Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Paying attention? Good.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right! The member for Melbourne has the call.

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They are touchy today! Is the Prime Minister aware that News Ltd chair Rupert Murdoch has described Australia’s broadband infrastructure as a disgrace, that PBL chair James Packer has described it as embarrassing and that Fairfax CEO David Kirk has described Australia’s broadband as ‘fraudband’? Prime Minister, why is it that the leaders of Australia’s three major media companies can see what you cannot?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am aware of the views of Mr Murdoch and Mr Walker, and I notice that Mr Walker is now being pleaded in aid of the Australian Labor Party. A couple of weeks ago there was something infamous about having a—I wonder if anyone in the Labor Party had a telephone conversation with Mr Walker to ascertain his view—

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order with regard to the naming of individuals. The individual I named from Fairfax was David Kirk, not Ron Walker.

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

The member for Melbourne will resume his seat. That is not a point of order. The Prime Minister is in order and the Prime Minister will be heard.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am aware of the views of Mr Kirk and Mr Walker and Mr Murdoch and Mr Packer. They have all expressed views on broadband. I certainly share the view that broadband is a very important part of Australia’s infrastructure future. But the issue in debate—I notice the member for Melbourne has moved off the Future Fund—and our quarrel with the Labor Party on this is that the Labor Party intend to raid the Future Fund. That is what they are going to do. They said this fund was not sufficiently locked up. I remind the member for Melbourne that, if Telstra shares are sold by the Future Fund, the money goes into the fund and therefore it is subject to the same restrictions and should be treated in the same way as all the other resources that are in the fund. But there is a very simple and fundamental issue involved here: the Future Fund is designed to relieve future generations from a greater financial burden than would otherwise be the case. That is what it is designed to do.

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Broadband is irrelevant?

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

Order! The member for Melbourne has asked his question.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have enormous Commonwealth superannuation liabilities accruing, and we have put this money aside, no thanks to the Labor Party, in order to look after those liabilities. What the Labor Party intends to do is to rob the savings set aside for our children and grandchildren in order to fund a current policy proposal. I have no doubt, and the Treasurer has no doubt, that this is the first of many. This is the first instalment. I understand that at the news conference today the third question asked by journalists was: how many more policy proposals are going to be funded by raiding the Future Fund?

I say to the Labor Party: I am interested in the views of Mr Murdoch, Mr Packer, Mr Kirk and Mr Walker. I sometimes agree with them and I sometimes do not. But in the end I am more interested in the wellbeing of my children and grandchildren—and those who sit opposite are more interested in the wellbeing of their children and grandchildren—than in the views of other people, much and all as I respect the contribution that Mr Murdoch has made to this country and other countries and the contribution that James Packer and his late father have made. But in the end my obligation is to future generations, not to individuals in the current generation.