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

This is an important motion because it recognises the government’s action on long-term infrastructure as well as in making sure that the financial crisis is met head-on in terms of what can happen in Australia. It should be no surprise that there are many people who would support this particular motion, because when you look at the government’s action on infrastructure and who has supported the government’s position there is such a long line of different organisations, starting with the Australian Industry Group and the National Farmers Federation. The Reserve Bank governor himself at the last public hearing of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics said that no-one could describe as excessive the amount of stimulus that the Rudd government has injected into the economy to try and deal with the global financial crisis.

Of course, as recently as yesterday President Obama mentioned Australia and the tactics and strategies that have been adopted by the Rudd government in a positive light to meet the global financial crisis. If you look at the supporters of the government’s action, the only people who are in opposition to this are the opposition themselves. They are so confused and so out of touch with what people are thinking, because their main preoccupation at the moment is not the economy and it is not their constituents; it is where the leadership actually sits this week. We have the situation of rotating leaders of the Liberal Party. People are jockeying to see which frontbench position they will get. This has absolutely paralysed the Liberal Party in terms of any effective policy debate.

The position of the opposition leader is so confused. He welcomed the first stimulus package and said it was a good thing. Now, some months down the track, not only have the opposition opposed the $42 billion stimulus package outright but they have been talking in opposition to the original package that they had supported. That is how confused the Liberal-National Party coalition are on these issues. They are not motivated by what is right and what is going to work for the economy; they are motivated by the short-term politics of the Liberal party room. That is a very sad state to be in.

This government came to office with an agenda of nation-building infrastructure. Because of the global financial crisis we have had to accelerate this in a whole range of areas. If you look at the last 12 years of the Howard government, you will see why there are so many infrastructure projects that need to be done. We had a government asleep at the wheel. They had a mining boom and money poured into Canberra but nothing was done with the major infrastructure. Nothing was done for our hospitals, our schools or the water infrastructure that the member for Mayo spoke about. The Rudd government had a plan for these things when it came to office. In addressing the global financial crisis there is a specific plan too.

We are talking about the largest school modernisation program in Australia’s history, massive infrastructure spending on our roads, rail and ports—and I will come back to that area in due course—the construction of over 20,000 new homes, the solar hot water rebate, the help that has gone to the Australian car industry and the most important and historic agreement with the states and territories in the COAG process about freeing up long-term money for the service delivery areas of health and education. These plans for major long-term and medium-term infrastructure will ensure that Australia is a better place. They will ensure that economic activity will continue and is encouraged and that we are cushioned as best we possibly can be from the global financial crisis.

The other area is the local council stimulus. Wyong shire—80 per cent of which is in my electorate—received over $1½ million in the community infrastructure program. It was with a great deal of pleasure that only two weeks ago I was with Mayor Bob Graham looking at where the money is going to be spent on the new netball courts at Wyong.

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