Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I get to the matter of public importance, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Robyn McClelland on her retirement and wish her and Sam all the best. I know when you and I came into the parliament in 2007, Mr Deputy Speaker Coulton, the clerks were very helpful to us, and I also see the two clerks who are in the chamber now. We have enjoyed the highs and lows together as members of parliament and clerks, and I thank the clerks for the great job they do. All the best to the McClelland family on Robyn's retirement.

We heard the member for Shortland before talking about not being lectured by the Minister for Social Services, but I would like to go back over a little bit of history. I do not think that, as a government, we should be lectured by anyone from the other side of the House, particularly with the lack of economic credibility that they had in the six years that they were in government. We can mention a few things. We can talk about FuelWatch, we can talk about the Grocery Choice, or we can talk about the pink batts.

They talk about the biggest threat to families. Let's remember that the introduction of the pink batts scheme by those on that side of the House killed four people. Two hundred houses were burned down by a policy that was introduced by the Labor Party. They did it and they hid it. They talk about hiding reports. They hid those reports, and they were actually hiding the fact that they were culpable for introducing a scheme that burned 200 houses down and killed four people. So no-one on that side can sit there and lecture this government about threatening families.

The other side talk about the $4.1 billion. Again we get back to the former Treasurer and 'tonight I introduce four budget surpluses'. There is their economic credibility thrown straight out the door. They sit there and try to lecture this government over economic credibility. You guys are fossils when it comes to economic credibility. You have left a $4.1 billion—

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