Craig Thomson (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

He saw the error of his ways, saw the wisdom of this particular initiative by the Rudd government and has been lavish in his praise and support. These types of programs are reaching through and getting to all levels of the community, and the community and their representatives, whether their history has been on the other side of the political spectrum or not, cannot but support these great initiatives that the Rudd government has brought about. For that reason, there is broad support in the electorate and with those local elected councillors.

There are literally a dozen other very important initiatives in these appropriation bills. Clearly, the time available is not going to allow me to go through them in any detail that will give any real justification for the importance that they actually have to the community. But going through and touching on those initiatives that I have mentioned so far in this contribution gives a taste of the important work that this government has undertaken not just in the May budget of last year but since then and incorporated in Appropriation Bill (No. 3) and Appropriation Bill (No. 4). These are important bills. This is important work. This is nation-building work that has been carried out by the Rudd government. These works provide jobs locally. They ensure that the community is involved in many of these issues, and they are broad-ranging issues. What I have touched on today is the importance of issues going to the environment and the uptake that we have seen from the Rudd government’s initiatives in relation to that area, to health and the important role that the government has played and continues to play in trying to encourage greater organ donation, and to the direct stimulus to the local economy through the local council initiatives. These are very important initiatives that these two appropriation bills incorporate, and I commend both of these bills to the House.

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