Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Hansard source

Again, the minister for infrastructure said:

And the opposition should get out of the way and support Labor’s agenda.

He said that the opposition should support these funds. He said that the former government was against nation building. He said that the legislation for these funds would be introduced in the coming weeks. Well, of course, that was months ago; and where is the legislation? It is not here. Who is undermining nation building? It was to be a rapid program of introducing new infrastructure projects. We thought the legislation was arriving weeks ago. It was held up. Why was it held up? It was held up because the Minister for Finance and Deregulation was concerned about the minister for infrastructure requiring a lot more ministerial discretion. Yet we heard about objectivity. We heard about the way these projects would be assessed. And now we find out that a minister in the Labor government is concerned about the Minister for Infrastructure Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and his desire to see a lot more ministerial discretion embodied in that legislation. Well, we await the legislation.

Whenever questions are raised about the great failures of state Labor governments we are accused of playing the blame game. Again, this is McCarthyism! In every area of questioning, they have some technique to silence those who are asking the questions. Yesterday, when asked about New South Wales cutting jobs, raising taxes and dumping infrastructure spending, the Prime Minister said:

This government has embarked upon a course of action which does not simply perpetuate the blame game of the past.

Again, this was an attempt to intimidate us, to vilify us and to silence us. No doubt, with the new bodies that have proliferated around COAG, the government has an agenda that is, in many respects, not accountable. I am sure when I raise the fact that nobody is ultimately responsible for the works of these bodies I will be accused of the blame game. Just watch this space!

Rather than silence critics, the government should be listening to people. In the last 24 hours Exxon Mobil, Nyrstar, and Alcoa have all said that they are reconsidering their investments, which will affect the jobs of thousands of Australians. This government needs to listen. It needs accountability. If it is going to take solid decisions and if it is going to alter its plans to fit in with good judgement and good decisions then it needs to be accountable. It needs resolve. It needs considered, informed responses. Ridiculing, defaming and pigeonholing critics with a form of McCarthyism is no way to put in place a coherent strategy to deal with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. It is no way to run a country.

On this side of the House we support a stimulatory package. In this context, on this bill, we have taken the government on trust and we will support this package. We have taken them on trust. None of our questions have been answered on this or any other matter but we are taking the government on trust and we will support this bill. But we will not resile from our responsibility to keep the government accountable. (Quorum formed)

Debate interrupted.

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