Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Those communities wanted some good policy from the government, but they did not get good policy and all they saw was their water allocations going down and down. They wanted to get on with the job of doing what they have been asked to do by government. They went out there just after World War I on soldier settlement blocks and turned an arid wasteland into a veritable Garden of Eden. They produce just about everything at Griffith and in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, in Hillston, in Coleambally and in all those great towns like Narrandera and Leeton. But they kept getting stymied by the previous government's poor policies and poor economic management.

This bill is yet another way in which the government is cleaning up after Labor, so that we can get on with the important job of building a more prosperous future for the nation. Legislation passed in the House earlier this week to streamline student visa processing arrangements for non-university degree providers is another example of how we are getting on with the job. The government is determined to consider the Commission of Audit report in a careful and methodical way. That was lacking when Labor was in power. We have always maintained we would release the final report as part of the budget process. I note that Labor failed to release the Henry tax review for 130 days after the member for Lilley received it.

The member for Lilley was responsible for overseeing that huge debt and deficit. The member for McMahon was responsible for overseeing more than 50,000 unauthorised boat arrivals, when the border protection budget blew out by around $10 billion—that is, $10 billion that could not be spent on improving farm efficiencies, important hospitals or important road infrastructure. The current Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, is going to be the infrastructure Prime Minister of the 21st century. We are getting on with the job. We have plans in place for a new Sydney airport, for roads, to put money on the ground where it is most needed to ensure that our farmers are able to get on with the great job they do. Farmers were unfortunately maligned during the 43rd Parliament.

Farmers are the best conservationists, the best environmentalists, but at every turn they took they were stymied by the previous government. There were roadblocks in place and on an ABC Four Corners program we saw the disgraceful stopping of live cattle exports on a whim. In a knee-jerk response the entire industry was shut down overnight. It was an absolute disgrace and the industry still has not got back on its feet. It will take many years for that industry to get back to where it was, but we are getting on with the job of making sure steps are in place to ensure humane treatment of animals. This is the only nation that makes sure animals are looked after at every step from the farms where they are produced to the dinner plate, but you would not have known that under Labor. They stopped the cattle trade overnight. I see the member for Fraser laughing.

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