Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I was elected on 24 November last year, for a bit more than two decades I actually ran a small to medium sized business: a law firm. I had business experience and built it up virtually from scratch. At 26 years of age, I put out my shingle—with a bit more courage than common sense, to be honest with you. I have listened to the member for Curtin on numerous occasions. I saw her on The 7.30 Report, A Current Affair and on the news. I heard her speaking on economic issues many times. As a candidate in the last election, we got briefings from the national secretary of the ALP. We saw statements made by the ministers of the then government. But I cannot recall at any stage hearing anything from the member for Curtin about a looming global financial crisis. In fact, in the debates last year between the then Prime Minister and then Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Rudd, I cannot recall that the global financial crisis, looming like a sword of Damocles over Australia and the rest of the world, was a topic that was really discussed. It is great to be wise in hindsight. I listened intently to the member for Curtin just to find out what the opposition’s response was and what they would do if they occupied the treasury bench. What would be their response? In 15 minutes, we heard nothing about what they would do. We heard plenty of criticism of us and plenty of prophetic utterances but virtually nothing about what they would do.

The global financial crisis is a real issue for my electorate, which is in South-East Queensland. Because of its large dependence on the mining sector and on agriculture—on the dairy, beef and horticultural sectors—Queensland suffers a lot when there is a downturn in the economy. My area, which is around Ipswich, has historically suffered a lot when there have been downturns. We have relied on the coalmining industry, on railway workshops, on woollen mills and on the agriculture just outside of Ipswich in the Lockyer Valley and the old Boonah shire for employment. When global crises have hit us in the past—I am thinking back to the recessions that we had in the nineties, the eighties, and in the seventies when I was growing up—we copped it pretty hard. My dad lost his job. I know my friends’ parents lost their jobs. They say that all politics is local. The global financial crisis will have a big impact upon the men and women in the electorate of Blair, which includes Ipswich and the rural areas outside of it. I know it will have a big impact on rural areas in Queensland. I see the member for Kennedy here; it will have a big impact on his electorate as well.

We are not talking about stuff here in this chamber that is trite or trivial. Making political points and criticising us as if somehow we should have seen this coming and as if we are at fault for not seeing it really does not go down well. The truth of the matter is that we are talking about really serious stuff. People are going to lose their jobs. People are going to lose their houses. Their kids are going to suffer as a result of this. Whole communities—both rural and metropolitan—in Queensland and elsewhere in this country are going to suffer. Whilst we may be geographically an island, we are not financially. We know that we are integrated into the world economy. At the push of a button, people can move millions of dollars all around the globe. People in my electorate look at the Dow Jones and the FTSE, and they look at how their superannuation is being affected. They have told me that they worry when they see statements from their superannuation funds. So this is not a time for cheap political point scoring; this is a time for true bipartisanship. That is what this should be about.

I almost feel sorry for the member for Curtin. She came in here and really ripped into us about this without giving any positive response as to what she might do if she happened to have ‘Treasurer’ after her name. This is a time of fear in the community. It is a time when we only have about 13 banks in this world with AA ratings—four of them are, fortunately, in this country. It is a time when 1.2 million jobs have been lost in the US. It is a time when 200,000 jobs in the automobile industry in this country are at risk, and that is why we have committed $6.2 billion to the car industry.

Fears are crossing the world. In this globalised world that we live in, we have seen the best and the worst of globalisation. We have seen people suffer across the world, and we know that in our electorates they are going to suffer. Anyone who does not think that business is suffering ought to go Christmas shopping. Go Christmas shopping in metropolitan Australia and see the specials that retail outlets are putting out now, the kinds of specials that we are used to straight after Christmas in this country. Retailers in my area, South-East Queensland, have told me that they are experiencing a downturn. People are staying home. They are making their own lunches. They are not buying that car. They are not buying the house. They are not buying that item for Christmas. They are cutting back. That is why we need true bipartisanship. That is why we need to act in this country with precision, with clarity and with true commitment to the welfare of our country. We need to protect, as much as we can, the people of our country from this unprecedented period of economic volatility.

We understand that the global financial crisis started in the US. I think the people in our electorates understand that. But we are not able to sandbag our economy; we just cannot do it. The truth is that we are so integrated with the world. When the Prime Minister talks about acting ‘decisively’, it is not a term for derision; it is a term that is true. We are trying to protect our economy with a $10.4 billion economic stimulus package. We are confronting the worst financial crisis which our modern market economy has ever faced. I know that, from 8 December this year, nearly 44,000 people in my electorate will benefit from that package. That is older Australians, those with young families and those who have been doing it tough for a long time. They welcome the package. I think it is high time that those opposite said the same thing.

We are trying to ensure that our economy can remain as robust as possible and that our people do not suffer the kinds of problems that we have seen overseas, where at least six of our OECD partners are in recession. We face the challenges of the severity of a global financial crisis here in Australia as well. We are entering a new and dangerous time in our economy. It is time for governments to be responsible, and it is time for politicians, who represent the people of this country—whether they be Independent, Green, Labor, National Party or Liberal politicians—to act responsibly and get behind the government. In a sense, it does not really matter what party the government is, Labor or Liberal; politicians need to get behind the government in a bipartisan way. I am pleased that the Prime Minister has announced the kind of package that will help the families, the carers, the first home buyers and the senior citizens in my electorate. These one-off payments will find their way into the economy and will help mitigate the worst effects of declining consumer sentiment.

It is important for us, as politicians—even those who have just been elected—to show compassion, understanding and commitment in what we say and what we do, because we are the ones, whether in the ministry, in the cabinet or simply as backbenchers or cross-benchers, who have to stand up before the people in our communities, talk about these issues and see the pain, the hurt, the lack of self-esteem and the travails of those people. Anyone who has seen the look of despair in the eyes of a man who has lost his job and his house and who has to look after his wife and kids will understand what a challenge this will bring to our economy and to the families of our country. We have seen analysts, conservatives, progressives, trade union leaders, people in ACOSS and people in the business community welcome the package that we have rolled out, because it will have an impact on local communities.

It is not just the $10.4 billion economic security package that we have handed out; it is also the $300 million that we are giving to local councils. In my electorate we have seen Ipswich City Council get $921,000 as part of this response to the global financial crisis, the Lockyer Valley council get $661,000 and the Scenic Rim council get $667,000. I have talked to the mayors of these councils—to Paul Pisasale, the Mayor of Ipswich City Council, to Steve Jones, the Mayor of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council, and to John Brent, the Mayor of the Scenic Rim Regional Council—about what they are going to do. I spoke last evening to John Brent and to Dave Cockburn, the deputy mayor of the Scenic Rim council, and I know they are considering some infrastructure programs. I know Scenic Rim are considering today what they can do in terms of a hydrotherapy complex that will make a big difference in health and rehabilitation in the Scenic Rim, in the Boonah and Beaudesert areas and the areas south of Ipswich and that will also bring in tourism. That is the sort of infrastructure project that they could not afford without this money. Community projects that will boost local economies will do a lot for my area, and I have spoken to the mayors of those councils about what they will do in terms of sporting grounds, community centres, libraries, walkways and swimming pools. These are important community facilities that the local people use. I have also talked with the mayors about what they could do in terms of the $50 million for strategic projects.

This response by the Rudd Labor government should be commended, but we have heard very little from the other side. We have heard a lot from local mayors and from the 565 councils and shires. Many of the mayors came here with their CEOs to talk about how to refurbish infrastructure. Funding for local community infrastructure is so important, and this is a timely response to the global financial crisis. I also warmly welcome the COAG process which will see about $15.1 billion injected into our economy as part of our response to the global financial crisis. That will make significant reform possible in the areas of health, education, housing, business deregulation and Indigenous affairs.

In my area we have three particularly great private schools, Ipswich Grammar School, Ipswich Girls Grammar School and St Edmund’s, and another good school, St Mary’s. But when I look around the state schools and some of the primary schools in my area I can see they are in real need. The funding we are talking about here, as part of our response to the global financial crisis and through the COAG reformation process in the historic education reform package, will make a big difference in those schools, particularly in the disadvantaged schools. We are talking about a huge injection, of $1.1 billion, to help low socioeconomic status communities. The schools I am talking about in my area include schools like Boonah State High School, Bremer State High School, Ipswich State High School and Lockyer District State High School, which will benefit from this funding. So this is another great response to the global financial crisis which will have an impact on the schools in my area.

I commend what the government has done. This is a time for true bipartisanship. It is not a time to be making petty points. It is not a time to be criticising us without putting alternative propositions to the chamber. I suggest that the member for Curtin get behind the government and make a contribution which is positive to the local community in my area and in hers. (Time expired)

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