Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I refer to His Excellency's speech on opening day in which he said:

You come to this place with the honour of being elected by the people to serve as their voice, to represent their interests, in the great debates that will shape our nation's destiny.

I thank the electors of Moore for entrusting me as their representative in this parliament for a second term. It is a great responsibility, which I will continue striving to fulfil to the best of my ability. The challenge for the government is to provide Australians with economic security, national security, essential services and nation-building infrastructure. The coalition government faces a multitude of policy choices in its legislative program. At the core is an economic plan to strengthen economic growth through policies that encourage jobs, growth and investment backed by a budget strategy which features strong fiscal discipline and control of expenditure growth.

I advocate on behalf of prudent Australians, who work hard, save and invest their earnings over a lifetime to provide for their financial security in retirement. I refer to the aspirational Australians, sole-funded, independent retirees in our community. Just because they have the capacity to pay taxes as a result of their effort, diligence and savings does not mean that they should become the target for higher taxation. We must shift the focus on those who deserve to pay and reduce spending on less deserving causes to balance the budget.

Public overhead costs in developed societies are increasing at a disproportionate rate to taxation revenue, leading to budget deficits and ever-increasing national debt. There are not many developed and advanced First World nations in surplus. If we want to maintain income and company tax rates in the 20 to 30 per cent range, we have to create a more disciplined society, with less waste and more social responsibility. Consider the example of Singapore.

To balance the budget, we must implement a wide range of measures which seek to incrementally achieve savings and efficiencies over time, without being too drastic, giving the public the chance to adapt to changes and modify their behaviour. These measures include programs to increase workforce participation, clamp down on law and order issues, ensure health costs are sustainable and ensure that education funding is administered more prudently. In terms of workforce participation, historically the ratio of persons in the workforce to those dependent on welfare was 10 to 1. Today, it is estimated that the ratio is five working persons to each person on welfare, and this is projected to increase to an unsustainable rate of three-to-one in the future. The government has encouraged the estimated 800,000 unemployed younger Australians of working age back into the workforce through mentoring and training to alleviate the situation. Greater workforce participation by youth, women, Indigenous, mature aged and long-term unemployed persons is facilitated through a range of initiatives, such as the Youth Jobs PaTH Programme, which seeks to create opportunities for work for up to 120,000 young people.

Our health system is under rising cost pressure from the ageing demographics of our population, advances in medical technology and developments in pharmaceuticals. Spending on health care is justifiable for the aged, those with illness or victims of accidents. However, the cost to the health system by those intoxicated by illicit drugs or as a result of criminal behaviour ought to be the subject of cost recovery after treatment. With a strong commitment to Medicare, the government has commissioned a clinician-led task force to conduct a review of some 5,700 items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. This will ensure that the subsidised medical services provided are based on the best evidence and are appropriate to today's patients. The government has reached agreement with all states and territories on funding for public hospitals and will continue to work together with states and territories to improve quality and safety and to better coordinate the care of patients with chronic and complex conditions.

Our higher education system is very generous by world standards. It is estimated that unrecoverable student loans will exceed more than $11 billion by 2018. Modelling from the Grattan Institute suggests that the total value of student debt will almost double from $33.8 billion in 2014 to $63.6 billion in 2018, with the government estimating that only $52 billion will be repaid. Reforms should be implemented to ensure that students are provided with appropriate career counselling to promote courses which are relevant to workforce demand and for which there are realistic employment prospects on graduation. Contractual conditions should include satisfactory pass marks, completion of the course and repayment if employed overseas.

The provision of more local employment opportunities continues to be a major priority within my electorate, with up to 75 per cent of residents commuting long distances to work daily. The federal government provided $209 million of infrastructure funding towards the extension of the Mitchell Freeway and Neerabup Road. Construction is nearing completion and will accelerate development of the Neerabup industrial area, which is forecast to create 20,000 new jobs. There are also a number of economic development projects in progress across the city of Joondalup, including the construction of landmark office buildings, commercial premises and medium-density residential developments in central Joondalup. The Western Australia state government has recently announced a funding commitment of $105 million towards the redevelopment of the Ocean Reef Marina, which will see 55 hectares of prime coastal land transformed into a residential, retail, hospitality and tourism precinct, generating over $800 million in private sector investment. The Smart Cities Plan will play a role in coordinating investment, planning and reform across three levels of government, with the aim of delivering better outcomes.

At the core of our master-planned regional city is the Joondalup Learning Precinct, which includes Edith Cowan University, the North Metropolitan TAFE, the police academy and a number of vocational education and training organisations. I am committed to supporting the expansion of these tertiary educational institutions as they play an important role in research and development and producing the skilled workforce of the future.

The National Innovation and Science Agenda will drive investment of innovative business, assisting in the transition from mining to services, exports, information and technology. There has been a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In terms of the Digital Transformation Agenda, as of February 2017 more than 1.9 million homes and businesses have an active connection to the National Broadband Network, with more than 4 million premises across our nation able to connect to a service. In order to promote technology and the digital economy, the local city of Joondalup has developed a Digital City Strategy. The government has committed to investing in Australia's critical research infrastructure with reforms to research funding to promote a more collaborative approach between researchers and businesses and to achieve commercialisation of intellectual property.

I pay tribute to the vision and entrepreneurial leadership at Edith Cowan University by Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Chapman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Strategy Partnerships Professor Cobie Rudd, and the Director of the Office of Research and Innovation Professor Margaret Jones. The attraction of international students to study at Edith Cowan University's Joondalup campus is testament to the National Strategy For International Education which builds on the success of Australia's $19 billion international education sector.

Joondalup Health Campus is a major hospital which is located in the Moore electorate but which services patients from three neighbouring federal electorates, including Pearce and Cowan. Joondalup Health Campus recently celebrated its 20th anniversary of its being operated under a public-private model by Ramsay Health Care. I wish to acknowledge the dedicated team of staff, led by CEO Kempton Cowan, for its contribution to delivering a very high standard of health care to our community. The facility is located in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia, with a 60 per cent increase in population projected over the next 20 years, so there exists a significant need for increased capacity through an expansion of the facility to ensure that our hospital is able to meet the healthcare needs of the community. A master plan has been developed providing a blueprint for a $375 million future expansion leading to 2026. The Western Australia state government has recently announced a funding commitment of $140 million to deliver the first phase of this expansion.

In the current era, which has seen the emergence of terrorist attacks both abroad and on home soil, counterterrorism must be at the forefront of the government's national security agenda. I fully support the proposed Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill, with control orders to be issued against young offenders. I also fully support a nationally consistent post-sentence preventive scheme, with appropriate protections against high-risk terrorist offenders, and the implementation of a cybersecurity strategy, which is a core element of the government's national security framework.

In a volatile region characterised by territorial disputes and the militarisation of many nations in our region, it is important that Australia's sovereign defence capability is maintained and that our nation develops a globally competitive defence industry. I welcome the implementation of a $195 billion investment in defence capability over the next decade.

Export growth attracting investment and boosting economic and domestic competitiveness is a key strategy for increasing the living standard of Australians. This will be achieved through expanding our overseas diplomatic presence through the construction of new embassies and through new free trade agreements, which will increase market access for Australian business in foreign markets. In the future we look forward to greater regional economic integration through finalising a comprehensive trade agreement with Indonesia, forming a regional comprehensive economic partnership with our largest regional partners and forming new trade agreements with Pacific island countries.

Although I represent an urban electorate, I am always cognisant of the fact that rural and regional Australia is where a substantial share of Australia's economic wealth is created. I have great respect for our rural representatives and the issues that they work tirelessly to resolve. The almost eight million Australians living in rural, regional and remote communities are responsible for generating approximately 67 per cent of Australia's export earnings. There remains huge untapped growth potential in outback Australia. Through the $200 million Regional Jobs and Investment Package the government is helping boost employment by providing support for investment in and diversification of rural economies, new business start-ups and innovation. The Building Better Regions Fund is designed to support rural, regional and remote projects such as improving digital connectivity, fixing mobile phone blackspots and building critical road, rail and marine infrastructure. Similarly, the Agricultural competitiveness white paper will strengthen farming and agribusiness through research and development, new infrastructure and access to water supplies to promote enduring, sustainable agricultural production which will yield economic benefits.

I strongly support the traditional family unit as the foundation of our society and the existing definition of marriage. Since the dawn of human civilisation the concept of marriage has evolved over thousands of years in societies around the world to what is universally considered the social norm—that is, marriage is between a man and a woman to the exclusion of others centred around a family unit. This anthropological social arrangement existed long before religion evolved, and certainly before the concept of parliament or the legislation with which to define it. Prehistoric humans organised themselves into social units, and this basic cohabitation relationship evolved as civilisation progressed. Today, traditional marriage and the family unit are almost universal across the world in societies across geography, race and culture, stretching from Europe to Asia, the American continent and Africa. Marriage predominantly exists between a man and a woman. Exceptions exist in traditional tribal cultures where polygamy and communal living are practised; nevertheless, in most nations traditional marriage dominates as the norm. Traditional marriage is not perfect; there are many issues with family breakdown, divorce and dysfunction. However, it is the best social institution we currently have.

The journey towards advancing reconciliation and promoting multiculturalism will continue during this term of parliament. As an Australian of Eurasian heritage—of both European and Asian ancestry—I look forward to advancing this process in a balanced way. My observation is that the role of Western civilisation in shaping the economic prosperity, governance and culture of Australian society must equally be recognised and celebrated. The early British settlement of our country is equally important as our Indigenous heritage and the subsequent influence of generations of migrants from across the world, who have all contributed to and shaped modern Australia into the great Commonwealth it is today.

Conflicting multiculturalism is an awkward topic that politically correct society seeks to avoid, as characterised by the current debate and parliamentary inquiry surrounding section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. What happens when cultures collide? Which culture or legal system prevails? Will one be criticised for intervening on the basis of being prejudiced? There are many cultural conflicts in a multicultural society which are often left unresolved. For instance, different cultures have different views on issues such as the equality of women, attitudes to work, what is acceptable social conduct. What happens when new cultures conflict with long-held Australian social norms? As a nation we have struggled with this dilemma and have been reluctant to publicly debate and resolve cultural conflicts. There has been a clash of cultures in existence for some time in certain communities across Australia, and these matters have not been adequately resolved due to a politically correct regime that is reluctant to offend. It is a reality that we cannot be all things to all people, yet we can select from the best in the world and adapt.

I subscribe to a selective approach to multiculturalism in Australian society which contends that we should be selective and only adopt those aspects of multiculturalism which are synergistic or complementary, and that Australian culture should prevail where foreign cultures are inconsistent with long-established social norms. Where there is a clash of cultures, a conflict of ideals, then I advocate adherence to the prevailing Western culture in Australian society in terms of conforming to social norms, maintaining the Protestant work ethic, being diligent, embracing scientific methods and being respectful, which are the things that make our society strong. There is no room in Australian society for divided loyalties or separate legal systems. To be truly Australian is to embody a fusion of cultures. In His Excellency's closing remarks to members and senators, he said:

Though you come from, and represent, many different viewpoints, I urge you to work together to provide Australia with economic security, national security and strong and sustainable support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.

With these remarks in mind, I look forward to forming cooperative and constructive working relationships with my fellow members and senators in the 45th Parliament for the advancement of all Australians.

See this speech in context