Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I put it to you that it is the Australian Labor Party who have abandoned the people of Australia. The constant railing against the new Work Choices legislation is railing against the future of our country. The member for Richmond might like to listen to this. The member for Richmond should take note that the reason this difficult legislation has been put through the parliament is that it is in the interests of our country. It is in the interests of making sure that we get the productivity growth we need in the years ahead to stay competitive. The member for Richmond is basically saying, ‘Get rid of Work Choices legislation, let the country become uncompetitive and let people to the north of us take our jobs.’ I cannot see that being in the interests of the people of Australia, or in the interests of the working people of this country.

The member for Richmond also says that she would not sell Telstra. Again, that is a very narrow-sighted point of view. It is in the country’s interest that the government divest itself of its 51 per cent shareholding in Telstra, because only that way will we get better communications in the remote areas of our country. I was sorry to hear the member for Richmond criticise the member for Page—unfairly I might say, because the member for Page is a fighter for his electorate, and always has been. The member for Richmond, by railing against the sale of Telstra, rails against the provision of the latest technology in this country.

Telstra’s plans to roll out 3G right across the country is a magnificent nation-building exercise. To have 3GSM right across the country at very high speeds, providing all of these new facilities, with an upgrade path to 4G in the future, will lift our country to world standards. Yet the member for Richmond rails against that. She does not want to see the latest technology available.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, she rails against the National Party!

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the member for Shortland clearly does not want to see the latest technology being made available to our country. That is classic Australian Labor Party: live in the past and go back to the past.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speak for yourself. Don’t speak for me, speak for yourself. I’m capable of speaking for myself.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Shortland should get up in this place and indicate her support for delivering much-needed new technology to all Australians. That is what the rationalisation of Telstra will do.

In relation to training, the government has established 25 new Australian technical colleges. I am turning the first sod of the one in Townsville tomorrow. All the places are already filled in the new technical college and we are going to expand it by another 30 places because the demand is there.