Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to start by associating myself with a lot of the very wise words about the current lack of leadership and the invitation for our leaders, in particular, the Prime Minister, to put into action some of those words that he used today when the Prime Minister of Singapore was here. He said we are a successful multicultural community—it is nice to say these things when another Prime Minister visits but it is another thing when the rubber hits the road to stand up to people that might have a little bit of something on you. But, I think when it comes to leadership, if people see someone actually taking stands based on principle, people respond to that. I think the community responds to that and it will lead to a more cohesive and stronger community. That is what we all desire.

I am also concerned about attempts to gut the Racial Discrimination Act. I will talk about a meeting I had with a multicultural centre for the Northern Territory just the other day. There is a lot of concern in the community—concern that was probably not there a couple of years ago, maybe even 18 months ago. There is a rising tone of concern within our community in relation to racism, and I made sure that everyone at that meeting knew that my office was open to them and I would be willing to listen to examples of racism happening in the community because it is important that we show leadership in this area.

In relation to the appropriation bills, I would like to make a number of points, some that relate specifically to my electorate and some for the future of our country. As all honourable members know, Labor are not blocking appropriation bills. We are acting responsibly. We have supported around $6.3 billion in savings in the government's omnibus bills. We have done that, but it is important to realise that this does not give the government's economic plan a tick, in fact, far from it.

I think part of the reason we regained some seats—including mine—at the last election is that the government has lost touch. When you think of a $50 billion tax cut to corporations and, potentially, some not paying as much tax as they could, when people are having troubles paying their own bills—particularly in an electorate like mine, with the higher costs of living—then I think people start scratching their heads a bit. They say: 'Well, what is this government's plan, really, apart from parroting "jobs and growth"? Where are their priorities? Are we their priority or is big business?' Big business, obviously, is a very important part of our economy, but is that where the priorities should lie or is there some other work we can do to try to ensure that everyone is contributing to the welfare of our country?

When I say 'welfare', I mean looking after people on the pension; looking after people who are in areas where there is not much work and helping to provide incentives for them to gain work; and looking after people's mental health—it is Mental Health Week. They are important priorities. The Prime Minister talks about participation in the economy, but then you have the defunding of the NT Working Women's Centre at the end of the year—a working women's centre that supports women who are most vulnerable in the workplace. It is no good for the heart and soul of our country and for our workplaces. It is also no good for the economy; there is a big cost to the economy.

Inequality is a rising cost to the economy in our country. Inequality is rising and I can tell you that it is felt pretty keenly in my electorate of Solomon—growing populations, young families. You can see in areas that there is a hollowing out of the aspirational middle classes. People really start to struggle and, unfortunately, they just move south, because it is difficult to hang around Darwin and Palmerston if you cannot afford to pay the bills—you need to head south. We have had a decrease in population in recent times. Some of those costs and pressures are starting to settle a bit in the housing market, but it is still a big challenge.

We are proud, on our side of politics, to believe in a really solid minimum wage. Unfortunately, for a lot of workers their wages in real terms are going backwards. Obviously, everyone is aware that we have slowing wage growth. The coalition want to cut penalty rates—well, why wouldn't you?—from young people who are just trying to get on a path to their future! Why would you do that to people who need that extra money from penalty rates to support their families, support their kids and help their kids to afford university, because that is going to be more expensive as well. There is, unfortunately, a lack of a fuller appreciation for the effect of some of these sorts of policies from the coalition.

Inequality is at a high, and that does have a cost to our economy—as does something else that has been in the media this week: the ongoing shemozzle of the backpacker tax. The Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources today tried to have a go at us because we simply want to scrutinise the measure of 19 per cent as the new, backflipped tax rate for backpackers, when even some of the government's own advisers say that the case probably does not stack up. The modelling—what is the modelling? To take a couple more weeks to have a look at that I think is a sensible thing to do. But when the government's own modelling says that perhaps it is not going to achieve the desired outcomes, I think we are right to scrutinise it.

It has had an enormous impact on the economy of the Northern Territory. In the Top End we have got mango growers who literally need thousands of backpackers. It has had a big impact. A lot of the damage has already been done. It took them 18 months to decide that going from zero tax for the first $18,000, which was attractive and brought backpackers to the Top End—they spend their money in the Top End and that is good for the economy, for tourism and for the growers—to 32 per cent. They then scratched their heads when there was a 40 per cent decrease in the number of backpackers. That has had a significant effect on the economy in the Top End. To spend 18 months on that and then suggest that we are delaying things I think is pretty disingenuous. But I digress. The ATO and a number of experts have got questions to answer. As I personally represent a lot of the businesses in the Top End I would like to hear some of the answers.

When it comes to the commitments of the coalition and the funding of those commitments there is the PET scanner. I know some people in this chamber would have a deep interest in the provision of medical services to people who are in the fight of their life against cancer. The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in the country without a PET scanner.

An honourable member: What do you want to scan pets for?

That's very funny. I will teach you, if you want. A PET scanner is a diagnostic tool that uses radioactive isotopes to track where the cancer is in the body. It shows oncologists where the cancer is. That is really helpful in saving their lives, which we think is really important. The coalition promised a PET scanner. They actually said that it is on its way—presumably, in a truck going up the Stuart Highway to Darwin—six years ago.

An honourable member: It's a slow truck.

A very slow truck. There were many breakdowns along the way perhaps. The current foreign minister stood in the middle of our city over six years ago promising a PET scanner.

When you are not in government obviously you can lobby and ultimately just do your best, but for three years this coalition has been in government. There has not even been a diagram drawn of what this facility will look like. I took the opportunity to go to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and meet with one of the leading nuclear medical professionals in our country—Professor Rod Hicks—who gave me a brief on exactly what sort of facility we need in Darwin to house the PET scanner.

Not even a diagram for that facility has been produced in three years of coalition government, so we are starting from scratch in Darwin. We are the only jurisdiction in the country not to have a PET scanner. Territorians with cancer continue to have to fly interstate, away from their families, to have these scans. It is simply not good enough. I have asked what the $15 million will cover—a PET scanner is about $2.5 million. We want to make sure that the coalition is actually committed to providing it this time.

I want to touch on one more thing. I was really happy to speak in this place in support of the member for Canning's motion in relation to ADF personnel serving overseas. I quoted Ray and Pam Palmer, who lost their son in Afghanistan in 2010. Ray and Pam are good friends with Sir Angus Houston. I was lucky enough to speak with Sir Angus about the plight of returned servicemen, veterans, in our country. He is obviously very passionate about improving the system of support.

I have approached the veterans' affairs minister about the fact that the Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in the country that does not have a deputy commissioner for veterans' affairs.

I do not know whether members here are aware—but I am pretty sure they would be—that we have a big defence community in Darwin in the Northern Territory. We have lots of veterans, more and more veterans moving out into the community but the CEO essentially of the Department of Veterans' Affairs has been away from us. I wrote to the minister many weeks ago now and spoke with him personally in the last couple of days and he is committed to getting an answer back. But I need to stress that the ex-service community is feeling unsupported in the Top End and are feeling like they are not as important as other jurisdictions. They do not have a head of the Department of Veterans' Affairs like everyone else does.

Why should someone in Sydney have better representation, more support than someone who lives in a remote area of the Northern Territory? Why should that be the case? Obviously it absolutely should not be the case. People who work in the DVA office in the Northern Territory go out into the Kimberley to support people out there. So if you are veteran or an ex-servicemen living remotely in the Northern Territory or in north-west Western Australia, you will not get the same support as in states down south. I think that is shameful. I am looking forward to hearing from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs that the deputy commissioner for veterans affairs for the Northern Territory is going to be reinstated.

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