Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That for the sitting on Wednesday, 4 February 2009:

(1)

standing orders 31 and 33 be suspended;

(2)

so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended to enable the following to occur during and after the periods set aside in standing order 34 for government business:

(a)

debate on the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2009, the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 2) 2009, the Household Stimulus Package Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009, and the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Amendment Bill 2009 to be adjourned until a later hour after their introduction;

(b)

when the order of the day for the resumption of debate on the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2009 is called on, for a cognate debate to take place with the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 2) 2009, the Household Stimulus Package Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009, and the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Amendment Bill 2009;

(c)

in relation to proceedings on the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2009, at the conclusion of the second reading debate, without delay, the immediate question before the House to be put, then any question or questions necessary to complete the remaining stages of the Bill to be put without amendment or debate; and

(d)

immediately after proceedings on the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2009 have concluded, the Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 2) 2009, the Household Stimulus Package Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians Bill 2009, the Tax Bonus for Working Australians (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009, and the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Amendment Bill 2009, to be called on consecutively with no business intervening, and after each Bill is called on the immediate question then before the House to be put, then any question or questions necessary to complete the remaining stages of each Bill to be put without amendment or debate; and

(3)

any variation to this arrangement to be made only by a motion moved by a Minister.

The global financial crisis has had an enormous impact on the world economy. Australia is not immune from it. The government will not be sitting back and watching. The government will take decisive and strong action. That is what yesterday’s announcement of the $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan does, precisely. That is what the six bills that are about to be introduced into this chamber do, precisely.

There is an urgent need for these bills to be carried by the House of Representatives today. There is an urgent need for these bills to be carried by the Senate this week. That is because, as part of the economic stimulus, tax bonuses need to be paid through the Australian tax office to eligible taxpayers by the beginning of April 2009. But there are also four household measures. The single-income-family bonus and back-to-school bonuses are meant to be paid through Centrelink in the fortnight commencing 11 March 2009. The training and learning bonuses and the farmer hardship bonus are meant to be paid in the period commencing 24 March. Centrelink—and, indeed, its CEO—have advised that their strong preference is for the bills to be passed this week to enable the system changes to be made which would enable these payments to begin in March. The nation-building and jobs measures are contained in the appropriation bills, with $1.7 billion of funding estimated to occur in 2008-09. Prompt passage of the legislation is needed so that the approval and administrative processes which involve other levels of government can be established and the measures begin as soon as possible.

These are not ordinary times. These are times that require urgent action from the government. The government have done that. The government, on the first day of sitting of this year, have indicated that we are prepared to take the action that is needed in the interests of the national economy and in the interests of families throughout Australia. The passage of these bills will be facilitated by the resolution that I have moved that is before the House. Members would note that the resolution that I have moved is similar to other motions that were moved over the period of the previous government—with the exception that it does not contain a cut-off time for debate and a gag facilitation. We are quite prepared to engage in debate with the opposition over the need for these measures to be carried—and I appreciate the fact that the Manager of Opposition Business and I have had discussions yesterday about these circumstances. If that means the parliament not rising at eight o’clock tonight in order to facilitate an increased participation by members, then so be it.

I have requested of members on this side of the House that they do what they can to restrict the time for which they speak to these bills. We would certainly not expect shadow ministers who have particular responsibility for measures to restrict their time. We would say that the shorter the period for which backbenchers on both sides of the House speak, the quicker we will move to a determination of these measures. But move to a determination of these measures we will, because there is a need to not stand in the way of these payments. To do that would be, frankly, totally economically irresponsible.

So I commend the motion before the House to honourable members and ask for their cooperation today in what will be a difficult day but a historic day—one in which the Australian government and, I hope, the Australian House of Representatives, all of the House of Representatives, recognises the need to take strong action as a result of the global financial crisis.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have endeavoured to cooperate with the government in having these bills introduced today. We have not seen the bills, yet we are expected to declare a position right now on this package. We have not seen the six bills that are going to be introduced, debated and voted on in this place today. These six bills will take us into $100 billion of debt. The government has not provided us with anything more than a 45-minute briefing from Treasury, where numerous questions were asked and they could not answer those questions.

Opposition Member:

An opposition member—They said, ‘We will get back to you.’

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

‘We will get back to you’, said Treasury, but they want us to support measures totalling $100 billion and, from what we hear, an extension of the nation’s credit card from a limit of $75 billion to $200 billion. The government have had this in train for some time. We have not been party to this process—they never invited us. Other than our offering to be party to it they never engaged with us. There were not enough copies of this document—the Updated economic and fiscal outlook: February 2009to go to all the members of parliament. We could not even get copies of the document that is the basis of the argument for $42 billion of spending.

This is panic from the government. We are going to facilitate the government’s passage and debate of these bills, but we will not be gagged. We will not, under any circumstances, be put in a position where the government rams through the biggest spending initiative in Australian history—done at its convenience—and then be told to shut up, sit down and just vote for it. The government is telling us: ‘This is a take-it-or-leave-it package, and we are not going to show it to you. Just support it, shut up and sit down’. If this chamber has to sit until five o’clock tomorrow morning—as far as we are concerned, we will go through the night—no member of the opposition will be denied the right to speak on the biggest spending initiative in Australian history.

We will not be silenced and, whilst we recognise there is an issue to be dealt with before the chamber, the government’s attitude on this has been immensely uncooperative. The facts are that the government have brought before this House bills that we have not seen. They have demanded that we support bills that we still do not have. We have to declare a position on $42 billion of spending, the details of which we have not seen and which cannot be explained. For us to support all these initiatives and to vote on them in one day means that they are saying to us, ‘You have to support $42 billion in 42 hours.’ Do you know what? We care more about taxpayers’ money than to do that.

We will cooperate with the Leader of the House. This is going to be a very long day because the government has said to us, ‘Take it or leave it’. They have not given us copies of the bills and have simply said: ‘Please give us carte blanche to spend every dollar that is available—$2,000 debt for every man, woman and child—not just today, not just this year, but next year and for many years to come. We are holding a gun to your head. Pass these bills or we are going to shoot.’ That is very dangerous politics for the government. We will cooperate by allowing the government to have a cognate debate and we look forward to seeing these bills, which no-one has seen to date.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will sum up the debate and respond to some of the points that my colleague the Manager of Opposition Business has made. There is an enormous difference in the way that this government handles procedures in this House and the way that the former government handled procedures in this House. The former government would have brought on these bills and had a debate and a vote before two o’clock. That is what the former government would have done. The former government made it a regular procedure to come in here, table bills, move them and gag them within hours of their being introduced, with no briefings. The opposition received full briefings yesterday about this legislation.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There were full briefings. The shadow minister for family and community services was not in his office last night, nor was anyone there when the minister attempted to deliver the bills, and they were left there last night while parliament was sitting.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business raises the issue of gagging debate. As the Manager of Opposition Business knows, a majority in this chamber enables that majority to be used to gag debate at any time. That was something that was used regularly by the former government. I have indicated on behalf of the government that it is our intention to sit after 8 pm this evening in order to facilitate debate in this chamber on these bills. But these bills will be carried today because I know that, regardless of the position that the opposition takes, each and every member who sits on this side of the chamber who represents the Australian Labor Party wants to deliver for people who they have been elected to represent. We should remember one thing: these bills are not actually about us. They are about 21 million Australians who need protection from the impacts of the global financial crisis.

The shadow Treasurer’s office, as I understand it, did get the bills last night.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Huh! They were delivered!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They were certainly delivered.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She has got it. The shadow Treasurer confirms that she did indeed get the bill that was relevant to her. The fact is that when the opposition speak about process, what they will be seeking to hold up in the House of Representatives and in the Senate is $950 going to single-income families through the bonus, $950 going to families for the back-to-school bonus, $950 for the training and learning bonus and $950 for the farmer hardship bonus.

Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A fat lot of good that will do!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let us be clear. The member for Kalgoorlie indicates, laughing, that it is a joke that $950 will be paid to farmers. Let people in the electorate of Kalgoorlie know that the member for Kalgoorlie thinks—and he puts it on the record again—that ‘a fat lot of good that will do’. That is the attitude of the member for Kalgoorlie. What this out-of-touch opposition just do not get is that it is not about them. It is also not about us. It is about the public. It is about the 21 million Australians concerned about the impact of the global financial crisis.

The Manager of Opposition Business suggests that we demand that they vote for this legislation. We do no such thing. It is up to them to determine their position on this legislation. However, we do give them a bit of constructive and helpful advice: when you have no alternative plan, when you have no solution to the crisis that confronts us, when you simply stand in the road and say, ‘Don’t give bonuses to working families; don’t give back-to-school bonuses; don’t give bonuses to farmers; don’t engage in economic stimulus,’ then we simply say that that is an unwise course for the opposition to take. And they take that road at their peril, because there will be a political price to pay if they stand in the way of this $42 billion package which has been welcomed by families, by community organisations, by the business community and by the National Farmers Federation.

They can isolate themselves if they wish to do so. And, when they vote on these bills, that is what they will be doing if they oppose these bills. That is their choice. But already we have seen an opposition who are incapable, regardless of how much time they are given to look at and peruse legislation and to get briefings. We saw them in the Senate on the last night of parliament last year when, on the nation-building legislation, they voted three ways. Some voted in favour of it, some voted against it and some went to the toilet. That was their position on nation building. There was a three-way split across the Liberal Party and across the National Party—no idea. I say to them: learn the lessons of the Senate debacle for the coalition at the end of last year. Learn the political lessons that are there. Have the debate today, engage in constructive dialogue across the chamber, but bear in mind that, when you are talking about blocking, for example, the back-to-school bonuses, you are not actually talking about blocking the back-to-school bonuses for our kids, because none of us get family tax benefit A. You are talking about the people who elected us to this chamber to represent them. I commend the resolution to the House. I also commend the bills that will be introduced to the House.

Question agreed to.