Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I know you do not like this, but the former Leader of the Opposition up there, Brendan Nelson, the member for Bradfield, sticks to his guns. He has always been out there saying that they supported Work Choices and supported AWAs. This guy is a principled conservative. The Leader of the Opposition is an unprincipled opportunist. That is the difference, and that applies all the way through the policy debates that we have been having in the several months that the Leader of the Opposition has been in charge of the ramshackle, divided party—once the party of Menzies and now a ramshackle, divided lot. This characterises each and every one of the significant policy debates, because in each of them the Leader of the Opposition just changes his position, depending on the day, depending on the weather and depending on the tactical opportunity, but always casting to one side anything approaching consistency of principle. I would say to the Leader of the Opposition: that begins to sort you out as an alternative leader of the country. You have to stand for something and stick with it. The member for Bradfield has done that. We do not see any of that evident in the performance of the member for Wentworth—the Leader of the Opposition as he currently is.

I say ‘currently is’ because we have now heard rumblings about what Higgins is up to. Yond Higgins has a lean and hungry look. Yond Goldstein has a lean and hungry look as well, but he always looks lean and hungry. Higgins, it seems, is back in the circle. I wonder whether yond Bradfield is helping yond Higgins in his return. The rumblings out of Higgins these days are getting interesting, including statements among the local Liberal FEC that in fact the member for Higgins may still be for this world, may not be departing this world and may not be shuffling off. Given the deep affection which the member for Higgins holds for the member for Wentworth, we may have him back sooner than we all think—but I am sure the member for Wentworth has that under control in his party, which is characterised by the singular political unity that we have seen so much on display this year!

Throughout this year the Liberal Party, preoccupied with its own political divisions, has been on about its own political self-interest. The government, by contrast, has been faced with three major challenges for Australia: (1) honouring the implementation of our pre-election commitments, (2) getting on with the business of mapping out a long-term reform agenda for the nation and (3) wrestling with the global financial crisis, which impacts on the real Australian economy. On our commitments to the Australian people, whether our commitment to bring in $44 billion worth of tax cuts for working families or our commitment to bring about an education revolution, what we have undertaken to the Australian people we have then proceeded to implement. We promised $44 billion worth of tax cuts; in the budget brought down by the Treasurer we implemented $44 billion worth of tax cuts. We promised prior to the election that we would ratify the Kyoto protocol; we have ratified the Kyoto protocol. Prior to the election we promised that we would deliver an apology to Indigenous Australians, and we have honoured that commitment to the Australian people. Prior to the last election we undertook to provide to each school in this country funding sufficient to provide a one to one ratio for computers for years 9, 10, 11 and 12 across the nation, a longstanding reform; we are proud of it and we are honouring that commitment. We undertook to provide across all secondary schools in this country funding of $2.5 billion over time to create trades training centres in the secondary schools of this nation—each of the 2,700-plus of them—and we are honouring that commitment. We are honouring each and every one of these commitments. We promised to the Australian people that we would act to establish a national curriculum for English, for history, for maths and for science, because the working people of this nation, as they travel across this country, are crying out for that; we are honouring that commitment. We said prior to the election that we would bring in an election tax refund; the Treasurer, in his budget and in subsequent legislation, has honoured that commitment, and first payments will flow from 1 July next year. Prior to the last election we said we would implement an increase in the childcare tax rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, and we are honouring that commitment as well.

We take seriously our commitments to the Australian people. Beyond that, we have sought to map out a long-term program of reform dealing with the long-term challenges of reforming the Federation, dealing with the long-term challenges of providing proper funding with proper incentives for better performance in the nation’s health and hospital system and wrestling to the ground the great challenges of climate change and water. These are enduring challenges for the nation; they do not disappear overnight. They do not disappear because there is a political bunfight in a party room over X, Y and Z or A, B and C. They are there and the nation expects us to act on them.

At COAG on Saturday we acted on the long-term reform of the federation. We acted on the challenge of providing proper funding for the public hospital system of this nation with $60 billion worth of long-term investment, and an annual indexation factor of 7.3 per cent, adding into it national partnership payments which bring up the overall increase to the states of something in excess of 10 per cent a year. That is dealing with what the mums and dads of this country want: a better performing public hospital system. We are undertaking that reform.

Beyond that, on climate change and water, we undertook to implement an emissions trading scheme. Our Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is being drafted. It has achieved much more progress in 12 months than our predecessors ever dreamt of in 12 years. And for the first time this government has committed to and has executed the buyback of water entitlements to save the much threatened Murray-Darling Basin system. That is action in the long-term reform interests of the nation. We, the government, have got on with the business of implementing our pre-election commitments and implementing our long-term reform program. We have done all of this in the context of a global financial crisis where we have had to guarantee bank deposits and inject stimulus into the economy in order to provide sustenance for growth and jobs into what will be a difficult year in 2009.

This is a solid agenda for a government. It is a solid agenda of leadership for a government. It represents a consistency of principle. I would say to those who are engaged in this debate today to reflect on it as they contrast with it the dismal and divided performance of those who pretend to be the alternative government of Australia. (Time expired)

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