Maxine McKew (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care) Share this | Hansard source

people continually expressed their deep disappointment that the coalition government was wasting the prosperity. As the tax revenues rolled in, as the bounty of the mining boom rolled in, people wondered why the coalition government was not building the skills of the 21st century, was not greening our households and was not providing for the homeless.

The Leader of the Opposition today has the hide to talk about the need for prudent financial management. Yet he was part of a government that time and time again put self-interest above the national interest. If anyone doubts that, they should get a copy of The Howard Years, brought to us by your ABC late last year. Have a look at the opportunism, the naked politicking and, in many cases, the sheer delight of so many key ministers in the coalition government who could not believe their good luck that they got away with it so long. I know that many people in Bennelong squirmed when they watched this, and they felt roundly vindicated that they had sent the Liberals packing. People in Bennelong work hard and they want a government that works hard in their interest. They want a government that champions their beliefs and their interests. And they particularly want that at a time when national confidence is so fragile. That is what the government’s stimulus package does and why it is so important. Australians want action. They want to see builders with fresh contracts and redesigned smart school buildings that mirror the excellence of the teaching that goes on inside those buildings. They want us to help them remake their houses so that they too can do their bit to save the planet.

I will finish by quoting from one of my constituents, Mr Peter Trickett, who lives in the north-west of my electorate, in Epping. He wrote to me only last week. He praised the government for the first stimulus package but he pointed out that, as the managing director of an engineering consultancy, he was very concerned about the impact of the downturn on the building industry. He had already seen eight projects delayed indefinitely. Being a practical man, Mr Trickett made some suggestions in his letter. First of all, he said an immediate stimulus was needed for construction. Most importantly, he stressed the need for community projects of the kind that would support local tradespeople and the other businesses that support them. He said the significant issue is to start now. Interestingly, Mr Trickett gave an example of a project that would be in the overall interests of the community and at the same time help the building industry. He said:

… an example of the type of project to consider would be to eliminate all demountable classrooms in New South Wales.

I would like to point out to the previous speaker, the member for Paterson, that this indeed is one of the options available in the schools package that is part of the overall stimulus package. I can say today to Mr Trickett: the Rudd government is listening and is acting. Like the Prime Minister, I look forward to the schools in my electorate becoming centres of economic activity where local people work to improve schools, where children learn.

Recessions are traditionally brutish things. They can empty us out. You see it in the ‘for lease’ signs, the abandoned construction sites, the deferred ambitions and the lengthening unemployment queues. But it does not have to be like this. That is why the Prime Minister has said he will move heaven and earth to support Australian jobs and shield the Australian economy from the worst effects of the global economic crisis. The dramatic reversal of our economic fortunes has reminded everyone of a key Labor principle, and that is the critical importance of balancing the public and the private. That is what this package does. I commend the bills to the House.

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