David Hawker (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am quite happy about the interjections; they do not worry me. I could also make the point that there is a little windfall going on on the side with the increase in fuel prices, a windfall which people want to keep very quiet. Of course, the GST keeps going up, and so the states have got a little windfall. I notice that the government is very reluctant to talk to its Labor mates about the fact that they are getting a little windfall and that maybe they could think about how they might help motorists. It is a clear case of a government not being able to manage properly.

I think that what honourable members ought to be well aware of is that it is having a massive impact out in voter land, but particularly out in the country. People must remember that, for most in the country, there is very little opportunity to use public transport and generally the fuel prices are already higher than they are in the city. I called in to fill up at a local petrol station last week and I asked the person at the desk how the impact was being felt. To my horror, I was told: ‘Well, you ought to be aware of just how much it is hurting. We now have people coming in and buying $7 or $8 of petrol because that is all they have the money for.’ That is how it is being felt. All the Prime Minister can say is, ‘We have done as much as we physically can.’ At the same time, when I was looking at the board at that petrol station, I saw that the price of diesel was 28c a litre more than unleaded petrol. When you look at it, it is not just about the direct cost to consumers in the regions; it also affects freight because all goods both to and from the regions have to be transported and, with the rail system so limited these days, most of it goes by road. I think it is clear that the government really has misled the Australian population in the lead-up to the election and has now been hoist on its own petard.

But what I find quite extraordinary is that the Prime Minister has now decided that he has to do something, or be seen to be doing something, so he has gone to great lengths to talk about this thing called Fuelwatch. Fuelwatch is rather a curious thing. My colleagues from Western Australia tell me it is questionable whether it has had any impact over there. When you start to look at the fine print, you see that not only have four federal departments questioned its value but also one cabinet minister is strongly opposed to the introduction of Fuelwatch. And we read some of the comments made by the Chairman of the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission, Mr Graeme Samuel. He is reported in Friday’s papers as saying that in certain rural areas Fuelwatch could lead to potential collusion and cause higher prices.

So here we see yet again what I was saying right at the beginning: the cabinet of this government is a city-centric cabinet willing to push policies of very questionable value for people in the city, but for people in the country it could actually make things worse. I think that really brings it home to us that we have a government that is not interested in looking after people in the country, is not prepared to govern for people in all the regions but is very much governing for those who it feels have supported it in being elected. I think by any measure that is a recipe for bad government. Not only is it a recipe for bad government but it is also a recipe for a bad future for people in many parts of Australia. I think that the Australian public are just starting to seriously question which way the government is going.

Let us come back to looking at some of the aspects of this budget in relation to the environment. I have mentioned the fact that we have seen the local solar panel industry devastated by a decision which they clearly had no warning of, which has already led to the loss of jobs and certainly has put these businesses under extreme strain. But look at some of the other environmental bodies, such as the catchment management bodies. I have two very good ones in my region and they have had cuts of effectively 40 per cent. These bodies are doing some excellent work in environmental management. The Community Water Grants, which provided up to $50,000 to local community groups to help them save water, have been axed, except for a small amount if you belong to a surf-lifesaving club. I do not know who is the friend there. Then we have seen what has happened in regional development with the on-again off-again treatment of local area consultative committees.

I think history will judge this budget very harshly and it will judge the government very harshly because an opportunity has been squandered here. The government inherited financial advantages of the like that no government in my memory has ever inherited. Frankly, I think that history will show that in their first attempt they have seriously botched it—and Australians and Australia are going to be the poorer for it.

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