Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister advise the House how the coalition government’s strong economic management has helped Australian exporters, and are there any alternative views?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Kalgoorlie for his question. He represents an electorate in Australia that is a powerhouse of export at the moment. According to ABARE, forecasts for this year indicate that that is going to dramatically rise in the resources sector. But there is no doubt at all, in response to the member for Kalgoorlie, that Australia is a much better place economically today than it was 10 years ago—there is no question about that. During that period of time our government put the budget back in the black. From where it was for years and years, running deficit budgets, we eliminated government debt during that period.

We inherited a government debt level of about $96 billion as a legacy of Labor. We have restored Australia’s AAA credit rating. We have delivered more than 1.7 million jobs throughout the Australian economy and maintained an environment that has kept interest rates low. We have provided substantial tax cuts as the economy and the country could afford it. There are higher wages today, and the wages growth that has taken place during those 10 years has been based on productivity gains, not arbitrated outcomes, and there have been higher gains of real wages than in the 13 years of Labor.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The level of noise is far too high.

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This has all delivered better living standards to all Australians. There has been more funding for health and education, defence and transport. The economic resilience of Australia has become the envy of the developed world. We all know what the alternative policies are. Every single measure we have introduced to improve the Australian economy over those years has been opposed by the Australian Labor Party every inch of the way.

I was asked about exports, and there are some interesting statistics. A few members of the Labor Party often have some comments—very unfounded and unsubstantiated comments—to make about exports. Exports in 1995 were worth $93.9 billion; in 2005, $176.7 billion. They went from $93 billion to $176 billion. Our resources exports, for the information of the member for Kalgoorlie—as I know he is terribly interested in this—are predicted to grow by a massive 36 per cent in 2005-06, off a high base, not a low base.

I was asked about alternative views, and I was interested to hear of a news report on 4BC radio in Brisbane recently. The member for Lilley was featured in that interview. The newsreader reported—and these are his words—the member for Lilley’s alternative views: ‘There are claims the Howard government’s failure to increase Australian exports is detracting from economic growth.’ I do not know what going from $93 billion to $176 billion is, but it is certainly not a decrease. The member for Lilley went on to say: ‘In fact, our trade performance is flawed.’

We all know the track record of the member for Lilley. He has claimed from time to time that night is day and black is white, that a $600 family payment is not real money. He has claimed that an $80 billion increase in exports, from $93 billion to $176 billion, is a flawed policy and is not real. The Australian Labor Party, from the start of their 10 years in opposition, have opposed every single measure we have put in place to improve and strengthen the Australian economy—and they still do—and then they run around with weasel words to try and devalue the great achievements of Australian exporters.