Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

If you are going to keep your economy strong, you need to be able to address those problems that come from time to time—those things that Mother Nature throws at you. Our nation had a very difficult summer. To keep our economy strong for the long term, we need to rebuild. I am proud that we were able to work through to structure a progressive flood levy to fund the rebuilding. I am also pleased that we were able to find the tough cutbacks necessary to rebuild Queensland and the nation. We are making progress, with 6,600 kilometres of roads repaired, 411 affected schools reopened and significant commitments to the Bruce Highway and to the Warrego and Landsborough highways so that they can be rebuilt after the flooding.

In addition, the government is determined that the nation builds for the future. As Prime Minister, I am not going to put this nation's future in the too-hard basket. That means that we do have to step up and deal with the challenge of climate change by getting polluters to pay, and we will do that. It means that we have to roll out the technology of the future—the National Broadband Network—which is why I am pleased that we were able to commence development not only in Tasmania but on the mainland, and to achieve the microeconomic reform of the structural separation of Telstra, something that eluded the Howard government year after year.

We want to be investing in what Australian families need. Of course they need jobs, but they also need great quality education services. Along with our schools reforms, childcare reforms and university reforms, I am pleased we were able to deliver the $3 billion skills package in the recent budget. I am pleased that we have been able to strike a breakthrough health agreement to ensure that there are more doctors, more nurses, more local control and less waste. I am also pleased that we have been able to work with Australian families to slightly alleviate the cost-of-living pressures they face, with new money for families of teenagers and with school uniforms being added to the Education Tax Refund program to take a little bit of the pressure off.

As Prime Minister, I am determined that we will keep the economy strong and that we will keep spreading the benefits of opportunity and prosperity to Australians. We are driven by getting results for the Australian nation, unlike those opposite, who are always diverted by the politics and the cheap political stunts.

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