Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

There is a lack of regret, as one of my colleagues says, and a lack of a plan. One of the most important things a government can do, one of the greatest responsibilities of a government, is to look to the future and say: 'What sort of economy will we have? What sort of society will we have? What will the jobs of the future be? How do we equip our people to make the most of those opportunities?'

Has anybody heard a plan for the future from this government or any vision for these workers who have been 'liberated' from the car factory production line? Where are their jobs coming from? These workers who have been 'liberated' from the production line at SPC Ardmona—where are their jobs coming from? These Qantas workers—the Deputy Prime Minister wants to ship their maintenance jobs overseas—where are their jobs going to come from in the future? The Prime Minister pretends that we are saying to him, 'You need to guarantee every single job'. But do you know what would be a great comfort to these workers? A great comfort would be to know that they were going to get immediate assistance from the government to help them cope with the biggest change in their lives. The other thing that would help these workers is to know that the people sitting opposite have some inkling, some idea, some plan for the future.

Those opposite also said there would be no cuts to health and no cuts to education. No cuts to health? Let us have a look at the difference between the 2013 budget and the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook under those opposite. What came out of hospitals in that time? More than half a billion dollars—$560.3 million—cut between the budget in May and the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Ms Henderson interjecting—

Oh, one of the members opposite is talking about Victoria. Guess what Victoria is going to lose between the budget and the midyear economic forecast—$277 million. What do you say about that? And there is not only the change to hospitals—what about the $265 million that was announced for upgrades to Westmead Hospital? There is no upgrade for Westmead, no upgrade for St George Hospital, no MRI machine for Mount Druitt hospital, no specialised cancer care in Western Australia and no cancer care coordinators. And the South Australian government needed to step in and build the neonatal unit at Flinders Medical Centre that was already budgeted for. That money was set aside. That money was in the budget, and those opposite cut it. They cut it, despite their promise.

Honourable members interjecting—

And education. The Minister for Education never comes in here to answer a question on education. When was the last time anybody heard the member for Sturt say a single thing about education? Instead—

Government members interjecting—

I'm talking about education—he is off on some frolic of his own. But he promised no school worse off under your government, and all of you have to go home and you have to explain to your schools why you are robbing them, why you are robbing those children of education funding.

Government members interjecting—

You have to go home and explain why you are cutting education funding. Labor's Gonski proposal—

Honourable members interjecting—

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