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

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to his essay in The Monthly magazine where he commented that now was the time to 'fight a pitched battle against the influence of vested interests'. How does the Treasurer reconcile his 12 statements in the last three months directly attacking Gina Rinehart with the agreement the government has reached to employ 1,700 overseas workers at Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill project?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the shadow Treasurer for that question, because the very purpose of this government is to create wealth and to spread opportunity, to make sure that our economy grows and to make sure that the benefits of that growth are spread evenly across our country. That theme goes to the very core of our recent budgets—indeed, to all of our budgets. Of course, there is nothing we are more proud of than the something like 800,000 jobs that have been created in this country with an unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent. We are very proud of that. We are also very proud of the fact that we have a very big resources pipeline—a big investment pipeline of over half a trillion dollars.

We on this side of the House are absolutely determined that all Australians who are looking for work get a chance to get a job on those projects. That is what we are about. That is why put in place the resources task force, which recommended enterprise migration agreements, and, of course, we will work with investors—

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It goes to how the Treasurer can reconcile his attacks on Gina Rinehart with his mates doing a deal with her.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was not a point of order. The Treasurer has the call.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My essay was about how some vested interests have a disproportionate say in our economy and in our society and seek to exercise disproportionate influence. In this case, we have an investor that is going to invest in a project which is going to create Australian jobs. We will work with any investors to create Australian jobs. That is what we have been doing. You would not have an investment pipeline of over half a trillion dollars if we did not work with the business community and the mining community to create opportunities for Australia, and I would never discriminate against any individual who was prepared to put cash on the line to invest in jobs in this country. There is a very important point that needs to be made, and everybody should listen and take this very seriously. We need to take the bounty of this boom and spread it among all Australians; but when vested interests like Gina Rinehart get up and oppose the MRRT, we will bell the cat about what they are really saying. What they are saying, when they are opposing the MRRT, is that all Australians should not get a fair share of the mining boom. We could have a disagreement with her about that and still put in place a set of policies which grow our economy and spread jobs to every corner of our society.