Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, may I start by congratulating you on your election to the esteemed position you hold. I would ask you to convey my congratulations to the Deputy Speaker, Anna Burke, and the Second Deputy Speaker, Bruce Scott. It is indeed an honour and a privilege to stand here in parliament and once again represent my electorate of Paterson in New South Wales. This is the fourth time I have stood here on the dawn of a new parliament and, as such, I appreciate and understand the challenges that lie ahead. I embrace the challenge willingly, as my affection for my electorate remains unchanged and I have, if at all possible, an increased desire to serve my constituents, and serve them well I will.

I came into politics on the urging of a friend, who had derided me for merely complaining about the state of the country and the uncertainty of the future of my then young children, challenging me to take up the gauntlet and make a difference. When I first came to parliament as a member of the Howard government in 1996, Labor had left the country with unemployment levels over eight per cent, over one million Australians unemployed and $96 billion in government debt. I was confronted with the reality of young Australians in my electorate without direction, without hope and feeling deserted. In 1996, in my maiden speech, I said:

... at the end of the day if I can be remembered for one contribution to this House I would want it to be that I was part of the team that helped turn the ship around; to steer a new course towards the nation’s salvation.

Under the prime ministership of John Howard I believe that that objective has been achieved. Today, we now stand in opposition, and reluctantly hand over to Labor a renewed nation compared to 1996. Through the strong financial stewardship of Peter Costello, the coalition has paid off Labor’s $96 billion debt while at the same time cutting taxes. We have handed Labor balanced books, no debt, $28 billion in assets and a history of 10 out of 11 budget surpluses.

During the Hawke-Keating Labor government era, we endured an average inflation rate of 5.2 per cent, while under the coalition it averaged 2.5 per cent. During the Hawke-Keating Labor government period, the maximum standard variable home loan rate rose to 17 per cent, while under the coalition it dropped to 6.05 per cent. The recent slight increases in interest rates under the Howard government were a direct result of the success of the economy over the past 11 years, not its failure. They were caused by giving excessive tax revenues back to the taxpayers who in turn elected to spend rather than save, fuelling an increase in demand and therefore putting upward pressure on interest rates. It is Peter Costello not Paul Keating who has proven to be the world’s greatest treasurer.

The coalition has left the new government with unemployment at the lowest level since 1974. More young Australians are taking up apprenticeships than ever before. That has come about not only because of the demand for skills but also because the coalition removed Labor’s long-held stigma towards being a tradie—a highly skilled person without a university degree. Full employment requires a broad range of skills to satisfy the market’s demands. However, high levels of skill take time to instil into those hungry for training. The mould has been set for the future. Let us hope that Labor does not break it again.

So I truly believe that I have assisted the coalition to achieve my initial objective of helping turn the country around, but I believe there is still more to be done. With an economic crisis evolving in various parts of the world, let me say that managing a trillion-dollar economy is not a game. We need to keep vigilant. In unsteady and inexperienced hands, with outside interference from the unions, all that we have achieved as a nation could be in jeopardy. This great nation could be set back 20 years in terms of both the economy and employment. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Each of the state Labor governments is rapidly increasing debt. They have a proven inability to manage the public purse and have squandered the taxpayers’ money, spending well beyond their means, without increasing services vital to the community. For example, in New South Wales the state Labor government is selling off its electricity retail arm to cover debts. What next?

I have retained the same passion I first came into politics with—the passion to make a difference. It is this passion which will see me continue to stand up for my community, to ensure the issues the community think are important are heard and that their needs are addressed. Election promises on both sides of politics were made during the campaign, and the importance of each is that they were promises on issues that are important to the very heart of the people of Paterson. I will be holding the Labor government to account to deliver on the promises they made during the election. Furthermore, I will be urging the government to fund the promises the coalition made, as my community not only needs but deserves these projects. As always, I will fight for my electorate of Paterson.

Access to GPs remains one of the most fundamental needs for all Australians and so, too, for those in my electorate of Paterson. I was proud to be involved in helping secure initial and ongoing funding for the successful GP after-hours access clinics in the area. Labor has promised $5 million in funding to establish GP superclinics in Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie. It is well documented that we have doctor shortages in our area, and I find it hard to fathom how the government believes that these superclinics will attract young graduates to the area when they have failed to be lured to our beautiful area so far. With such a large portion of the RAAF Base Williamtown defence personnel families now living in my electorate, I welcome Labor’s promise to establish defence family health clinics to service the Singleton Army base and RAAF Base Williamtown. But, again, I question where the GPs and other medical professionals will come from to staff these centres.

Much was made in the local media of the need for a positron emission topography, or PET, scanner Medicare licence at the Mater hospital. PET is an emerging technology that uses radiation to project images to assess the development of diseases that may not be detectable by other imaging. While PET is not a treatment, it is a vital tool for doctors to use to help understand the location or stage of a disease, whether the cancer is still active after treatment or whether or not surgery is likely to be useful. The Mater is the major oncology hospital for the Newcastle and Hunter region and, even though the hospital is not in my electorate, I was called on to secure the funding because the Labor member for Newcastle had failed to adequately represent her community. I fought and lobbied for the funding from the coalition government and secured $2 million as a priority, which was signed off prior to the election. During the election, Labor promised $1.5 million in funding for the PET scanner for the Mater. Does this mean that the Mater funding will be cut back? For the sake of those who need this service, I sincerely hope not.

Labor also committed to fund the Nabiac and district pool committee to the amount of $135,000; the Smiths Lakes sports field to the amount of $200,000; the extensions to the Nelson Bay PCYC gym; and the skate park at Tea Gardens. They committed to provide $15,000 to repair the Mallabula Panthers clubhouse, which was damaged by vandals setting fire to it. I think that they left at least one zero off the end of the reconstruction costs, as it will cost a lot more than $15,000. Make no bones about it: I will be holding the government to account to deliver on these promises. The coalition made election commitments after taking into account the needs of the community and I will put the case to the new government for funding, as these too are important community projects.

Roads are undeniably one of the issues most frequently talked about by people in my electorate. We all need them; we all travel on them. Most importantly, they need to be safe. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said repeatedly before the election that he would end the blame game between the state and federal governments and that the buck stops with him. Well, Prime Minister, you can start in my electorate with roads and community safety. Funding for roadwork is a fundamental mainstay that all levels of government must supply. The councils and the community have told me they want the Fingal Bay link road built. The coalition promised $5 million to add to the $2 million that Port Stephens Council has, and there is an expectation that the New South Wales government will contribute $2 million to the works. This 4.2 kilometre section of road will connect Government Road at Shoal Bay to the corner of Gan Gan Road and Nelson Bay Road. It will provide a main thoroughfare to the Nelson Bay CBD, significantly reducing traffic in Nelson Bay and travel time to Fingal and Shoal bays.

Further north, the Bucketts Way is one of the most significant roads in the Hunter region, as it connects towns such as Gloucester and Stroud, as well as the tourist location of the Barrington Tops, with the Pacific Highway. The coalition provided over $24 million for road upgrades to the Bucketts Way during the past five years. The next phase is for passing lanes to be established on this 158 kilometre stretch of road. A re-elected coalition government would have committed $12 million to introduce passing lanes on the Bucketts Way, which are so desperately needed to improve safety.

Since 1996, the coalition has provided Great Lakes Council with over $9 million in funding to improve The Lakes Way, a road that stretches from Bulahdelah in the south to Forster in the north. Further upgrading work is needed and the coalition promised a further $3 million to upgrade two sections of The Lakes Way: $2.5 million was for the upgrade of 2.5 kilometres of The Lakes Way southbound on Tahiti Avenue and $500,000 was to be allocated to improve the intersection of The Lakes Way and Green Point Drive. These projects are not wants; they are desperate community needs. I urge the government to accede to the people’s needs on this issue and provide the funding. Excuses like ‘it’s a state issue’ or ‘it’s a local government issue’ do not cut it anymore. Remember, Prime Minister: you said that this is the end of the blame game and that the buck stops with you.

Crime, and its effects, is the overriding fear for all Australians. I regularly receive letters from my constituents, pensioners too scared to venture out of their homes at night. They are scared and feel they cannot walk down the streets of towns they have lived in for dozens of years, sleepy towns they have raised their families in. I, too, am sick and tired of the hoons and vandals roaming seemingly unchecked in our streets, wantonly creating havoc, senselessly destroying property and committing crime. The community demands more police and greater security. The men and women in blue of the New South Wales Police Force are some of the best in the world, but they are drastically underresourced in my area. The number of them on the streets is simply not enough to make people feel safe.

The coalition government promised, if re-elected, to help make communities feel safer by providing funding for closed-circuit television cameras. These cameras have been shown to reduce the incidence of senseless vandalism and can result in the prosecution of the perpetrators. The coalition had committed $400,000 to the project, which would involve cooperation between all three levels of government and the community to deliver CCTV in known hot spots. Cameras were to be installed in Forster, Tuncurry, Tilligerry, Raymond Terrace, Dungog and Gloucester. That being said, nothing impacts on crime more than a police presence amongst the community. I know that the problem will be fixed, because Prime Minister Rudd said that the buck stops with him and that he would end the blame game. Well, we will wait and see.

Tourism is a major employer and economic driver in the electorate of Paterson. The beautiful areas of Forster and Tuncurry attract an increasing number of tourists each year, who flock to be a part of these relaxed coastal towns. Great Lakes Council is to be commended on its approach to beautifying and increasing accessibility to the waterways. The coalition government pledged, if re-elected, to commit $1 million for works to extend the foreshore boardwalk and other improvements on the Forster side of the lake, fronting Little Street. I strongly urge the government to continue with this work because of the economic and environmental benefits.

Whether it is protecting whales and dolphins off my electorate’s coastline, the restoration or protection of sensitive habitat or the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the care of our environment is of vital concern to all in our community. Over the past 18 months, I have been working with Gerry McGowan, CEO of CBD Energy, a Sydney based company that is a pioneer in renewable energies and the storage of energy. CBD proposed the construction of a 30 megawatt renewable energy farm utilising state-of-the-art, thin-film photovoltaic panels in the Hunter Water buffer-zone land around the Grahamstown Dam.

The additional benefit to our region is that thin-film solar panels are to be manufactured in a new facility to be established in the Hunter. This project will create 100 jobs over the next four years and generate $400 million in annual export income. This is a major step forward for renewable technology development in the Hunter and works hand in hand with clean coal technologies such as those being developed by Corky’s Carbon Technology and the wind power generation farms at Vacy and that proposed for Scone. I would strongly urge the government to support the $20 million commitment made by the coalition government for this CBD Energy project as the benefits to the environment, the benefit of the local jobs created in the community and the additional $400 million bottom-line trade figures for our nation are only good news.

Although the election was held in November last year, this is the first time I have had the opportunity in parliament to thank those committed people who helped me in the campaign for Paterson. The success of this campaign owed itself to a magnificent team effort all the way from my dedicated staff, the campaign team and the over 700 local supporters and volunteers who worked tirelessly on 24 November for a return of the Howard government and retention of the seat of Paterson. I wish to personally thank my staff, Michelle Moffat, Jaimie Abbott, Shelley Mexon, Ben Gibson, Nicola Steiner, Simon Ryan and Gary Hoson, for their tireless efforts, their loyalty and for both their public and private support. The team worked incredibly hard to support me and more importantly the Paterson community. They rose commendably to the challenge of even longer days and harder work over a very long campaign.

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my enthusiastic campaign team of Bob Geoghegan, Sally Dover, Allan Ray, Len Roberts and Deslie Shakespeare, whose advice and counsel was invaluable. To my mentor Hilton Grugeon and his wife Bev, thank you for your friendship and support. The mobile office logistics team of Lloyd Moffat, Sonny Morris, Steve Mudd, Colin Haddow, Rod Smith, Pam and Allan Walker worked incredibly hard to regularly cover the 9,632 square kilometres of the Paterson electorate. Their efforts were truly admirable and I am immensely grateful for their passion and their energy. On polling day in particular over 700 local volunteers and supporters turned out to man our booths and show support from the early hours of the morning setting up the booths all the way through to close.

I am unable to name all of those who rallied on the day; however, I wish to thank each and every one of them here today and I most sincerely express my appreciation for their help. I wish to particularly mention the community leaders who have stood with and supported me, namely: Peter Blackmore, Mayor of Maitland; Ron Swan, Mayor of Port Stephens; John Chadban, Mayor of Great Lakes; Glen Wall, Mayor of Dungog; and Barry Ryan, former Mayor of Gloucester council. It has been an honour and pleasure to work with you all on the projects that matter to our constituents.

I am also very grateful for the contribution made by Doreen Bradley, Bill King, Peter Fidden, Patricia Michell, Ross Presgrave, Bob Russell, Keith McNeil, Ted Tisdell, Karen Patane, Matt Revel, Maree Pollard, Debbie Suttie, Shane Bailey, Matt Bailey, George Manning, Matt Bliss and my long time friend Chris Scott, who sadly passed away just days after the election.

To the rising stars of the Young Liberals, who made an energetic and valuable contribution to the campaign: I wish to acknowledge your efforts here today. The team had a dynamic attitude and were inspirational in their commitment.

Words cannot adequately express the deep appreciation I have for the support I received from my immediate family—my wife, Cynthia, and teenage children, David, Robbie and Samantha. The sacrifices made by family members of politicians can never be understated. I acknowledge the outstanding job Cynthia has done in raising our family almost single-handedly; all this whilst holding an important community leadership role and recently finalising a masters degree in special education. I know that her sacrifice has enabled me to represent the people of Paterson unfettered and make what I believe to be a significant contribution in building a better Australia for all families.

Finally, I must say that, despite being in opposition, I am more determined than ever to represent the people of Paterson, to put forward their concerns and achieve outcomes for our community. I relish the challenge ahead and I thank the people of Paterson for the honour and privilege they have bestowed upon me to again be their representative in this House.

Debate (on motion by Ms Roxon) adjourned.

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