Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was pointing out for those opposite where the PBO is just in case they did want to visit it and acquaint themselves with the process—

Mr Billson interjecting—

Not interested? It is close by anyway. Obviously the PBO is currently an exempt agency under the FOI Act. However, the FOI Act does not provide specific exemption for documents relating to PBO requests that may be held by departments and other agencies. As a result, requests for information made to agencies by the PBO and information provided to the PBO by agencies may not be protected. So perhaps this has been a reason why the opposition have not been prepared to take their policies over there to be costed. In order to avoid any chance that that would put them off, the bill before us will enhance the integrity of the independent PBO processes. Essentially the bill will further protect the confidentiality of the Parliamentary Budget Office's work and will strengthen Australia's fiscal and budget frameworks. This means that MPs can now be confident that the PBO will give independent and protected advice on the budget and financial proposals that they put forward to the people.

I have great faith in the independence of Australia's public servants and in Queensland public servants. I do not just say that because I am married to one of those public servants in Queensland, who has worked for a variety of state governments over the last 22 years. She served the National Party government under Joh Bjelke-Petersen, she served Wayne Goss, she served Rob Borbidge—and I think I have left off a National Party premier or two in between there—and also Peter Beattie, Anna Bligh and now Campbell Newman. Like every public servant, she does not serve a party; she serves the public. She gives advice. She acts independently and makes the decisions that are in the best interests of the public. I would hope that my premier in Queensland would recognise that public servants do have that great facility to be smart and clever and give frank and fearless advice and serve the state or the nation.

Sadly, we have nearly 14,000 Queenslanders lose their jobs in the context of 26,000 Queenslanders losing their jobs since Campbell Newman became Premier. It is not a good time to be looking for work in Queensland, sadly. Naturally, the bill before the chamber raises this question: when will the shadow Treasurer come clean and show the Australian public how he intends to fund his $70 billion black hole, which was exposed after the last election? He came clean the other day by indicating that he is going to rip off Australian families and get rid of the schoolkids bonus, even though we are about to give payments out in January to all of the parents in my electorate. The shadow Treasurer said this on Lateline on 23 October: 'So we've also previously said we're going to abolish the schoolkids bonus. It's on the record that we're not going to proceed with the schoolkids bonus.' That will be a horrible situation for the families in my electorate in January. They would not receive a payment if the member for North Sydney were in power. He is saying, 'No schoolkids bonus.'

The Liberal Party and the National Party are yet again showing their true colours, promising to cut payments that assist local families with the costs of putting their kids through school. Without the schoolkids bonus, a typical family in Moreton putting two kids through school would lose more than $15,000 over the course of their children's education. The schoolkids bonus means every local family on family tax benefit part A will receive $410 a year for primary school kids and $820 a year for kids in secondary school.

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