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

Blaming the so-called complexity of the global trade climate is not a serious strategy, gentlemen. I have to say you can smell the confusion and blatant lack of any real plan in the government when every second word it utters is an attack on us, an attack on Labor. The only visible plan that I see is a bit of denial, a bit of deflection and a bit of blame, and the government's trade agenda seems to be similar. There's been wonderful marketing but zero long-term planning, from what I can see, so I'm keen to hear a bit more over and above what the honourable member's already offered.

There's lots of growth going on in our region. We all know that, but we need to kick some real economic goals. A real plan for the economy includes some infrastructure investment—that's really got to happen. The Reserve Bank Governor keeps on stressing the importance of that. If we don't have a real plan on regional trade, then we're not going to be able to grasp all of the massive benefits that are going to come in the future. I said I wouldn't take the full five minutes, so I won't. I want to thank you, Deputy Speaker Hogan, for giving me the opportunity to have a bit of a yarn, and I look forward to the next opportunity.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19 : 40

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