Pat Conroy (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am glad I could follow the member for Hinkler, who ended on the importance of jobs and employment, because I am incredibly proud of the last Labor government's employment record. In the six years of the Labor government nearly one million jobs were created and, more importantly, we saved 200,000 jobs during the global financial crisis. In a period when almost every other developed nation went into recession, not only did Australia survive the recession but we saved 200,000 jobs and had a very good stimulus package, something the current Prime Minister slept through during the parliamentary proceedings. Labor did not sleep through it. Labor responded strongly and saved the Australian economy and throughout that six years nearly one million jobs were created.

I was interested in the member for Dobell's contribution, which ranged across a lot of areas including small business and the declining share of small business employment in the economy. The most important thing is that jobs grew under Labor and nearly a million jobs were created. Whether they were small business jobs, jobs in medium-sized enterprises or large enterprises, the most important thing is that jobs were created. Sadly, we cannot say the same thing under the current government when 63,000 full-time jobs have been lost and we have seen the heart ripped out of manufacturing.

We have got the economic geniuses over the other side such as the Prime Minister, a man Mr Costello said could not be trusted on economics, a man of great, great economic learning—he learned at the feet of BA Santamaria, no less!—a man who, when confronted with Holden saying before the election, 'If you cut funding to the automotive industry, we will leave,' let it happen. That is a very sophisticated message; it is really hard to interpret that message. So what was their policy: to cut $500 million from automotive industry assistance. And what happened? Holden announced that they are leaving—they are going to go—decimating the North Adelaide economy. Without Holden there providing critical mass for the supply chain, Toyota had no choice but to leave as well. So in six short months, under the economic genius of the Prime Minister, the entire automotive industry is going—50,000 direct jobs and another 200,000 indirect jobs—destroying a key part of our manufacturing sector in only six months! Quite an achievement! If it was intended, it was a great achievement, because they went at it with great purpose. We have also seen job losses at Caterpillar and Electrolux, jobs that could have been saved if we had an activist government instead of a do-nothing government.

Another part of this MPI concerns the importance of infrastructure and providing investment certainty in infrastructure and appropriate market incentives to encourage investment in infrastructure. This government believes in neither the market nor predictable policy. Its gutting of Infrastructure Australia proves that point. By giving the minister the power to redirect funds away from vital infrastructure projects towards projects that he chooses on a political basis, we are seeing the end of evidence based infrastructure funding and more pork-barrelling.

It is not a surprise, as it has come from the government that brought us the regional rorts affair. I am sure that everyone on this side will be very familiar with some of those great efforts. For example, there was the $433,000 going to Coonawarra Gold for a project that was never built, run by a state Liberal candidate in South Australia. Grants went to a cheese factory that closed down, to build a rail line that burnt down, and to a pet food factory that never opened. This litany of regional rorts was great and you cannot expect anything else under the National Party, who glory in regional rorts.

The other part of the gutting of Infrastructure Australia is to remove the evidence based assigning of incentives for private sector investment in infrastructure. Instead, the minister has the power to confer tax loss concessions on project proponents without reference to Infrastructure Australia. So instead of having an expert independent body deciding what projects are nationally important and are deserving of tax incentives, we have the Minister for Infrastructure—the Deputy Prime Minister; a National at the root of his heart and soul and from the party of Joh Bjelke-Petersen. This is in direct contradiction to the G20's communique and just shows how hypocritical those opposite are. They say one thing in international forums and they do another when they are really put to the test domestically.

I am proud that I am the member of a party that created a million jobs when in government. Those on the other side stand condemned for the loss of 63,000 jobs in six short months.

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