Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Treasurer. Would the Treasurer outline to the House the results of the March quarter Australian commodities release? How important is experienced and consistent management?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Stirling for his question. I can inform him and the House that ABARE today released their Australian commodities publication and, according to ABARE, earnings from Australia’s commodity exports are forecast to increase 25 per cent to around $125 billion in 2005-06, export earnings from mineral and energy resources are forecast to rise 36 per cent to $93 billion and the value of farm exports is forecast to be $28 billion in 2005-06. As I said earlier, Australia now has the strongest terms of trade that it has had since 1974. In those circumstances it is important that we bear in mind that a terms of trade boom will not last forever, that we cannot take permanent decisions on the back of temporary movements in terms of trade and that at periods like this, as has been found in Australian history, it is important to have experienced and consistent economic management.

It is not just the government that believes experienced management is necessary. This is also a view which is shared by the Labor Party. The Leader of the Opposition was asked on ABC Radio on 3 March 2005 about this and he said:

I’ve been around for a very long time, longer than Simon Crean and longer than anyone else, and I don’t feel like being pensioned off, thanks. I appreciate having a bit of experience around balancing the youth.

We would agree that having the experience of the member for Hotham around is something that certainly adds to the opposition. But at the very time when the Leader of the Opposition acknowledges the importance of experience, he has the member for Hotham lined up in Victoria, he has the member for Corio lined up in Victoria and he has the member for Maribyrnong, who today has announced that he has withdrawn from preselection in the seat of Maribyrnong. He has withdrawn because, as he said:

A series of sleazy deals means that even with very strong local support, it is now almost impossible for me to win preselection ...

‘A series of sleazy deals’! The former Leader of the Opposition, the member for Werriwa, promised that if he was elected he would ‘ease the squeeze’. This Leader of the Opposition does not want to ease the squeeze; he wants to ease the sleaze. Worse than that, he wants to grease the sleaze—grease the sleaze in Maribyrnong, grease the sleaze in Corio, grease the sleaze in Hotham. He stands back as if this has nothing to do with him even though he was telling ABC Radio that he wanted experience. How is it that he wanted experience back in 2005 but he does not now want experience? The answer came down on 6PR recently. Listen to this. This is what 6PR reported recently:

Opposition leader Kim Beazley’s made an extraordinary admission regarding Labor’s fitness to govern. He ... says he seriously doubted whether the Opposition frontbench was up to the job when he returned to the leadership 12 months ago.

But—

Mr Beazley says he’s since changed his mind and now believes his Shadow Ministers are capable of running the country.

Shadow minister the member for Corio, shadow minister the member for Maribyrnong, shadow minister the member for Hotham—he is standing by whilst he lets the sleaze of the Victorian Labor Party run them out of their seats. These are the people he believes are up to running the country! Mr Speaker, how could he have come to that view? Listen to this. This is what the Leader of the Opposition said:

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There are far too many interjections!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said:

... coming back from a period of three years on the back bench—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Treasurer will resume his seat. The level of noise is far too high. The Treasurer will come back to the question.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said this, Mr Speaker:

... coming back from a period of three years on the back bench and not having had a good look at what they were doing, I wasn’t sure about that at the time. Now, I am ... They are fit and ready for government.

Let me tell you, Mr Speaker, that if they were fit and ready for government you would be standing by your shadow ministers in their preselection. You would be standing by the member for Maribyrnong, you would be standing by the member for Corio, you would be standing by the member for Hotham—and the reason you don’t is you are beholden to the sleaze of the Victorian Labor Party and the war lords who direct you.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Before I call the next question, I would remind the Treasurer he should refer to members by their title or their seat and not use the word ‘you’.