Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise on this occasion. I speak to the gallery and to yourself in particular, Deputy Speaker Scott, and to those listening to the debate. You would think from the speeches that I have heard today—from the shadow minister through all the speakers—that the governments of today and in the past have served the nation poorly. And, actually, that is not the case.

In my experience, from when the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke said we were going to plant a billion trees until today, I have seen the nation, when it has had the money to do it, invest heavily in the environment for the betterment of the people—your children and the children to come. I have seen it in my own district. I was reminded yesterday by the Millennium Goals people how beautiful my electorate was. They had had dealings in Gippsland. They then began to describe my electorate to me. They described Wilsons 'Prom'; they described Mount Baw Baw and the hills; they described the farmland; and they described all the work that Landcare had done over many years that has transformed areas of the Strzeleckis. Through all of the governments down the ages, especially the Howard government, do you know what we saw? Because they had the money to do the job, as you would know, Deputy Speaker Scott, they poured money into the environment. We had the money to do it.

The difference with the previous government that we have just experienced is that the money was blown. It was gone. You cannot be green when you are in the red. Having said that, as a community, and, obviously, from the speeches that you have heard today, we care about the environment on both sides of the House. I am disappointed in some of the remarks that came from the Labor people today, because—and I say to the gallery—they are actually not true about this government. I would say about the previous government it was a good idea to put pink batts into houses across Australia. But the delivery turned into a monumental horror story and into sadness for the families that were directly affected.

Are some of the things that we do as a community good ideas? Yes, they are good ideas. We do not build houses now without insulating those houses. We make sure that there has been a massive change in the way that we build houses here, the way farmers think about their property, the way we have non-till ploughing, the way we have non-till sowing, and all the changes that have been made in Tasmania. It is one of the most beautiful places in Australia. One of my reps in the shop used to come in and say, 'Tasmania, mate, it is Australia's, if not the world's, best kept secret—Tasmania.' I know the three representatives that sit close by me here are passionate about their community. They show it in everything they do and in every approach they take. I want you to be proud of what has happened.

Now, you are going to say that I am right out of order here but I actually do not like international bodies making decisions about what happens here in this country. I really do not like it. I like the fact that local government makes decisions about what they do with their dogs and where you can walk them. I like the fact that state governments make decisions about how they are going to manage their police force. I like the fact that we make decisions here about defence and social security. I would like to think that the Australian government actually is clear about its responsibilities and how they are delivered. I really do not like somebody in an international body deciding what we do here, even though we have made application to that body. It is important that we keep, always, the responsibilities for the environment of this nation in Australian hands, in local hands, in state hands and in federal hands. I commend all of you speakers to the House and I look forward to the next speaker, if there is one.

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