Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy. Will the minister update the House on the government's plan for the Asian century and how this will benefit the people of northern Australia? Is the minister aware of other policies on northern Australia? What would be their impact?

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyons for another policy question from the government side of the House. It is now 1,095 days since I had a question from the opposition, which is the time it took Ferdinand Magellan to circumnavigate the world.

This report, Australia in the Asian century, is a white paper that is very complex and very detailed and took an enormous amount of thought and effort. It sets out a plan for Australia and it has special relevance to regional Australia. It indicates the government's confidence that we can develop regional Australia in responsible ways to help make areas such as northern Australia a food bowl for Asia. That is our commitment. We have here in our midst the minister for regional development, who, on the back of this report, will be holding the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum this year in order to further develop and implement the policies that have been well thought out in this document.

Mr Robb interjecting—

I am being interjected upon, of course, by the shadow finance minister, who interjected earlier when it was suggested that he had 49 policies, fully costed, with nice covers, in his drawer. The first policy that made its way out was leaked because of the disaffection within his own policy unit about the crazy policies—the wacky policies—that the coalition has articulated in this leaked document. He said that they were fully costed with nice covers. Costed? This is an enormous potential cost running into tens of billions of dollars. That means infrastructure would be denied Western Sydney and the capital cities of this country. They are completely wacko ideas—and that is obviously the case in the view of members of the coalition policy team in order for this to have been ventilated in the way that it has.

We have in the Leader of the Opposition a policy lightweight. We have in the Leader of the Opposition someone who gives no attention to detail. He says he has policies; he only has slogans. Into this so-called policy, you put one part in from Gina Rinehart, one part in from Joh Bjelke-Petersen and one part in from Tony Abbott, stir it around and what have you got? Troppo Tony—Troppo Tony has developed here a completely wacky policy.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will withdraw!

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the minister will refer to members appropriately.

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here comes Karratha Chris!

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My point of order was going to be that not only should he withdraw but you should sit him down, and then he offended again. So you should definitely sit him down.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has the call, but he is treading very dangerously on thin ice.

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you want detailed, well thought out policy, here it is: a white paper on Australia in the Asian century. If you want thought, effort and costed policies, look to this side of the chamber, because you will never find them in the wacky economics of those opposite.