Barry Wakelin (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The achievements of this government have been much lauded and, as is the case in a democracy, much criticised. But there are a few basics that we should never forget. Without strength in your economy there is no social bonus. Without strength in your economy there cannot be a reduction in the long-term unemployment, there cannot be improved roads or infrastructure of whatever description, there cannot be stronger health or education outcomes, and a nation like Australia cannot take its place in the world. There are many measures of the success of the coalition government. I take the opportunity this evening to touch on a few of them and to challenge the critics to understand that we are not talking about utopia here; we are talking about the reality of running an enterprise economy in an open democracy.

In my electorate much of the upper Spencer Gulf in particular was known as a rust belt in the early nineties, and it was dropping like the proverbial stone in economic performance and employment outcomes. At the time that the coalition came to government in June 1996 the electorate of Grey had an unemployment rate of 9.4 per cent and the upper Spencer Gulf would have had an unemployment rate of around 15 per cent across its three cities. As the many members of the executive remind us each day at question time, the unemployment rate has halved—in my electorate of Grey it is 4.9 per cent. Pedants would say, ‘Not quite,’ but it is a very significant drop. We have never seen better road infrastructure. I now see bitumen roads where I would never have expected them. On Friday I had the privilege of turning the sod for some new rail infrastructure on the Eyre Peninsula which should serve the community and region for at least the next 25 to 30 years, and it will deliver export income to the ports.

Let us go to a few more indicators. We are much criticised for our workplace relations policy, yet we saw under Labor almost minus two per cent in real wages growth. With the coalition it is over 20 per cent. Average inflation was 5.2 per cent versus 2.5 per cent. Total exports—and my electorate is an export electorate—were $99 billion in the early nineties and now sit at near enough to $200 billion. So the performance, if you like, at the sharp end of the economic equation is there for all to see. Let us look at something like medical research. In the early nineties under Labor it was $127 million and it is now at $951 million. That is a huge increase which will sustain improved medical outcomes for those difficult issues which will always be before us. Let us look at apprentices—now that was a classic. From 152,700 apprentices in training, it is now up to 404,000.

You cannot have the social outcomes without a strong economy. That is well known. But I am at a loss to understand why our political opponents seem to think that they can convince us that they are going to be able to run this economy as well as it has been run over the last decade or so.

I go to my own state and the story of Olympic Dam. The story of Olympic Dam is one of total resistance from the Labor Party—not now, but, at the time when the hard yards had to be done, there was total opposition from not all but the majority within the Labor Party. In effect, it was not going to be developed; it was not going to be built. It was not going to be constructed. What would we have now if we had left it to the Labor Party? Given the decisions at their federal conference here a few months ago and the clearance now on uranium policy—and remembering that the indenture bill was eventually approved some 25 or so years ago in the state parliament of South Australia; one dissident Labor member allowed it to go through because he said he would never vote against another man’s right to have a job, and he showed the courage not to do that—if we had left it to the Labor Party we would have, certainly, the sandhills and we might have a few holes in the ground where the geologists had had a go. We might even have the indenture bill being debated in the state parliament, because now we are allowed to do it. But I guess we would not even have to debate it; it would be bipartisan, wouldn’t it?

But what would we have missed out on in the last 25 years? Thousands and thousands of jobs. The community of Roxby Downs would not exist. The upper Spencer Gulf would still be struggling. That is the difference. On that occasion, the courage of people within the Liberal Party to face the enemy of this development—and I make no bones about it—or the opponents, if I water it down a little, of this development, gave South Australia the lift that it needed. And I will not even talk about the State Bank of South Australia.

It is important that, whatever our beliefs, we never lose sight of the fact that we do get great benefits from a strong economy. From a strong economy comes a cleaner environment, believe it or not. We hear a lot about climate change at the moment. But I bet you that, if you asked every Australian—the overwhelming majority of Australians would perhaps be little fairer—whether they think there is a cleaner, better, greener country to live in, they could not tell you one. We as Australians know that we have the cleanest, greenest country in the world. Not only do we have the best environment in the world but also we have the best approach to the science of and the investments in the alternative energies that we will need to have as time goes on. So, on climate change, let us be really clear: we are at the forefront of the world on this; we have the best climate management that we can have as human beings.

I conclude by saying about the issue of dental care: come on! We know who is responsible. We know the money that the states are getting from stamp duty and GST. It is just a nonsense. We are happy to help; the minister indicated that again in question time today. Come on, states—do your bit!

Question agreed to.