Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition was paying attention when I gave a speech in Tenterfield on Saturday night to mark the 125 anniversary of Sir Henry Parkes famous Tenterfield speech. The speech Sir Henry Parkes gave in Tenterfield back in October 1889 set us up on the road to nationhood— that is what it did. What I hoped to do on Saturday night, 125 years later, was to set us up for a mature debate about the future of our federation. That is what I am inviting members opposite to participate in, a mature debate about the future of our federation. My hope is that just for once it might be possible to have a debate rather than a screaming match. I hope that just for once it might be possible for us in this parliament, one side and the other, the national government and the state and territory governments to have a mature debate rather than a screaming match.

Obviously, if we are going to have a mature debate about our federation, we need to look at spending responsibilities and at revenue capacities. I think as a nation we are capable of rising to this challenge—I really do. I think we are capable of having the kind of sensible, mature debate that will make our people proud of this parliament and will make our people think that yes, this is the kind of country we want to be a citizen of. I am very happy to have that debate. I invite the Leader of the Opposition to participate. I invite all of the states and territories to participate.

As for the GST itself, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, the GST is a matter for the states but certainly it is something which ought to be looked at as part of the federation reform process and as part of the tax reform process. I think we are capable of being mature about these things and I invite the Leader of the Opposition to be part of this process.

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