Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to let the people of Forde know that the coalition has a plan for a better Australia. On 14 September voters will have two choices: they could re-elect this Labor government and get more of exactly what they have had in the last six years or they have the opportunity to make one of the best decisions for their future and their children's future and elect a coalition government.

In 89 days' time, Australians will take part in the most important election in a generation. The coalition has made clear it has a plan for the future. Over the next couple of weeks, every household in the Forde electorate will receive a copy of that plan, which outlines the direction, values and policy priorities for the next coalition government.

In contrast, it is unlikely that my constituents will receive the same kind of detailed information from this Labor government because they have no plan. They have no direction about what they will do over the next three years. They have no policy priorities besides Gonski. And the question always remains: where will they lead us into the future?

They do not have a plan, but the coalition does. We have a plan to build a stronger economy and a plan to get the budget back under control. We will scrap the carbon tax whilst reducing carbon emissions. We plan to build a diverse five-pillar economy. We plan to help small businesses grow and create more jobs. We plan to deliver better education and better health services for all Australians.

The coalition will be able to give Australians the strong, experienced and united team they deserve to deliver a strong and stable government, which is in stark contrast to the division and dysfunction of this current Labor government. We have a plan to deliver stronger borders—we have done it before and we can do it again.

A future coalition government will get this country back on track, so that we can build more modern roads and infrastructure to boost productivity and reduce bottlenecks and gridlocks on our major roads. Not a day goes by in Forde where I am not reminded of the need for improved infrastructure. We need better parking in the CBDs of Beenleigh and Logan, in addition to improved broadband and telecommunications for local businesses and residents. This Labor government does not have a plan for improving these issues; the NBN does not even register on the radar in Forde.

Under a coalition government there will be less pressure on local families, which means there will be less pressure on the local charities in Forde that struggle to deal with the increasing number of locals who rely on their support. It is only a coalition government that will provide a positive future for Australia.