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

I rise to speak on the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Repeal) Bill 2014. Despite the claims of those opposite to the contrary, fiscal reform is needed in Australia and the coalition, as a responsible government, needs to rein in expenditure if we want any hope of putting our economy back on a sustainable path to surplus. The reason those opposite have challenged the government's reform measures is not because those measures are unjust or irresponsible; it is because to do so would mean they would have to finally admit and accept that their cash-splash approach to running the government for six years is what caused every Australian to now be faced with billions in deficit. That is projected to rise to $667 billion if we do not fix the unsustainable spending path those opposite have put us on.

Every member of the public has to balance their personal budget to make ends meet and a responsible government has to do that as well. Unfortunately this concept of economic responsibility was forgotten, year after year, under the former government—despite their ongoing claim that a surplus was just around the corner. I do not know what path those opposite thought they were walking but it certainly was not one to surplus, after delivering $191 billion in deficits in their first five budgets. It is safe to say those opposite have no idea what a surplus looks like except when the coalition delivers one.

The National Commission of Audit, the Secretary of the Treasury and the Governor of the Reserve Bank have all unequivocally stated that the government cannot afford to maintain its current expenditure levels. The commission, in fact, found that if the government did not rein in expenditure, every Australian would feel the weight of continuing deficits for 16 years in a row to 2023-24. Although it may seem harsh to some, entitlements must be pulled back and spending reduced across all government portfolios if we are to have any hope of putting Australia back onto the sustainable path we seek.

To achieve this the community and those opposite need to reassess their view of the government and how taxpayers' money is spent. When an individual, a business or an organisation can afford to support themselves, their expectation should not still be that they deserve an additional handout from the government or from the taxpayer—yet this is exactly what we are seeing. An economically responsible government is not one that caters to this unsustainable expectation; instead it balances its books, while still having safeguards in place to assist those who need it the most, and develops spending measures that will enhance the lives of our future generations through investment, research and innovation, job-building programs and infrastructure advancements. That is something this government will achieve if these budget measures are passed in this place.

The bill before the House today has been surrounded by an air of controversy, with those opposite claiming that if the government closes the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or ARENA as it is commonly known and referred to, it must mean that the coalition is against renewable energy.

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