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

Today the government and other members of the parliament concerned about the national interest joined together to ensure that Australia will not sit back and wait and see what happens with the global economic recession. Today the government an other members of the parliament concerned about the national interest joined together to fight the global economic recession. Today the government and other members of parliament put their differences aside to act strongly and decisively in the national interest to support jobs, not stand idly by while the global economic recession wreaks havoc; to support families, not leave them exposed to the full force of the global economic recession; to support small business, not turn a blind eye to their pain; to drive the biggest school modernisation plan in Australia’s history, not pretend that those schools do not need help; and to build social housing for our poorest neighbours, not leave them to fend for themselves. In all these things, the government have acted to support jobs while others have argued we should do nothing to support jobs.

The most irresponsible thing to do today, with the worst global economic recession since the 1930s staring us in the face, would be to do nothing and to play politics—to play politics at a time when our nation needs us to rise above politics; to play politics at a time when we are required to put our nation first and our own political interests last. But, with the responsible actions of the minor parties and the Independents both in the House and in the Senate, we have avoided that in this parliament today. I thank them for their cooperation.

Why is the government committed to the passage of this nation-building plan? Australia cannot resist the international economic forces, and we cannot defy the effects of the downturn in our own region. But, through decisive government action, we can reduce the impact of the global recession on Australian families, jobs and small businesses. Treasury estimates that initiatives in the Nation Building and Jobs Plan will provide a boost to economic growth of around half a percentage point of GDP in 2008-09 and around three-quarters to one per cent of GDP in 2009-10. Treasury also estimates that today’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan will support up to 90,000 jobs in each of 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Without parliament’s support for this plan, growth would be slower and unemployment would be higher. Therefore, the government’s nation-building plan aims to do two things: first, to support economic stimulus in the short term to do everything possible to support growth and jobs now; and, second, to do so wherever possible by investing in school infrastructure, modernising our schools and providing energy-efficient housing and the other infrastructure Australia needs for the 21st century. That is the government strategy.

The government’s nation-building plan delivers for the nation and it delivers for local communities. The $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution plan provides our kids with 21st century schools if they are stuck in cramped, decaying classrooms designed for a generation of Australian children that left school many years ago. I would ask honourable members here assembled to listen to what local schools are saying about the plan, which the government has voted for and which the Liberal and National parties have voted against. The Principal of Merri Creek Primary School says:

We need $1.5 million, plus maintenance … We currently get $9000 for maintenance for the whole school for the whole year.

The Principal of Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School writes:

That gets a big tick from me as it’s an area where our school always has trouble finding the funding to recarpet and repaint.

Similar messages are emerging from the 7½ thousand primary schools right across Australia, in parts of our country represented by members on this side of the House and parts of the country represented by members on that side of the House. The difference, however, is this: we on this side of the House, together with the Independents, have voted in support of the biggest school modernisation plan in Australia’s history, while the Liberals and the Nationals have voted against it.

In passing this bill, the parliament is also helping to tackle the crisis in affordable housing. Here is what some people have said about this part of the program. I refer here to comments from Mr Gary Mallard, a public housing tenant in Bega:

The Federal Government’s $6 billion into social and public housing is wonderful news. It means that more people will be able to enjoy the security of tenure that meant so much to my family, especially as our children were growing up.

Councillor Frank O’Connor, the mayor of Port Phillip, writes:

It’s the best news since indoor plumbing was invented. With affordable housing at an all-time low in the City of Port Phillip and a recession hurtling towards us, the Federal Government’s commitment is just what’s needed.

Then there is the Defence housing element and what will be delivered through the government’s plan on this. I will be particularly interested to see how the member for Herbert explains this to the good people of Townsville. This is from the wife of a member of the Australian Defence Force based in Darwin:

The thought of new Defence houses in Darwin is fabulous. The current houses are old and tired. And new houses would make Darwin a much more attractive posting. It would definitely make Darwin more appealing to people. At the moment the rental market is impossible. Impossibly expensive and impossible to get into; there’s nothing available. To have new houses where people , families, don’t have to worry about where they are going to live when they get posted would be absolutely amazing.

That was from a wife of a member of the Australian Defence Force.

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