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

It's always a pleasure to rise in this House and speak about the good story this government is delivering for the Australian people, and it's a pleasure to speak on this appropriation bill. And I thank the member for Lingiari for his contribution. I know he's a passionate advocate for Indigenous people in his home state of the Northern Territory, and we've had many a discussion about those matters. But this coalition government does have a good story to tell. And whilst we know that there are going to be distractions on a daily basis, at the end of the day this government has succeeded in ensuring that there is the confidence in our economy and in the future of our economy, to the extent that we saw 400,000 jobs created in our economy over calendar year 2017—jobs growth at a rate of some 2.8 per cent. For the last few years that has been the focus of this government. It is about building that economic confidence to ensure that the business community and those who employ people in this economy have the confidence to do so.

Under the coalition government some 950,000 jobs have been created in the economy overall, and the participation rate is at its highest in almost seven years. This is thanks to the investment this government makes in the economy. But, importantly, it is also thanks to the investment our business people make every single day, for that investment comes off the back of a confidence that is generated by having a government that is looking to do the right thing and create the right conditions for business to flourish and prosper. That is what this government has been doing over the past few years. It has been aimed at driving investment by business into the economy.

It appears that those on the other side don't understand that very well. They don't understand that, by business investing in growing and by us as a government giving them the confidence to do so, that creates jobs and creates opportunity for Australian people. Jobs create confidence for individuals personally and help improve their family life. Jobs allow them to begin to accumulate wealth, pay off their mortgage—a whole range of things. That is what flows through the economy, by ensuring that people have jobs and opportunity.

In my electorate of Forde I have more than 15,000 small to medium businesses that employ thousands of people. These businesses have benefited directly from decisions made by this government in terms of cutting taxes for small to medium business—the instant asset write-off provisions. These things have given these businesses the confidence to grow and employ people. If they didn't have confidence in the economy in the future, they wouldn't make those necessary investments. But, through the confidence generated, we have seen over 1,000 jobs created a day—and many of those, pleasingly, are in my electorate of Forde.

We see that business confidence is now at one of the highest levels seen under this government and almost double the long-run average. It's only with a strong economy that we can provide the vital government services and the infrastructure investment that Australia needs. The member opposite, in his contribution, talked about the need for investment in housing, roads and infrastructure in his home state of the Northern Territory. He would appreciate the steps that this government has taken to ensure there is confidence in the economy and economic growth, because that actually provides the revenue for government to provide those services—not only revenue for the Commonwealth government but also revenue for the state governments. It seems that those opposite lack the capacity to put those two things together.

I'm proud to say that the government is delivering some $75 billion in infrastructure funding, which again would not be possible without strong economic growth and the improving budget position we are developing. Many of these projects fall in and around my electorate of Forde. Improving important infrastructure is extremely important to the constituents of my electorate. This includes the Brisbane-to-Melbourne inland rail, stage 1 of the M1 upgrade and many other safety improvements to M1 exits and also the Mount Lindesay Highway. We see with infrastructure upgrades—particularly the M1, which is the main highway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast—the importance for commuters, transport businesses and self-employed tradespeople who travel the road every day. There is nothing worse for them than being stuck in traffic jams. It impacts on their productivity and the capacity for them to get work done in a timely manner. They would be able to get more work if they were able to move around.

Also, the government is improving the support for government services that Australians rely on every day. These include services like Medicare, schools and hospitals. Promises don't pay for service funding. Those opposite don't actually have the money for the stuff they're promising. It's all in the never-never. The member for Lingiari, in his contribution, talked about school funding. I'd like to remind the member, even though he's left the chamber, that the money doesn't actually exist. They've never said where they're going to get it from; likewise with their hospital funding promises. But this government has funded what it said it was going to fund. We're delivering record funding for Australian schools over the next 10 years—nearly $250 billion worth. The government has nearly doubled the Commonwealth's investment in schools as a result. Our needs based funding helps schools and teachers to assist every student to achieve their individual potential, including through one-on-one student support, specialist teachers or targeted intervention programs.

The government has guaranteed Medicare, thereby ensuring that our health system continues to be one of the best in the world, where every Australian has access to the best doctors, nurses, hospitals and medicines. In the budget, we committed an additional $145.5 million to our primary healthcare networks, which continue great work with our local communities in helping them to access vital services. This is on top of our nearly $24 billion investment in Medicare. So, while we've seen those opposite cry crocodile tears and cry wolf with false campaigns over Medicare cuts, the important thing for everyday Australian people is that this government is actually getting on with the job of protecting Medicare, guaranteeing it and making sure it remains available to all Australians. It is where the rubber hits the road—actually doing what you say you're going to do. We know we have one of the best health systems in the country, as I said earlier. We are seeking—and we've put the money on the table—to ensure it continues to be so.

One of the issues that's been raised in Queensland of late is hospital funding. Last week's COAG meeting brought together the nation's leaders to focus on delivering these vital services. The government is working with the states to deliver a substantial and generous offer for hospital funding. It will add some $31 billion of Commonwealth support to public hospitals. Once again we see those opposite have nothing to offer. They just whinge, complain, carp and carry on. But it is this government that is actually getting on with the job. We are not only promising to do stuff but actually funding it and delivering it. This guaranteed record funding will support vital services that we need. The best part is that all our funding offers are costed and accounted for. They're not funding figures that have been plucked out of thin air, as those opposite are wont to do, with no way to pay for it.

As I've touched on, we've seen the enterprise tax plan that is delivering the confidence for businesses to grow, develop and invest. Their tax rates have come down, so there is an incentive for them to invest and grow because they're paying less tax at a headline figure. But, in reality, if the businesses grow and develop, even though the tax rate has fallen there is the benefit that, through that growth and development, they will actually pay more tax in total. That's what we want to see, because that will allow us to continue to provide the services that I touched on just previously.

We've also seen the terrific work that the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment has done with our various trade agreements. I see the former Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment is here, the member for Hinkler, who was also involved in these trade agreements. We know—and the member for Hinkler with the agricultural sector that he has in his electorate knows—how important these trade agreements are to Australian businesses and Australian farmers.

Last week I had the pleasure of moving a motion in the House about the positive impact of our economic agreement with Japan, which has been in place for 60 years. I also spoke about the TPP 11 agreement. These agreements have created significant business opportunities for Australian businesses, particularly businesses in my electorate, as I've touched on previously. The existing free trade agreements have already created new jobs and new opportunities in my electorate of Forde, particularly in areas of manufacturing, exports and services. We see businesses like Oji Paper, Frosty Boy and many others taking advantage of these economic opportunities that have been created by these agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership will eliminate more than 98 per cent of tariffs in the trade zone. For Australia, that means, with these new trade agreements, we will have access to countries such as Canada and Mexico and greater access to countries such as Japan, Chile, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. More recently, we saw earlier this week an agreement signed with Peru, which gives us another new market to access.

It is through this government actually taking the time to work out a proper economic plan for the country that we are seeing these terrific results. They are reflected in an improved budget position. They are reflected in improved job outcomes for Australian people. At the end of the day, the best way for people to maintain and build their self-worth and to build their personal family wealth is for them to be gainfully employed. It is through that gainful employment that they build relationships and friendships, with people in the workplace and in the broader community. It provides them with the opportunity for their kids to play in the local sporting club. It provides the opportunity for them to get involved in community organisations. But, importantly, it creates long-term financial stability for their families and allows them to afford to buy a house, to afford to buy a car. All those things allow them to improve the quality and standard of their lifestyle, and that's something we all aspire to: to leave a better future for our kids than we had. That is what this government is doing every single day: working to build that confidence and hope for the future that is allowing that to occur. I commend these appropriation bills to the House.

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