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

And why is that? I will come back to that. But we are committed to a surplus. One thing that unites the coalition and the Liberal and Nationals parties is that we want to return the budget to surplus after eight years of deficits, started by Labor, spending billions of dollars—billions of dollars squandered on all sorts of things. It is time to return to surplus, and on this side of the House we are very committed to doing so. We are also very committed to ensuring that there are more jobs in the Australian economy, and we will never stop. And you are right: there might be people who are unemployed, and that is not good enough, and we will continue to work on that. We had a five-year target and a 10-year target, and we are on our way to achieving that. And every member on this side of the House is committed to more jobs.

Next week I will be running a job seeker boot camp for the people of Petrie. I have invited along something like 25 employers and about 50 local people who are unemployed—not just young people but older Australians as well—who can come along and have the chance to mix with employers and find out what it is that employers are looking for when they are hiring. These are positive steps. I know the member for Corangamite regularly talks to young people in her electorate as well about what they can do to achieve their goals and contribute to this great nation.

We are also committed, of course, to lower taxes and higher productivity—and not just within the Public Service and not just within government, but we are helping businesses achieve better productivity by reducing red tape. Since we came to office something like $2.l billion worth of red tape has been cut. Paying less tax is good for the economy and is a due reward for the hardworking men and women of Australia who must save, work hard and invest. And we want to reward them. But what is Labor doing? They are increasing taxes. They are saying no to everything.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

The member for Rankin says we have not come back to surplus. But what have they done? How has he voted on budget saving measures to help Australia return to surplus so that children and young adults like those up there in the gallery and in my electorate of Petrie are not paying, for decades to come, for the way of life of Australians today? They have done nothing. The member for Rankin and every member on that side of the House has done nothing. They have voted against every saving measure. In fact, they have voted against their own measures. I am sure the member for Rankin and other members over there have said, 'We're going to save this; we're going to vote for that.' I think they said it would be $3½ billion worth of savings before the last election, and they have not passed one of their own. The hypocrisy of this MPI and of the actions of those opposite in this House is unbelievable.

Look at ChAFTA. Finally, today they said yes. For months they have been saying, 'No, no, no, no, no.' They remind me of that historic British comedy The Vicar of Dibley. I do not know who here has seen The Vicar of Dibley. Do you remember Mr Trott? He always says, 'No, no, no, no, no, no no—yes.' That is the Labor Party. That has been the Labor Party, for months, on ChAFTA: 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no—yes.' That is the member for Rankin and every member on that side of the House. They need to get their act together. And, finally, I would say that they need to make the savings.

I say to the Australian people and to the people of Petrie: we live in the greatest country in the world—Australia is a wonderful country—but do not let the Labor Party come back to office. We cannot afford these members opposite. They have learnt nothing in two years. When the next election rolls out they still will have learnt nothing. We need to return to surplus. Australia will continue to be the greatest country on earth with the coalition in charge.

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