Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand to speak on the appropriation bills. To those of you listening at home, those 15 minutes you will never get back—listening to the member for Blair's speech is like listening to the captain of the Titanic do a lecture on risk management. Quite frankly, it is astounding that a person who was a member of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years could come in here and lecture this House on fiscal responsibility and budgets that are relevant to Australia.

I spent six years sitting in this place, in opposition, watching the member for Blair's government take away the regional telecommunications fund and turn it into $900 cash splashes—putting up school halls that schools did not want, that could not fit in the student body, putting insulation into houses that subsequently burned down. That contribution was absolutely appalling.

The member for Blair is also the opposition spokesman on Indigenous affairs, and he had quite a bit to say about the government's response in that portfolio. The big change we have seen with this government is that there is a responsibility. The biggest insult and the biggest discrimination made against our Aboriginal brothers and sisters is to have a lower expectation. The Labor Party way is to give them more money so as not to feel that we need to do anything—to measure success and commitment by giving them more money. What we see now is that there is some responsibility.

We are not putting in programs, to fund people, that make no change—year after year after year—while the people that need the funds are still living in poverty. There needs to be some accountability. For the member for Blair to talk about this government walking away from Aboriginal people is absolutely insulting. Through our programs that are getting students into schools, our support of the Clontarf Foundation, our employment programs and our mutual obligation, we are making a difference in the lives of these people. We are not just going to shove money out to people, to drive around in government cars and sit in air-conditioned offices, who make no difference to the people that they represent.

This was the eighth budget that I have sat through and listened to the Treasurer make on budget night. This is the first one in which I have heard agriculture mentioned, and mentioned as many times as the Treasurer did. We have seen in this budget that this government recognises that Australia is still reliant on agriculture to pay its bills. The wealth of this country still focuses on agriculture and, in its time of need, in drought, this government is supporting farmers.

In the previous government, the member for Watson, when he was the agriculture minister, said that drought was a thing of the past. The word 'drought' was changed to 'dryness'. They said that this was climate change and we did not need a drought policy. So when we came to government, we had no policy for drought and the cupboard was bare. We have seen nearly half a billion dollars committed to farmers in supporting drought assistance.

I have to say: it is still tough out there. With the support farmers are getting from this government, it is still tough and, quite frankly, they will be doing it tough in those areas around Walgett, Coonamble, Brewarrina and Bourke in my electorate until it rains. But at least now there are about 5,000 farmers around Australia getting household support. We are seeing funds going into communities to build community infrastructure and create some employment in these towns. So for the member for Blair and other members in opposition to be critical of this budget is absolutely nonsensical.

Policies introduced by this government will help regional Australia stimulate growth. The $20,000 tax offset and the accelerated appreciation for water storage and fodder storage and fencing will make a real difference to stimulating not only agriculture but the communities and towns that support it. Indeed, last week I spoke to the manager of Mitre 10 in Dubbo. He said that in the three days after the budget there was a noticeable increase in activity, as tradespeople came in and purchased electrical tools and the like. The person who owns the computer store was saying that there was an increase in interest by businesses wanting to update their IT. We are starting to see small business being recognised and policies put in place that enable small businesses to grow and prosper. We know that, in Australia, the people of Australia know best. They are the ones who want to be unshackled from government and able to get on with it. They do not want this Big Brother approach where Big Brother knows best—and we have seen such policies as the school halls program that were an absolute farce and a waste of money.

In this budget we see a great stimulus for small business. Through our jobs program, the member for Cowper, the Assistant Minister for Employment, who just left the chamber, has a large amount of funds to put people back into work. This is the idea of mutual obligation where, if you are a citizen of this country, sitting at home doing nothing is not an option. You need to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and allow people to have the dignity of work—to have a reason to get up in the morning, to gain the skills and the training, to get back into the workforce and to be an example to their children so that their children understand the concept of work. If you are at work all day, at night-time you might be sleeping and allowing an environment where your children can have a regular, stable lifestyle. The previous government were absolutely missing from the field when it came to this. Their answer was to write out another cheque, borrow some money, hand some money out to other group and pretend that they cared by the size of the cheques that they wrote, rather than taking responsibility and real ownership themselves, where members of parliament are part of their communities and are prepared to put in policies that will be beneficial not merely to the people that they represent. It might not necessarily be popular in all quarters, but it is the right thing to do.

We have seen a continuing commitment to infrastructure. In the last 12 months, I have seen more federal funding coming through my electorate for infrastructure than I saw in the previous six years. The previous member for Parkes and I have seen money going into the Newell Highway through the bridges program and the Black Spot Program. We are seeing work commencing on the inland rail. Rather than just talk about this, we are actually seeing work going on out there now with the final route selection, environmental work and community engagement. It was only an academic discussion until this year. We have a government in charge now that actually does things rather than just talk about things. Through the Stronger Regions program, we are seeing some real funding to stimulate economic growth in regional Australia. The money for the Dubbo saleyards will be a benefit not only to the economy of the Dubbo district but for the whole of western New South Wales. It will set Dubbo up as a livestock exchange centre that will service probably 30 to 40 per cent of New South Wales. This is targeted money going into real programs.

On this commitment to roads, the Newell Highway has, unfortunately, claimed many lives over the years and we are now seeing work being done to widen the Newell and put space between the lanes. In the 40-kilometre section south of Goondiwindi in the northern part of the Parkes electorate, where fatigue sets in and, unfortunately, over the years we have seen some horrendous accidents, we are now seeing some real work going on. The Roads to Recovery Program will be doubled for local government areas in this coming year. As a former mayor, I understand the need for that money so that councils can prioritise and target where it needs to go.

In closing, this is a government that lets Australian people get on with the job that they want to do. This budget is coupled with other policies that we have implemented over the last 18 months, such as our red-tape reduction program, which unshackles small business and the Australian people and enables more productivity and employment. We are starting to see confidence returning.

As someone who spent last week doing about 3,000 kilometres around the Parkes electorate and speaking with many people, I can tell you that the Australian people are very pleased that they have a government in charge that actually knows what it is doing. They are saying that they are willing us to continue to do what we are doing and do better, because they are terrified of a return to the days of the Labor government when we saw a surplus—money in the bank—whittled away to a deficit and debt, which has severely impacted our ability to do what we want to do. But what we see now is a balance between financial responsibility and social responsibility and the fact that we understand what drives our economy and are supporting those areas.

We support programs that actually have outcomes and are measured. I want to speak briefly about the Clontarf Foundation. We have funding now for, I think, an extra 3,000 places around Australia through that. In the Parkes electorate, in schools in Brewarrina, Bourke, Walgett, Moree and Coonamble, and in the three schools in Dubbo, we are seeing a real turnaround where young men, young lads, from families who were multigenerational unemployed, now have real hope. The former school captain of Brewarrina is now doing a fine arts degree at Newcastle university. A couple of boys from Coonamble, after undertaking a training program, are now fully employed in road construction in Sydney. Boys who were truants, and who, at the age of 12 and 13, were taking drugs and smoking cigarettes and wagging school, are now attending school, are motivated and are looking to a future where they will be mentors for their younger brothers and sisters and a support to their family.

This budget helps the Australian people make sense of last year's budget. Last year's budget had to reverse the decline in our terms of trade and our financial standing, and, with this budget, people can now see the logic behind that.

I have to say that, from the comments I picked up, they are very appreciative that we are giving assistance to those who are having a go. Those who have got into the trap of intergenerational welfare will be encouraged to step into the workforce. There are other programs, like Green Army, that are giving young people an opportunity to experience work and undertake some training at the same time.

So I am pleased that I am part of the Liberal-National government. I am pleased that this budget is relevant to the Parkes electorate. And I am pleased to be part of a team that understands what Australia needs and is getting on with the job.

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