Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline how the government is supporting Australian jobs and small businesses during this global recession by stimulating the economy and investing in nation building for recovery through road, rail, ports, broadband—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business does not have the call. I cannot imagine anything that could be that provocative in a question.

Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the Prime Minister outline how the government is supporting Australian jobs and small businesses during this global recession by stimulating the economy and investing in nation building for recovery through road, rail, ports, broadband, solar energy, hospitals and the biggest school modernisation program in Australian history?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin for his question. The government is embracing a strategy of nation building for recovery. That is the strategy reflected in the budget document we released to the parliament earlier this week and that is the strategy we are implementing across the nation today. Its essence is that we are supporting jobs and small business today by investing in the nation building infrastructure we need for tomorrow. That is why we are investing in roads, rail and ports right across the country. That is why we are investing in the single largest school modernisation program in the country’s history. That is why we are investing in what we are advised will be the world’s largest solar power plant through the clean energy initiative. That is why we are investing also in a range of other infrastructure measures including hospitals, medical research facilities, schools, universities and TAFEs. The objective of all these things is to support jobs and to support small business in the here and now by investing in the infrastructure we need for tomorrow.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Baldwin interjecting

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today in the company of the member for Hunter I participated in the announcement locally of the Hunter expressway, a project of $1.65 billion. This is a project that those opposite, as the member for Paterson will know full well, promised in the 2004 election. And what did they do after the 2004 election? Nothing. In 2004 they made a bold promise about funding this road, much needed in that local area, and those opposite when in government did nothing. What we have done in our first year of office is commit funding for this project, announced today conjointly with the government of New South Wales, with construction commencing in the year 2010. I notice the member for Paterson constantly interjects. He doth protest too much. He has been sprung and spotlighted by this one—and it is not all that difficult to spotlight the member for Paterson from time to time, although there is less of him these days!

The member for Paterson is a classic illustration in this place of members saying one thing in their electorates and doing nothing about it in Canberra. He said in 2004 that he would have this road project funded but nothing was actually done about it in the subsequent term of office.

The project will cut travel times between Newcastle and the Hunter by 28 minutes; relieve congestion between Newcastle and the towns of Thornton, Maitland and Rutherford, with forecast reductions in traffic from a level of 60,000 vehicles now by 15,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day; support the growing Hunter region, where traffic is forecast to grow at around four per cent per year; and meet the growing freight task of the region, which is forecast to increase 30 per cent in coming years. The project will support up to 800 jobs directly in its construction. This is part of our long-term plan for the construction of network 1 to provide a proper freight network right across the Australian east coast.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Truss interjecting

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I notice that the Leader of the National Party intervened about a road between Cooroy and Curra. Is that right? That is a part of the world known to me and to him, and it is in his electorate. As transport minister he took not a single action; as local member he took not a single action. He represents a constituency where, he said in today’s paper, he drives with fear and trembling because of the road accidents there—but he did nothing. This government is providing funding for an investment in his electorate because national needs determined it should be there. He has a record of zero action. We have a record of commitment to action and we have funding on the table to do it.

Also today, with the member for Hunter, I participated in the launch of the Hunter Valley rail. This is an important project as well, because we turned a sod on one of those projects funded under the Australian government’s $4.7 billion nation-building statement of last December. The construction of the third rail track on the main northern railway in the Hunter is part of the government’s $1.2 billion investment in the Australian Rail Track Corporation. The government have invested more in rail freight in its first 18 months than the previous government did in 12 years. There are six rail projects across the Hunter being delivered as a result of our investment, creating up to 650 jobs in the local area.

These are practical actions which demonstrate our approach to dealing with the recession—supporting jobs, small business and business more generally today in order to create the infrastructure for tomorrow. Our approach to this recession is to embark upon a clear-cut strategy for the future. To make these investments it is necessary for the government to have temporary deficit and temporary debt. The Leader of the Opposition says that he does not support the government’s current level of deficit and debt to invest in infrastructure, to support jobs and to respond to the recession. That is what he said. The Liberal Party Treasury spokesman said yesterday that he supports $25 billion less debt than the government. Tonight, therefore, the Leader of the Opposition—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It’s a starting point.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He now says, ‘It’s a starting point.’ A new position! So, somewhere in no-man’s-land yesterday, between the Leader of the Opposition’s statement that he would not name a target and the Treasury spokesman’s statement 16 minutes earlier that he would name a target—$25 billion—we now have a no-man’s-land position of somewhere in between. The Leader of the Opposition says that he does not support the government’s current level of deficit and debt to invest in infrastructure, to support jobs and to counter the recession. The Liberal Party Treasury spokesman, although he objects to it today, said yesterday that he supports $25 billion less debt than the government. Tonight, therefore, the Leader of the Opposition must name his level of debt—name his additional savings—because refusal to do so confirms that in fact he is doing nothing but running a dishonest scare campaign.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask the Prime Minister to come back to the question. I also remind him that he can’t name his own debt.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He doth protest too much, Joe!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, Joe, it was not the best of days yesterday; you know that. It was not the best of days. Tonight, the Leader of the Opposition must name his level of debt—his level of borrowing—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order going to relevance. We know that the Prime Minister is trying to get his camera angle right for the television news tonight, but he actually has to answer the question—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is always good to hear from the member for Sturt—he who asserted recently that the Asian financial crisis was just as serious as the current global economic recession. That was his great statement of economic literacy! I heard him recently make that proclamation. How absolutely unfounded and ridiculous a proposition.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It is outside the standing orders to make offensive remarks about members of parliament. The Prime Minister is not entitled to verbal—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt will resume his seat. He has other avenues available to him. It is not a point of order.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight, therefore, the Leader of the Opposition has a very clear responsibility. Tonight, therefore, the Leader of the Opposition must nominate what level of debt he supports, what level of savings and what savings he will advance. On top of that he must indicate precisely what course of action he is going to take. He must nominate the level of debt, nominate the level of savings and nominate the actual savings, because failure to do so will demonstrate the absolute fraudulence of the fear campaign he is running on debt today. That is the bottom line. Name the level of debt and name the savings that you will advance. Otherwise you are confirming that this is nothing more than a baseless scare campaign on debt. You are attempting to conceal the fact that the Liberal Party’s position on debt is, in essence, virtually the same as the government’s. That is what they do not want exposed.

If he does not name a debt level tonight, or specify the savings tonight, he will in fact drive a stake through the heart of his own scare campaign. You can see how the tombstone will read when it is all done: ‘Here lies the Liberal Party scare campaign, tragically killed on 14 May 2009 because the Leader of the Opposition couldn’t nominate a level of debt or a level of savings.’ The fraudulence of this position on the part of those opposite stands clear and loud for all to see.