Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to say there is nothing like living in the past and dwelling on memories of things well back in the past, particularly when those opposite did not deliver on any of this stuff. They may have wanted to just speculate at one point of time, but in terms of delivery I have got to say the shadow minister for transport and regional development has got a lot to answer for. They had 12 years to do the various things that he has just mentioned. They did precious little.

As I address the Nation Building Program (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2009, I note the Australian Labor Party in government has always been a party that has been dedicated to building this nation. It is worth acknowledging that this has been evident over a long period of time. Any student of politics would know the values of the Chifley government and its initiation of the hydroelectricity scheme for the Snowy Mountains. It was a nation-building government. Indeed, take the Hawke government, which opened up the economy to competition, and Paul Keating’s government, with the Building Better Cities program that was introduced. All were part of a broad range of strategies and reforms that indicated innovation, with housing programs with a renewal focus and also urban consolidation. They were big-ticket governments. I know they might get a few criticisms from the people opposite, who want to dwell in the past, but they should look at the contributions that those governments made in not only putting innovation forward but building for this nation’s future. That is a vast contrast from the previous Howard administration with its wasted opportunities. It failed to build on that tradition of nation building. It actually squandered the nation’s future. We saw that with education. Its contribution to education was to rip $1 billion out of the system. That wasn’t bad as that was their first year in government! They also managed to take billions of dollars out of the healthcare system. Those are not exactly what you would put down as being nation-building efforts.

For too long national budgets under coalition governments had been short-sighted as they focused only on the next election. They continued to ignore the big challenges faced by this country. They squandered the proceedings of the mining boom and the opportunities with resources that we had. What they did not do was invest in this country’s future. There just cannot be an argument about that. Those opposite cannot get up here and try to spin their way out of it. They had the time. They have a track record and, in this regard, their track record was failure.

The bill before the House today reiterates Labor’s commitment to being a nation-building party. This bill should be fully supported by all members of this parliament, if they genuinely do believe in nation building. This is not like the support which was offered by the member for Sturt, the Manager of Opposition Business, in his motion of privilege yesterday. It seems that members opposite are becoming hopelessly embarrassed. When they have to visit their local electorate to talk to schools and local councils about road based infrastructure and claim credit for it and then come into this place and vote against it, it is no wonder they feel embarrassed. They should be embarrassed. People did not put those opposite into parliament to try to capture as much press as they can in their local electorates by aligning themselves with Labor led projects and then coming into this House and voting it down. That is what they have attempted to do and what they continue to do. My colleague here probably wants to have another go at it. (Quorum formed). I know it is embarrassing for those opposite to have to sit down and hear this and for someone to have to come in here and point out the facts.

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