Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I've been involved in politics for just over a decade, and in that time I've seen many things, some good, some bad. But do you know what I see at the moment from that side of the House? I see arrogance. I see the arrogance of an opposition that thinks that they are just going to walk into the Treasury benches and take control.

Who can forget in the lead-up to the last federal election—it was the then opposition leader, the member for Maribyrnong, who sidled up to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do you remember that, Deputy Speaker? You may recall it. They were at a charity run, and he sidled up to the former Governor of California and informed him that he was going to be the next Prime Minister of Australia. You could tell from the look on Mr Schwarzenegger's face that he was shocked by that revelation. I felt that I could hear him thinking: 'Oh, my lord. I feel sorry for Australia if that is their fate.' Indeed, it wasn't to be the fate of Australia, because the then Leader of the Opposition's hopes and dreams were terminated. The Australian people terminated those dreams and their agenda of higher taxes and higher regulation at that election.

I see the same arrogance creeping into the debate in this House these days—indeed, in the last few weeks and months. Who could forget the portrait 'we are ready to govern'? It's the same thing. They think that it is their entitlement to waltz into those Treasury benches, that they don't have to submit any meaningful policies to the Australian people and that they are just going to be able to tax their way into whatever they want when they get into government. Well, the Australian people may yet have something to say about that. Just as the terminator gave the member for Maribyrnong that sideways look, I suspect the Australian people are still going to have a big say in what happens to the fate of the Leader of the Opposition. The reality is that this government has delivered for the people of Australia at a time when we have faced some of the biggest challenges we've ever had outside of wartime.

In terms of COVID, we have an enviable reputation. We've led the world in our COVID response and our COVID recovery. More than 85 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated. We have been on the front foot to get the vaccines rolled out. Who could forget the great effort that was COVID Assist, with the men and women of our Australian Defence Force? They were on the ground all over our nation. They were everywhere in western New South Wales. I think that, when the history of this pandemic is written and people look back at what happened in not only western New South Wales but right around Australia, they will say it was those ADF pop-up clinics that turned the corner in so many communities, that got our communities vaccinated, that got the vaccine rollout turbocharged. We'll be forever grateful to those men and women of the ADF. But it was this government that made sure that that rollout happened, that our men and women of the ADF were on the ground to support our communities when they were at their most vulnerable.

Who could forget in the dark days that we had in the early days of COVID the lines we saw that snaked around Centrelink? I never thought I would see it. My office is opposite our local Centrelink office in Orange, and I couldn't believe the number of people, in particular, the young people, who were standing outside with looks of worry, distress and anguish on their faces. Then along came JobKeeper, which helped keep 3.8 million Australians in work. JobKeeper: let's call it for what it is. It saved the Australian economy from obliteration. JobKeeper saved the Australian economy from destruction. There can be no argument about that.

One of the things I often get when I talk to my communities about JobKeeper and the economic impacts is that there's a great deal of gratitude and goodwill for what the Australian government achieved in terms of the COVID-19 response. Equally, I also get many people saying to me, 'Boy, I'm glad the other side weren't in charge when we went through this.' And isn't that the truth! Amen to that. So many business people, so many individuals, who have shown gratitude, know what's happening out there and they are grateful that we were able to, together, get through it. There's been a lot of pain, there's been a lot of suffering and there's been a lot of heartache on the way through, but we have come through this and we are getting through this.

And the Australian government has been there with them every step of the way, not only through examples like the men and women of the ADF on the ground but also through our world-beating economic response. Let's look at what's happening in housing. There are over 130,000 HomeBuilder applications, generating $30 billion of activity, and new house starts are at the highest in 20 years. We have delivered the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. Apprentices: we've delivered new wage subsidies for 170,000 apprentices on top of the 100,000 already supported, many of them young Australians finding their way in the workforce. We were there for them. JobTrainer provided funding to support 450,000 places.

Let's talk about defence and who is best placed to look after Australia's security, both now and into the future. The new AUKUS partnership is a watershed, momentous announcement in terms of our alliance partnerships. The announcement on the nuclear propelled submarines is also equally momentous. It will give Australia the best available technology. Wherever I have gone in my community, that has been widely acknowledged and widely accepted. It's very important to have cutting-edge technology in defence. If you look back to the days leading up to the Second World War, it is true that many of our democracies were not prepared. That's the cold, hard truth. They were not prepared. But Britain had one piece of cutting-edge technology in its favour in those dark days, and that was the Spitfire. That's what saved Britain. That's what kept Britain and her allies in the war. It was just Australia and the like-minded democracies that stood up against tyranny. We have to be prepared. That's what AUKUS is all about, and that's what this investment in the latest submarine technology is all about.

So many more areas of Australian life have been supported by us not only through COVID but through many different facets. We have invested $125.7 billion in Medicare over the forward estimates. That's an increase of over $6 billion since last year's budget. This is up 58 per cent from when the opposition were last in government. It's a 58 per cent increase. We have announced more than $36 million in innovative medical product manufacturing projects to keep Australians safe from COVID-19. We have extended telehealth consultations. That's been a game changer for regional Australia. We have waived childcare gap fees for parents, supporting working parents and keeping their children in child care. When they have had to keep their children at home due to the current COVID restrictions, we have been supporting not only childcare centres but families as well.

We have delivered disaster funding, including in those parts of Western Australia that have been hit by cyclones. We have supported our veterans. I mentioned in the House today the important work of supporting our veteran community. We are immensely proud of our veterans, and rightly so, but the work to support veterans and their welfare never ends and never ceases. Today in question time I drew attention to the fact that the government spends $11.7 billion per annum on supporting the 336,000 veterans and their families, including free mental health care for life. But it doesn't cease. It doesn't end. It is an ongoing piece of national work. It is very important that we keep it going, and that's exactly what we are doing.

We are also supporting Australian manufacturers with $800 million in funding to encourage collaboration on major job-creating projects as part of the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy. We love manufacturing in country Australia, and we are going to continue to support it. Australians can trust this side of the House to protect their health, the economy and their jobs.

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