Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a privilege today to talk about this MPI. I do reject the opposition's assertions that are part of this MPI. I did note and listen to what the member for Fremantle had to say, and I appreciate her passion for what she believes in. I, too, want to see foreign aid increase in the future. But I would say to the member for Fremantle that you cannot run a foreign aid budget on the credit card—you really cannot.. Unfortunately, the opposition are not supporting the $5 billion worth of budget saving measures that they took to the last election. I call upon the member for Fremantle and others to talk to their leader and to talk to their frontbench and ask them to support that. Quite frankly, foreign aid is one of the few areas that this government can reduce without going through the Senate. If you had supported the $5 billion that you promised, as well as other things, then we would not have to look at foreign aid. On that, though, foreign aid is being spent extremely well. We are making sure that we are getting good value for money with our foreign aid.

This government has a plan to return to surplus. We really do have a plan to return to surplus, and we are not going to abandon that plan. We believe it is important to return to surplus. We know that households cannot continually spend more than what they earn. They cannot continue to rack up bills on the credit card. The people in the gallery cannot continue to spend more than what they earn every year. I say to the students looking down from the gallery today—how are you going, guys?—when you grow up and get a part-time job or are working full-time, you cannot spend more than what you earn day in and day out. But, federally, this is what the Australian government has done for the last seven years—the last 12 months under our government and the last six years under Labor. What I am saying to you, as young people, and to those other people in the gallery today, is that we are committed to returning to surplus. We believe it is important.

I notice the member for Fairfax is here today. He is a very well-known figure in Australia and a very competent businessman. Member for Fairfax and others, I really believe it is important that we return to surplus. I know that our GDP is lower than other countries—and the member for Fairfax has written to me on this. I do know that. But, just because every other country, and those in Europe, have a much higher debt level, does that mean that Australia should do that as well? I say no. I say that we do need to return to surplus, and I believe that. Let us look at what Labor Treasurers have had to say. What do former Labor Treasurers have to say about returning the budget to surplus? Wayne Swan said in 2011:

It's important we bring the Budget back to the black in 2012-13 when we said we would because we've got this strength in the economy coming down the track and we don't want to exacerbate price pressures in the economy during that period.

In May 2011 he also said:

Making savings is important because we bring the Budget back to surplus in 2012-13, build surpluses after that and in so doing that we make sure we don't add cost of living pressures on Australian families.

He also said in 2012 that the budget's return to surplus is helping deliver. Well, we never actually got back to surplus. The member for McMahon said in 2012:

… the surplus and our fiscal management has been important in putting downward pressure on interest rates.

He also said in 2012:

The Government needed to make responsible spending cuts to put downward pressure on inflation and therefore interest rates.

I say to the Labor Party: your former Treasurers believe it is important to come back to surplus. We do. We know the Australian public wants us to be bipartisan and work together on different issues, and I would ask members opposite to support some of our budget savings. It is important because if you get back into government or we are in government it is important to make sure that we can return to surplus for the children and the people up there in the gallery and for all Australians.

We have delivered a lot in that last 18 months. The member for McMahon mentioned youth unemployment, and I am concerned about that too. We have 83 per cent youth unemployment in Petrie and 17 per cent unemployment. We have got the Green Army happening. We have the Army gap year. We have got the Colombo Plan. The member for Wentworth is rolling out the NBN, which is creating more jobs, particularly with the downturn of the mining boom, and we are making sure, most importantly that we are getting good value for taxpayers.

See this speech in context