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

I am pleased to speak on this MPI on Flag Day 2008. In his presentation, the member for Corio asked the question: what was the Howard government doing when it was in office? I am happy to inform the member for Corio that we were doing a lot. For a start, we were paying off $96 billion of massive Labor debt. Secondly, we were trying to find jobs for a million unemployed people, who were the legacy of the previous Labor government. I know that the member for Corio is a new member in this parliament, so I give him points for trying in his presentation.

I regret that I have only a handful of minutes to speak on this MPI, because it is very important. We all remember that during the election campaign the Australian Labor Party and Mr Rudd left a crystal clear impression in people’s minds that they alone had the skills to manage the $1.1 trillion Australian economy; that they alone would keep unemployment low; that they alone would keep inflation low; that they alone would ensure that wages would keep rising, as they did under the Howard government; that they alone, especially, would keep petrol prices affordable; that they alone would keep grocery prices affordable; and that they alone would maintain the prosperity enjoyed under the Howard government.

We are almost a year into the Rudd government, and who really believes that Mr Rudd and his Labor team have done all this? Who really believes that petrol prices are low today? Who really believes that grocery prices are low today? Who really believes that this country is better off today than it was when the Howard government left office last year? I can say one thing: the people of Ryan certainly do not believe that, nor I am sure do the constituents of the seat of Dickson—

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