Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker Andrews, you had a front row seat to this. I'm sorry to trigger you. Do you remember the minerals resource rent tax? That was a doozy. That was a tax that was going to assist with the economic fallout from the global financial crisis. The problem with it was that, for the first time I think in political history, it was a tax that was incapable of raising any revenue. They'll be comparing our measures, such as JobKeeper, with the minerals resource rent tax.

Let's not stop there. What about cash for clunkers? That was my personal favourite. When I first heard about it, I thought it was the then government talking about a remuneration scheme for their MPs—cash for clunkers. It wasn't. It wasn't even the worst of the programs. In my view, in penultimate position in the list of worst programs implemented by those opposite when in government to deal with the GFC was the overpriced school halls. I still visit schools today that have three-quarter basketball courts. Like others, I enjoyed so much watching Patty Mills and the Boomers do so well at the Olympics. I noticed they played on a full-sized basketball court, not a three-quarter-sized basketball court, but schools in my electorate have three-quarter-sized basketball courts. The most tragic of their programs was of course pink batts. We shouldn't laugh about this program, because its implementation led to the death of Australians. Quite frankly, those opposite can come in here and put up these fake fights about running down the Australian economy. The reality is that no-one is prepared to stand at the dispatch box and tell me or indeed anyone else what country they'd rather be in, because quite frankly they know this is both one of the safest jurisdictions in the world and one of the best led, with the strongest economy.

Within nine months the Australian people will have an opportunity to compare and contrast the disastrous programs of those opposite during the GFC versus our management of this pandemic.

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