley Friendship Village, where $266,000 will be spent creating a traffic diversion and a roundabout on an intersection of Colchester Road and Greeves Drive in Kilsyth. This comes on top of the $739,000 for seven other projects which have been completed.

There is another area where the budget is providing funds and programs that simply did not exist under the Labor government. I refer specifically to the Community Crime Prevention Program, which all members of this House would be quite familiar with. The federal government announced this policy in the last election to fund local community groups to combat and deter crime through important locally based community programs. I know members opposite have had these grants in their electorates, and they were welcomed. But they were not possible and they did not operate in the past simply because they could never get the budget right.

If we had Labor’s economic management of a decade ago, you would not see the $150,000 that has been provided to Lilydale to introduce security cameras, which has seen a 70 per cent reduction in crime in the Lilydale township, or the recently announced $150,000 for the Croydon main street traders, which will see cameras installed on a similar basis to deal with some significant local crime problems in Croydon. While I mention that, I pay tribute to the Croydon Main Street Traders Association President, Monika Myers, and Senior Constable Julie Simpson of Croydon police, who worked so hard to put that program together. Additionally, a little over $80,000 has been provided to Mount Evelyn to do a similar thing.

In 1996 the unemployment rate in Casey was a little over 6.5 per cent. Today it is 3.5 per cent. We know that at a national level there are two million more jobs than previously existed. The unemployment rate is in the fours—something that, again, would have unthinkable at the height of the Keating Labor recession of the early 1990s, when unemployment hit 11 per cent. On top of that, the strong economic management has seen unemployment come down and job opportunities increase. Work for the Dole programs are working very successfully in the Casey electorate. I particularly make mention of the Chapel Cafe in Lilydale and the Grace Community Nursery, also in Lilydale.

One of the most successful education programs that has been introduced at a local level in all of our electorates has of course been the Investing in Our Schools Program. This, like the Community Crime Prevention Program, was pledged at the last election and has been introduced. We have had three rounds of funding already that have enabled school communities to determine individual projects themselves, to determine priorities for their local schools and to put in applications and receive funding for them. All in all, as a result of strong economic management in Casey, 101 projects have been funded in 49 schools, to a total of $5.7 million.

I will just briefly, in the time available, mention two of those schools. The first is Rolling Hills Primary School. I had the pleasure of meeting the leadership group and the principal, Terry Spottiswood, out at Rolling Hills Primary School recently. They have received some important funding and they have used it for a weather channel and some environmental programs, which are working very well in the school. The second school is Birmingham Primary School, in a different part of my electorate, in Lilydale. They were successful in receiving $96,000 for the construction of shade structures and playgrounds. I was also recently at that school.

Croydon Secondary College received $150,000 for a band room, which shows the diversity of these projects. Croydon Secondary College has a specialised music department and a well-renowned band that plays on Anzac Day and performs in the Anzac Day march. The funding for this band room was the fulfilment of a 10-year ambition of the school. It was instrumentally coordinated by Mrs Vivienne Doolan, who manages the various bands and the marching band at the school. They, as I said, were able to fulfil this ambition through the Investing in Our Schools Program. For me, to go and perform the official opening and see that dream that they have and those new facilities that will stand the school in good stead was indeed a great pleasure. As I mentioned just a minute or two ago, the band members from Croydon Secondary College marched in the Anzac Day parade of 2007. It is the 17th year that the band from Croydon Secondary College has marched on Anzac Day.

In concluding, I want to mention each of the band members, whom I had the pleasure of meeting just recently at the school. They are: Tiffany Pickthall, Catherine Lushey, Jessica Morrison, Danielle Cornwell, Sarah Sly, Naomi Rushford, Ben Gray, Christine Morrison, Bianca Meacham, Hayden Wintle, Michael Horner, Matt Seabrook, Duane Dinham, James Venville, Brent Dinham, Carly Bronson, Ellen Anderson, Alison McCallum, Rachael Berka, Alex Birch, Philip Why, Bevan Emmett, Jessica Gravenor, Benjamin Horner, Maddi Dundon, Harley Bradbury, Joanne Houldey, Keith Houldey, Grant Rushford, Tim Bradbury, Keiran Lightfoot, Mallory Wintle, Shannen May, Chris Lightfoot, Dylan Breed, Glen Pickthall, Jaron Why, Jack Shields, Tyler Hayward, Aisha Francis, Logan Lillis and Paul Healey. I congratulate each of them for the wonderful contribution they made on Anzac Day. I know the local RSL was particularly proud that the secondary college just up the road performed such a critical role on Anzac Day.

The Howard government’s financial responsibility and economic management have allowed these programs to be funded, and they are providing real and genuine opportunities in our local community—opportunities which exist as a result of the measures that have been put in place over the last 10 years and which will be available in the future only with continued financial responsibility and economic management.

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