Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is always a pleasure to follow the member for Lilley. He reminds us once again that, when we came into government in 2013, we inherited a record debt. He demonstrates that they will not let the facts get in the way of a good story. He talks about us not investing in infrastructure. Well, I would remind him of our announcement earlier today about what we are doing in infrastructure. Let's look at what we were left with after six years of Labor in government, the chaos they left behind—the cherry on top was the carbon tax—and the damage that did to our economy. One of the first things the coalition government did when it got into power was seek to repeal the carbon tax. But what we did when we repealed the carbon tax was leave the compensation in place for families in Australia. There are many other things that we have done since to help across the country.

In six years of Labor, let us not look at what Labor talked about; let us look at what they actually achieved or succeeded in doing. In their term in office, household health costs increased by 35 per cent, education costs increased by 39 per cent, gas prices increased by 71 per cent, water and sewerage prices increased by 79 per cent and electricity prices increased by 101 per cent. Well, congratulations! The very people you say you support—the ones who are most in need and who struggle to make ends meet day-to-day—all you succeeded in doing in your term in office was making their life harder by increasing their costs of living by enormous amounts.

In contrast, the coalition government is seeking to create an economy that has high-skilled jobs and high-paying jobs that will assist in reducing inequality. If we can ensure people are trained and educated to get these full-time, high-paying jobs, we reduce that inequality. That is what the government's policy framework is designed to do. That is what the enterprise tax plan is designed to do. It is designed to encourage business to invest and grow and leave profits in businesses.

To remind the member for Fenner of some of his comments about lower taxes. In The Australian Financial Review in March 2010 he says that:

Promising to raise company taxes has a visceral appeal to any ambitious opposition—

Well, we see that—

Perhaps some voters will think they will be borne by the companies themselves, leaving all living persons miraculously unharmed.

He recognises there is harm in raising taxes. He also goes on to say, in an interview on 18 November 2015, that there is value in reducing the company tax rate to 25 per cent. So he readily acknowledges that there is value in lowering company tax rates and lowering taxes more generally.

We are not only looking to help businesses but also, importantly, looking to help those who are struggling to find a job and get into the workforce, through our Youth Employment Package. We are looking to help 120,000 young Australians take advantage of the job opportunities as our economy diversifies and transitions away from the mining construction boom. In addition, we are spending some $1.1 billion on our National Innovation and Science Agenda. I see, in my electorate, many young, innovative businesses who are looking to grow. They are looking to employ local people to allow them to grow.

It is this government on this side of the House that is actually doing the utmost it can to tackle these issues of inequality by creating a framework for the Australian economy to grow and prosper. On the matter of infrastructure—for the benefit of the member for Lilley and those opposite—the government is spending some $50 billion on infrastructure and is also investing in Defence, jobs and projects.

See this speech in context