Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 2014. The bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 and the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to clarify participation arrangements for the participants receiving the Green Army allowance paid under the Green Army Program. This is an exciting piece of legislation for the people in my electorate of Swan. It marks the start of a delivery of real environmental action on the ground in my electorate after six years of no action under the Rudd-Gillard Labor experiment.

This legislation, as much as any other, encapsulates the difference between the coalition and the Labor Party in general. Pretty much the Labor Party's only approach to the environment over the last few years has been a tax, the carbon tax—a plan that involves redistributing money, buying permits offshore and the expenditure of taxpayers money on a massive bureaucratic system of paper shuffling and redistributed money-go-rounds, all to produce no result. Despite the $7.6 billion tax, emissions for the first 12 months barely changed—it was by 0.01 per cent. It is a grand internationally focused macro scheme that does not recognise local environmental issues on the ground or trust that local people have the knowledge to improve our environment. Consequently the environment in my electorate of Swan received zero benefit from the previous government's policies. In fact, the Perth NRM received a funding cut of nearly half its budget under the Howard government. That funding cut was $2 million. This was cut from the Perth NRM funding under the previous Labor government.

The coalition's approach is different and it has always been different. It is an approach for real action on the ground to tackle environmental issues and improve our environment through practical measures. Take for example the Howard government's Green Corps program, which achieved results on the ground. The program propagated and planted more than 14 million trees; erected more than 8,000 kilometres of fencing; and constructed or maintained more than 5,000 kilometres of walking tracks and boardwalks. Under Labor's watch this important initiative was torn apart, rebadged and failed to improve the environment.

The previous speaker, the member for Charlton, spoke about ensuring the safety of the participants in the scheme. I know the member for Charlton was not here at the time under the Rudd-Gillard Labor government, but I see him stand there and talk about ensuring the safety of the participants in this scheme, yet we now have a royal commission looking into the pink batts scheme, where four people died and over 200 houses were burnt down and numerous people had problems with the scheme, which endangered the lives of many people. He stands up there and says he is worried about ensuring the safety of the participants in this scheme, but where was the Labor Party in ensuring the safety of those who died in the pink batts scheme. It is hypocrisy to the maximum by the Labor Party yet again.

The former Labor government transformed the previous program into a program where young long-term unemployed Australians were reclassified and continued to receive an income support payment, but with very little done to actually help the environment. The program failed to engage local communities to ensure that projects met local environmental needs, to motivate the long-term unemployed, to encourage the participation of young people who are passionate about the environment or deliver a program that engaged the participants for the duration of the project. I know that one of the first things I did as a candidate was to go to a site being run by the Green Corps under the Howard government and see a fantastic program employing young Indigenous people in the electorate of Swan. As I said before, I know we are limited for time, and I seek your indulgence to continue my speech at the next opening of parliament.

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