Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over 50 years ago, John F Kennedy in his inaugural speech made one of the most famous statements in modern democracy, inspiring a nation to participate rather than commentate. He said: 'Ask not what your country can do for you but, rather, what you can do for your country'. Today we commemorate the life of Nelson Mandela, who not only did something for his country but is iconic for developing community self-belief. For some of us the idea of doing something for our country is too broad, a little too big, a concept meant for others, something grand perhaps only for heroes, perhaps something to do with pilots, sailors or soldiers. But humans live in groups each best described as a community, so for us as Australians our question is to ask not what we can do for our country but rather what can we do for our community. We have been beguiled by the marketing of such things as my choice, my store, my school, my rights and my opinion, but we are not a collection of selfish individuals, we are a society. I am tired of this 'I, me and mine' dominating the media and seeping into the mindset of our children and our youth. It is overdone and overdue. We need a change back to the Aussie way. We are famous for a 'we, ours and us' way of looking at the world. So if each one of us does something for our community we will make life just a little better and our whole country will benefit. It is this ideal of making things better, of giving back to the community, that has brought me here as a member of parliament.

I was born in Milton, a village on the South Coast of New South Wales. My dad was a young man, Norrie Hardinge as he was known in the village, and my mum was his British immigrant bride, Valerie. Dad was a manual arts teacher, Mum was his wife. Back in the day that was a full-time role and few people undervalued how important being a mum really was. My dad was also a freelance photographer at the local paper. During a photographic accident, something to do with a light bulb blowing up, he sustained a severe eye injury, ultimately swapping it for a glass one that was not quite a colour match.

Soon after we moved to Sydney to live with my grandmother. These three people fashioned the core of my character. My mother, constantly baking and sewing for school fetes and other community groups, established an ethic of community service as part of my childhood. She also sang and wrote stories, much as she does to this day, which inspired my love of language and performance arts. My father taught me bushcraft, the love of woodworking, stone building, how to use hammers, chisels and drills and the absolute joy of the Australian bush. He taught me about billy tea and jaffles, red-bellied black snakes and the scent of the boronia bush—memories that we all share.

My much-loved gran, who loved me unconditionally,—what grandmother doesn't?—as a baby was left on a church doorstep as a foundling child, called Norma after Norman, the minister who discovered her, and they hoped to find her mother, so she was named Norma Hope. She taught me generosity of spirit, that we are all equal in God's eyes, that your actions will always come back to you like a boomerang, so make sure whatever you do is done without ill will, and to have faith in the greater good of everyone. My childhood was shared with my brother, Stuart. We have always been very close, for at times I was his mini mum. We share a deep regard and friendship that continues to this day.

My education, like many Australian children, was not completed in a single primary school nor followed by a single high school. I was in fact blessed, although I did not see it that way at the time, by moving frequently and having to make new friends along the way, and learning to accept all the different experiences. After completing my science degree, during which time I also gained a wedding ring and two beautiful sons, Rodney and Barry, and all the additional learning that you do as a young mother, I began a career as a high school science teacher. Ten years passed in this most honoured yet undervalued profession, that of educating, facilitating, nurturing and developing young adults towards their full potential. One of my greatest wishes is that we renew our respect for teachers and their vital role in creating and maintaining the fabric of our society, that we value them and that we have values in education as a mainspring for the future of our nation. Many people do not value teachers and they do not, in general, value education, often using it as an expedient political football because it has so many emotional hooks, going for big-picture changes rather than asking the teachers on the job about their vision for improvement.

It was during my time as a teacher that the importance of basic skills, literacy and social responsibility became very significant. I co-developed literacy based learning in my classes and was lucky enough to be selected as an exchange teacher to share these ideas in New York. In addition to establishing lifelong friendships, such as those I share with the Costin family,—Chris and Warwick have seen me through many life adventures and still we share the odd pizza and coffee—the years teaching were very rewarding. My beautiful daughter, Kimberly, was born during this time. It was a busy time of community involvement with playgroups, cubs, little athletics, swim classes, music and gym classes, as well as all the other life-spinning activities that many parents grapple with and try to keep in life balance.

After the exchange teaching opportunity our family moved to Kiama on the South Coast to explore the great adventures, the financial roller-coaster and the challenge of owning our own business. So the experienced economic research officer, my then husband, and me, the science teacher, embarked on the journey of making fudge. It was during this time I learned the immense contribution that small business makes to local economies in terms of direct employment and local spend-dollars by the employees, creating hubs of activity, building with expansion and donating to local groups, apart from paying taxes. I calculate that my company, via the taxes we paid, could have built two preschools over 20 years. When moving from teaching to being a business owner, many friends laughed and said, 'Making money from fudge in a small coastal town—impossible!' But it wasn't. We changed a small cottage industry with just three employees to a business with over 40 staff, exporting to six international destinations. I am sure there will also be looks of astonishment today, just as there were back then. However, it goes to show that if you apply yourself, work hard and listen to the people you serve, you can be successful.

I was also elected to Kiama Council during this time. When you grow a business, you often confront ridiculous red tape. After challenging the local council on building changes, in the following election I was invited to run as a candidate. So, Neville Fredericks, and your beautiful wife Jill, your encouragement and confidence at that time were the catalysts for the pathway that has brought me here, the member for Gilmore.

After 17 years as part of a successful, dynamic and very intense business it was time for me to give back to the wider community. There followed a very special period of volunteer work in India, living in a rural village in Tamil Nadu. This period reinforced my love of teaching, and I returned to Australia to complete my Master of Education. I later used this qualification to tutor at the University of Wollongong in the diploma of education program.

Giving back to the community has always been important to me. Being a youth leader—mentoring young women's leadership programs, youth forums and business start-ups—was a way of making things better. Over the six-year period of the last government, I did not see my beloved Australia getting better. Rather, I saw many more families struggling to make ends meet, struggling to stay employed and struggling to make sense of the way things were being done in their community and in their country.

I saw with horror the students retained at school until they were 17 as they destroyed real learning for those who wished to be there. I watched their loss of self-esteem as they struggled to keep up with work that was completely beyond them. I saw the frustration on the faces of the teachers as they noted the complexities of demands that this policy change caused—because, when this country introduced a policy which directed all students towards university education, we set in place a pathway for many to fail. There are other, far more relevant avenues—which lead to much better outcomes, richer self-esteem and, above all, the essential skills that we need—than university study for all students.

I saw wasted educational investment because some schools were unable to choose where to spend their grants. I saw houses left empty; yet there were broken families, victims of domestic violence and people suffering from mental illness living in cars because there was 'no accommodation available'. I saw photographic evidence of pink batts being brought to a person's house but then being left rolled up in the roof cavity. I saw subsidies and special bonuses being misspent and misallocated. I saw effective programs being cut and others where the submissions for funding sat on a desk for several months while the government of the day changed ministers in the merry-go-round of leadership challenges. In all these things I did not see a true application of making things 'a little better'.

Gilmore has been well represented by Joanna Gash. A friend and significant mentor, she has always put the community first, and she continues to do so in her capacity as Mayor of the Shoalhaven City Council. There was a strong advocate in this woman. She established the Shoalhaven campus of the University of Wollongong, got millions of dollars in small and large grants for innovative industry and community groups, presided over the just-about-completed Main Road 92 and gained millions of dollars for roads and infrastructure. It is my intention to maintain such advocacy.

Gilmore, with its amazing beaches, hinterland, rivers and wetland areas, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful areas in Australia. Although every member here believes that they represent the best, I know I have that honour. At the same time, Gilmore has some of the most significant social complexities to deal with: a low manufacturing base, struggling dairy farms, intermittent transport options, high unemployment and an ageing demographic. The greatest employment growth sectors are hospitality and aged care, which are both traditionally low-end income streams. There are simply not enough services for the needs of many in Gilmore, especially those with mental illness or disability.

'I have a dream' is an iconic statement. But I do have a dream. I see my community with better transport options, increased infrastructure investment, more employment options and education choices and—above all—a community that believes in itself as a group of achievers with hope for their futures and reward for their endeavours. I see the potential for growth in the Shoalhaven university campus. I see a vibrant and self-confident community. It will not happen straight away, but it will happen. By working together at all levels, we will actually achieve. If each of us believes in our small contribution to our community—by joining a local service club or volunteering in one of the community groups, such as surf lifesaving, Rural Fire Service, state emergency service or St John's ambulance—and give our time, we will make a difference. We will make things better, and then we will be doing something for our community.

There are a number of people who have motivated the person who now stands before you. Joanna Gash, previous member for Gilmore, whose help, guidance and gentle suggestion—now those who really know Jo are laughing; perhaps I am understating!—has assisted me to come to parliament and follow my dream of making my country better. I also mention my children, who encouraged me from a distance, as two of them now live in Cairns. There is my daughter, Kimberly, who spoke words of humour and practicality during the tough days and who has simply been my best friend. There is Barry, who, when I first suggested that I might run for parliament, said, 'Mum, better to have lived and tried than to have lived with regret.' His constant support over many years has been a mainstay, and, on Monday—with his lovely wife, Romee—he will bring my granddaughter into the world. There is Rodney, who unstintingly dropped all his activities and came down in the final months to doorknock, to letterbox, and to pre-poll constantly, despite never having done any of it before.

I thank my 'adopted son', Brad Stait, and my 'adopted daughter', Bonnie Marshall, who have been my campaign companions since April 2012. There are simply not enough doughnuts and hot chocolates to say thank you. They were the connection to the Young Liberals, who, under the stewardship of Dean Carlson and Alyson Richards, came in the worst of weather to help in the difficult areas with letterboxing. I thank my local Young Liberals—especially Jackson Calverly, who was the youngest booth captain of them all. I thank also Larissa Mallinson, who assisted in Gilmore before deciding to run as a candidate in Throsby.

There is always a number of very close associates who help in a campaign, and they stand with you through thick and thin. I thank the following people: John Bennett, chair of my FEC, for his unending and straightforward advice; Pat Davis for her constant wisdom and for organising the village visits; Bruce, who often did the last-minute deliveries; Richard and Maxine Warner for the hundreds of A-frames and the handing out at the train and bus stations; Dorothy Barker, one of the most amazing door-knockers of all time, who never hesitated at any door, any gate or any driveway; Pam Coles for coordinating the files and the maps as well as for being a major support; Jan Hancock, whose compassionate and beautiful voice convinced so many to become part of the 1,000-strong team—men and women—to man the booths; the Marshall family for the famous blue trailer; Bill Carter and Danielle, who drove the old bus around; Ellie and Geoff Rose, who looked after the old bus; Kellie Marsh and her son Nathan, the best northern campaigners; John and Kath Le Bas, staunch supporters throughout—even from the beginning way back in 2006; Patricia and Gary White, the southern campaigners; Kay McNiven and Gavin McClure, whose assistance in so many ways was wonderful; David and Sandy Smith, whose ability to make me believe in myself was so very evident and who were always there to help; and Eve Craddock, who was thrown completely into the deep end and saved us all from campaign stress with her organising and her holding the team together—not to mention her scones and cookies.

I thank my state colleagues Gareth Ward, Member for Kiama, and the Hon. Shelley Hancock, Speaker of the House in the NSW Legislative Assembly, member for South Coast—especially Shelley for her understanding during the campaign. Thank you to the team at HQ, Michelle Moffatt, and Mark Neeham in particular, as my point of official connection, and to Sanjay and John D for always being available. I thank the many members of the Liberal Party branches in Gilmore who have worked on fundraisers and booths, coming to shadow ministers events, participating in auctions and games, buying endless tickets for items they really did not want, but it was all for a good cause.

I thank my supporters here today, many having made quite a journey to still show support. Some are not even party members, but believed I had potential, at least in part, to fill the shoes of Joanna Gash, for I was constantly told, 'You have big shoes to fill.' I do unfortunately have fairly small feet, so I will just have to run to make up the difference. Not only did my local community remind me, often, that this would be an issue, but so did many of my colleagues now sitting here and working with me.

I was of course blessed during the campaign, by two Bishops, an Abbott, several religious leaders and many shadow ministers. Apart from the intended pun, I was indeed supported in so many ways by the Hon. Bronwyn Bishop, now in the Speaker's chair, an elegant and eloquent person who has inspired so many women in politics on this side of the House, for which I personally am very grateful. Madam Speaker, you have been a stalwart support for me over many years, and I thank you.

I was also supported by Julie Bishop, Phillip Ruddock, Joe Hockey, Christopher Pyne, Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison, John Cobb, Bob Baldwin, Greg Hunt, Senators Marise Payne, Bill Heffernan and Connie Fierravanti-Wells, each adding colour, flare and knowledge to the campaign, and not least our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, who came and conquered in the carbon tax forum, making sure the Gilmore community understood the dreadful impact this badly thought-out policy had on local employment. The carbon tax affects local industry, local families and local employment. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.

More recently I have had the support of the Liberal Womens Council, and my colleagues now sitting on the benches with me, as we made friends, the day we stood before the cameras for the corflutes. Oh, my goodness that day in May in 2012 seems so far away! Karen McNamara, Fiona Scott, Lucy Wicks, Craig Laundy, Peter Hendy and Angus Taylor have all been great sources of support on our common journey, and I look forward to working hard alongside them. Although at times we may compete for funding to be allocated to our electorates, we already share a great bond.

I thank the teachers who have appeared in my life at different times and have given lessons when I least expected. For some unknown reason ,many have the name of Linda. Linda A taught me that you never put your head in an oven with a lighted match just to see whether or not the first ignition attempt worked. Singed eyebrows and eyelashes are really not becoming. Linda C taught me the power of the paint brush and Linda D gave me the craft of pencil and charcoal. Linda W taught me to look out for myself, in all things legal and financial. Finally, Linda M who reminded me of my connection to God, and taught me the power of prayer.

There have of course been other teachers in my life. Dr John Nicholas, who taught our Dip Ed class the holistic view of the environment, making us look beyond the limits of flora, fauna and natural habitat, to the interaction of people, the necessity of the built environment and all its demands on the social and survival fabric of human existence, and that effectively our environment sits in balance between the tripod of these three aspects: natural, human and built. I thank these teachers for all they have taught me, and I thank all those who I have taught, for those experiences are amongst the ones I cherish the most.

I take this opportunity to also thank those descendants of Australia's first people who have shared their love of country and their techniques in painting, and others who taught me to listen to wisdom in the silence amongst the rocks of Kata Tjuta. I thank the elders in my community—Melissa, Auntie Ruth, Auntie Grace and Uncle Gerry—whose welcome to country gathers up the strings of disunity every time they speak, to weave them into a design of reconciliation, understanding and a will to work together. I thank Noel Lonsdale for sharing the possum cloak in a recent unveiling at Boat Harbour, showing the symbolism of our unity.

I remind all in this House of Auntie Matilda's words of Canberra being the womb of Australia. This is the time for renewal and rebirth. The strategies of the recent political path have reflected only division, deception and disloyalty. The result has been chaos for those who sit opposite, but worse still for the families who have been impacted by 'unintended consequences' of bad policy decisions. Whilst political bluster may suffice for some, the reality is that our government bank account is in a mess. The players—balance and fiscal responsibility—have effectively taken their bat and ball, and even the stumps, and gone home.

Everyone in this chamber is here to represent their community to the best of their ability, but it is Tony Abbott in the Prime Minister's chair, and it is this side of the House that is in government. l am proud to be part of the team that works to reward individual endeavour, to help people to their feet and allow them the independence of their own choices. There is hope for our nation in this strategy.

I deeply honour those in Gilmore who decided to put their faith in me to help change the government for Australia. I also respect those who did not, for we have a robust democracy in this nation. Now we must work together to achieve great things. I am determined to make sure the trust and honour granted to me is not misplaced. Gilmore has extraordinary human capacity and amazing potential. It is time that we in our region believe this, to lift our community, and its self-respect, to begin the process of achievement and hope, rather than denial of individual merit. We who are leaders—whether community leaders, elected leaders or opinion makers—have a responsibility to increase the social value in our community's own eyes, despite our own political bias. It is time to go beyond the facade of perception and look at the true worth of our community. We in Gilmore are generous beyond many others, giving well above the average for such groups as the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. I should know: I have door-knocked for both. The network of service clubs, leisure clubs, sports clubs and over 90 church congregations provide assistance locally and internationally whenever they are called upon.

We deserve the infrastructure and community investment that will enable us to reach our potential. I look forward to working with the Tony Abbott government to deliver all the projects committed to and now confirmed, especially the Shoalhaven Bridge project phase 2 and the funding for the Dunn & Lewis Bali Memorial Centre, so that the youth of Ulladulla have a facility that commemorates their friends lost in the bombing and yet also allows training and workplace opportunities, as well as becoming a community activity hub.

We know we have double the national average unemployment statistics and we recognise this as a multilayered problem. We need all sectors in our community to think outside the square when unusual opportunities come along. Instead of being negative or sceptical, let us encourage the potential.

In the words of Robert Kennedy:

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?

I am inspired by the school students of Gilmore, some of whom are here today—Gemma and Jake, assisted by Laura—for their energy is contagious, and they too share the dream of making a difference.

The electorate team—Janelle Brown, Kimberley Wadey, Nikkie Macey and Adam Straney—are all working on the vision for Gilmore. Finally, Dad, as you are unable to see, I am wearing blue and white, and metaphorically, Dad, the sailboat has finally left the shore, although there might be a few barnacles on the hull and there might be a few patches on the sails. And, Mum, you are the wind in the sails. Rodney, Barry and Kim, you are the invisible hands that draw up the anchor, set the sails and hold the tiller, for the journey has begun.

Yes, indeed, it seriously is time to ask: what can we do for our community? From the innocence of childhood to the cynicism of adulthood, it is time for a change for the better. It is time for 'we will'. The responsibility is ours. It is absolutely up to us to make things better and make a difference. Thank you.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Before I call the honourable member for Hume, I remind honourable members that this is his maiden speech. I therefore ask that the usual courtesies be extended to him

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise with great pride on behalf of the people of the electorate of Hume. As the crow flies, the closest Hume border is 10 kilometres from where I stand. But it is in many respects a world away. Uniquely in this country, the Hume electorate spans the fringes of two capital cities. It is bounded by outer Sydney in the north, the ACT in the south and small western towns like Stockinbingal and Quandialla. Taking in 12 local government areas, it is the electorate of historic small towns, villages and rural hamlets. From the rugged high country of Crookwell, where snow often settles in winter, to the flat, sometimes dusty and dry red dirt of Caragabal, we have wind swept tablelands and gentle slopes and plains.

In the earliest settled agricultural region in Australia, it is a joy to me that we have some of the best livestock country and some of the highest yielding wheat and canola crops in Australia. Yet, with the nation's biggest transport corridor running through its heart, Hume is more diverse and more connected than you might think. Over 30 per cent of the Hume workforce commutes into Sydney or Canberra each day. My constituents range from ultra-progressives, particularly close to Canberra, right through to hardcore conservatives. But in the middle is a great swathe of people who are fairly moderate and mostly tolerant and who want government to get off their backs so that they can get on with their lives. They work on farms, in shops and in hospitals and schools. Like country people all over, they typically have a lot of common sense. People in Hume are great detectors of spin.

Hume's representatives have been as fearless and wise as the great explorer after whom the electorate was named. I am honoured to follow the exceptional Wal Fife, John Sharp and, of course, Alby Schultz, who is here in the gallery today. I thank them for their service, and I aspire to the high bar set by each of them.

In the early 19th century my Taylor ancestors set out from Yorkshire on their pilgrimage to make a better life. Let us just say they were not on the right side of the establishment and, being offered no land from the government, they kept moving south. They made their way via Berrima to Taylor's Hill—now Mount Taylor—just a few kilometres from here. For his assistance to the Rum Corp in deposing Governor Bligh, James Taylor was given land. But some in the family were pushed south again. That side of the family was sceptical of power and dismissive of the political establishment long before Federation and Canberra were conceived.

I was born an hour's drive south of here and now I live an hour to the north on the edge of a beautiful frost plain near Goulburn. My childhood home sits on the Monaro, high on the Great Divide. My three brothers and I had a freedom and an independence that most children these days—and even then—could only dream of. It was not until the mid-1990s that on our place we switched from horses to motor bikes for our stock work. So I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood on the back of a horse. We rode 10 kilometres across the paddocks to pony club in Nimmitabel. We fished in the big dam for yabbies and trout. We rode our pushbikes to the school bus. We mustered, drenched and marked our way through school and university holidays. At a young age, it was unexceptional to be sent to pick up a mob of sheep or cattle many miles away with just a lunch pack and a horse—and, if we were lucky, a good dog.

We had exceptional parents. Dad, who is here in the gallery today, was busy running the farm and later even busier making a contribution to rural politics during that extraordinary era when farmers were leading national reforms. Our mother was devoted to us. She taught us all to read and write well before we went to school. Education was paramount and we learnt to approach every task as if our lives depended on it, and to never, ever give up. Mum was strong but gentle. She was unfailingly kind, loyal and generous, with the strongest moral compass of anyone I have known. We lost her to breast cancer when she was in her 40s, the age I am now. She would be proud if she were here today because she believed in service of any kind. She was deeply influenced by her parents and their values, especially her father. My grandfather William Hudson was, and remains, a pervasive role model in my life. He was commissioner and chief engineer of the Snowy Mountains scheme and led it from its inception in 1949 until just before completion in 1967. He conceived of the idea and insisted, against resistance, to bring in large numbers of refugees from war-torn Europe. He insisted that people from over 30 countries, who had just been fighting each other in the Second World War, live and work together in multi-ethnic camps. The Snowy scheme, quite literally, changed the face of our nation.

My grandfather treated every single person with whom he came into contact, from humble truck drivers to senior engineers, with equal dignity and respect. He abhorred snobbery and judged people on character and conduct, not rank. He worked prodigiously and was extraordinarily humble. The Snowy was never about him. He retired to Canberra, a stone's throw from here, and he died owning a modest house and modest possessions. He never focused on accumulating material wealth.

On nation-building we can take many lessons from the Snowy scheme. There was, even then, a rigorous cost-benefit analysis. The project met a clear and universal public need which could only be achieved through government involvement while setting new benchmarks in the use of private contractors. Legislation ensured it was insulated from party politics. It was forward-thinking and its safety regime was the world's best at the time. After a quarter century of construction, the scheme came in under budget and before time. At the peak of a rewarding career in the private sector, my decision to enter public life was not an easy one. In the end, though, it was influenced heavily by my grandfather's record and impact as one of our nation's great public servants.

At the University of Sydney I found law interesting and rigorous, but it never pushed my buttons like economics. Economics is about making smarter use of limited resources to make people better off. It shapes history and society at every level. Good economics is the key to good government, job creation and funding for world-class schools, health services, roads, railways and broadband networks.

At university I read Smith, Bentham, Burke, Mill, Marshall, Schumpeter, Galbraith, Keynes and Friedman. But 20 years ago I stepped into McKinsey. Since that time I have learnt that no single economist, thinker or philosopher has the answer for everything. At McKinsey, then at Port Jackson Partners, I worked alongside some of the world's best management thinkers. From mines and farms in South America, Africa and the Pilbara, to ports, smelters, steel mills and railways across Asia and Australia, and even to cow sheds and wool sheds deep in rural New Zealand, I learnt about what really drives growth, jobs and productivity. I learnt to think strategically, to focus on the two or three things that really matter. I built a career on helping clients understand the phenomenal rise of China and India and the changing role of minerals, energy, food and water in the global economy.

Helping some of our biggest companies to shape their long-term plans gave me licence to think long and hard about Australia's place in the world, a world where ideas, people, money and products cross borders faster and with more intensity than ever before. I have witnessed the lasting benefits that massive private sector investment can bring. I have witnessed extraordinary leadership turn organisations around. But I have also seen successful organisations, including governments, grow big, lazy and complacent when discipline is lost.

In my own personal involvement with small businesses, particularly in agriculture, I have learnt the necessity of experimentation and the value of persistence and I have felt the ignominy of failure. In this place I will never forget that it is the army of small-business people and entrepreneurs who put their necks on the line, their noses to the grindstone and their faith in humanity every day. They contribute more to our economy than big business ever will.

The heaving and irresistible force of globalisation now well and truly bears down upon us, fuelled by rapid Asian growth. It is creating huge new opportunities and the world is signalling that Australia should focus on what we do best. It is also signalling that we should let go where we are not competitive. Our response will define our future.

Since John Macarthur put his first bale of merino wool on a ship to England, we have depended upon trade, foreign investment, immigration and innovation. More than ever our future prosperity will stand on these four pillars. The last government put at risk a huge opportunity in our resources sector. Although the remaining prospects are strong, this must never happen again. With tens of millions of people in the developing world moving each year from agrarian poverty into urban and middle-class lives, our small country is poised on the brink of yet another prospect: a boom in demand for our food and fibre. But it is only a chance. We could easily botch this one. Many of our competitors are eyeing this prize.

Resolving the clash between liberal economics and isolationism, between openness and insularity, is the first-order priority in taking advantage of our changing world. Those who argue for fortress Australia are wrong. The pursuit of global opportunities in sectors where we can excel will strengthen us. This is how we will sustain our sovereignty, not by putting up new barriers. However, the monumental benefits of openness are not sufficiently clear to many Australians on all sides of politics. That is partly because the raw appeal of populism is an easy grab on the evening news, but it is also because our policy settings are not right. We must hungrily seek out fast-growing new markets to our north. We need the big licks of capital and the skills others can provide. We must boldly expound and stay true to a narrative that explains the benefits of openness.

At the same time we must guard against the voracious thirst of vested interests and monopoly. Whether it manifests in companies, unions or the most powerful monopoly of all—government—monopoly will exploit if left unconstrained. Our competition watchdog must be given everything it needs to encourage competition and see off exploitation in a more global economy so that consumers and small businesses can prosper. We need to stop giving public money to rent-seekers and we must be strong against the loud voices of narrowly-focused interests. Laws passed in this place must not drag down the living standards of the majority by benefiting a few. This government has shown that it understands the urgent need to step up and focus on bilateral trade deals that position our best exporters to win. New Zealand has achieved great benefits by backing its strengths, and agriculture in particular has gained much. Tax and welfare policy must encourage participation and productivity, recognising that capital, businesses and highly-skilled people now move quickly to more attractive countries. But we must also ensure that global companies and investors cannot game our tax system at our expense.

In immigration, like any self-respecting nation, we must control our fortune, not have it foisted upon us. Along with a generous humanitarian program, we should be unapologetic about actively seeking out new citizens—and many of them—who bring us skills and a strong work ethic and who will contribute to the fabric of our nation. Meanwhile, we must embrace innovation from all over the globe, focusing our research and development on our strengths. Our industrial relations system will need to be more flexible and more outward looking. Australian school and university students now compete with those beyond our borders, billions strong, whose appetite for learning is unprecedented. This year there are more university students in China than the entire Australian population. Our competitors know that you do not need to spend billions more on education to achieve outstanding outcomes. We need to get smart, stop the ideological warfare and focus on great teaching.

In the shorter term, we face clear challenges. This government has been left with a deep structural deficit. Consumers are saddled with debt and are nervous. Our dollar is stubbornly high and mining investment is on the skids. In time, export growth is the hope of the side. But to pick up the slack we must strongly encourage non-mining investment, particularly infrastructure and housing—finding clever means of attracting investment without drowning ourselves in more red ink. Making the most of every dollar of government expenditure is now more crucial than ever. The productivity revolution has been sweeping through the private sector for decades. It is now time for the public sector to follow. Whether in health, education, defence or welfare, it is time for governments to treat every dollar of expenditure as if it were our own.

I want these things because I want grain, meat and cherry producers in my electorate to be selling without barriers into fast-growing Asian markets now. I want the children in Hume's schools to have the same opportunities as their Asian competitors. I want to know that we will look after our most vulnerable and elderly as their numbers continue to grow. I want the Barton Highway, which connects 12,000 of my constituents to Canberra every day, to be the road it should be. I want more rural doctors and hospitals to be installing new technology and offering new services, not cutting them. I want mobile phone reception and internet connectivity to be improved quickly so that more of my constituents can run their small businesses or work from home, creating more local jobs.

At the same time, we must protect our basic values and bedrock institutions. I first encountered political correctness as a student at Oxford. It was 1991, and a young Naomi Wolf lived a couple of doors down the corridor. Several graduate students, mostly from the north-east of the US, decided we should abandon the Christmas tree in the common room because some people might be offended. I was astounded. My friends from Oklahoma, Alaska and Oregon explained this new kind of moral vanity that was taking hold in America. A few of us pushed back hard. In the end we won, because we were mainstream. But we must resist the insidious political correctness that would have us discard those core values that have made us great. In our times, the world over, the foundation of democracy—free speech—and the foundation of capitalism—property rights—are being chipped away by shrill elitist voices who insist that they know what is best for people who are not remotely like them. I can tell you, I will always defend property rights and free speech. And in this place I will back the parliament over the executive and the judiciary, because it is through this parliament that each of us here is accountable to our constituents.

I owe so much to so many people: to Alby Schultz and Gloria, thank you for the faith you placed in me, your support and your famous generosity of spirit; to the 1,000 people across Hume, many of whom are here today, who helped on polling day; to the core Hume campaign team—my wonderful campaign manager, Michele Costello and Nancy Roberts, Paula Clegg, Graham Templeton, Sam Rowland, Brooke Hilton, Jane Reardon, Danny Kennedy, Ian Norris, Ian Weakley, Geoff Pearson, John Plews, Ruth Gibson, Sarah Bucknell, Holly Campbell, Bob Rogers, Tim Meares, Frances Douch, Geoff Kettle, Maree Ireland, Sam McGuiness and Holly Hughes—and many others who volunteered not for days but for weeks and in some cases, Paula and Nancy, for months of their time. Thank you. You set the gold standard.

I thank MPs Pru Goward and Jai Rowell as well as a host of current and former federal MPs who visited the electorate. I thank those who provided wise counsel, including Bill Heffernan, Malcolm Turnbull, John Howard and the Prime Minister.

Finally, to my family. I met Louise 25 years ago. She was—and still is—talented, clever and warm. She was a girl from the bush who was interested in big things: politics, God and the world around her. And she came from a family that was brimming with love. I was lucky to find her and her parents, Paula and Richard, who are so generous and so supportive to us and to everyone who inhabits their world. To our beautiful children—Hamish, Olivia, Adelaide and Roo: we love you dearly. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting such a dramatic change in our lives.

Some people say politics is about power. I do not agree. It should be about leadership, service and making an enduring difference to the lives of others. I hope the work I do in this place makes a real difference and will one day make my children proud. Thank you.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the members for their first speeches. It is always a great moment in the House, and it is good to see their families and friends here to support them. I listened very carefully to the Governor-General's speech when both houses joined in the Senate chamber on the first day of parliament. I listened for the positive plan that the then opposition had talked about so often. I looked for that plan and for what they would bring to government for the future. What struck me then and in the first weeks of this parliament was an extraordinary lack of vision for the future by the government. In fact, if I was 19 years old and I was starting my adult life—and I am not, in fact I am a long way from that—I would be scratching my head and looking at this government and thinking that perhaps it had very little to offer me. For the 4.29 million people under the age of 15 in this country that is certainly the case.

Governments govern for the past, the present and the future. Governments honour the contributions and sacrifices of generations past—those sacrifices that are so evident in the prosperity we enjoy now. They investigate past wrongs and they offer apologies. They govern for the future. They govern for the present. They balance the needs of many sections of the community on a daily basis. But they also govern for the future. They govern for the young people who are in school, they govern for teenagers and they govern for their children and their children's children. And great governments govern for the generation after that.

This, unfortunately, is a government that seems to have walked well and truly away from the future. It is not a government for the young. If you have a look at the things that they have done in those first few weeks of parliament, you can see what I mean. There is no minister for youth. There is nobody on the frontbench or in the ministry of the government that speaks for youth and that is a focal point for engagement with youth or for representing the views of our next generation in the government. There is no minister for innovation. There is no minister whose job it is to ensure that we grow the diverse range of industries that will sustain our economy into the future. There is no minister for science. There is no single person in the ministry who ensures that we are positioned to benefit from the scientific advances that take place around the world. They have slashed investment in the CSIRO. They have slashed funding to a broad range—a whole list—of bodies and organisations whose job it was to assess the long-term needs of this country.

If you are looking for a government that represents the past, look at the front row here. There is only one woman in the cabinet and only two sitting in the front row. That is certainly not a government that is looking to the future. They have walked away from the responsibility for education. They are happily handing that over to the states. They have walked away from responsibility for preventative health. They have walked away from any real action on climate change. They have walked away from the minerals resource rent tax which would help to ensure that the assets of Australia are used for the benefit of future generations. In their own language on debt and deficit—and I say 'their own language', because it was this government, when in opposition, that talked about the debt burden on future generations—in the first week of this parliament they sought to almost double the debt ceiling and have now removed the limit. So, a government that in opposition talked about burdening the next generation with debt seems to believe that it now needs no limit and no accountability to the parliament for its actions.

They said they had a positive plan for the future. I have to say it is very difficult to see it. Perhaps one of the most critical decisions that this government is involved in, and one which will affect future generations, is, of course, that of climate change. We live on an incredibly fragile planet, a planet full of wonder. For those of us who spend time in the bush—and I do—it is an extraordinary world. It is unimaginable to me, and to many of us on this side of the House, that a government would take any action at all that would make it less likely that future generations would be able to enjoy the full diversity of life on our planet. We have a whole range of species that are very fragile. In the Sydney region, if there is not real action on climate change around the world, the number of extreme fire danger days could rise from the current nine days per year to as many as 15 by 2050. If there were ever an endeavour that a government should undertake to ensure that future generations enjoy, as we do, the full range of wonder in the world, it would be action on climate change.

It is almost as if the current government went into a deep sleep when they lost government in 2007. It is almost an episode of Rip Van Winkle in many ways. They went to sleep dreaming of the Howard years and imagining that someday they could bring them back. But, in that period of six years, things have moved on. Action on climate change, for example, is increasing. The Climate Council estimates that 99 countries, including Australia's major trading partners and neighbours, are implementing policies to act on climate change, including renewable energy targets, emissions trading schemes and vehicle emissions targets. These countries collectively produce over 80 per cent of global emissions and over 90 per cent of the world's economic output. So, in that six years when they were sleeping and dreaming of the past, the world has moved on. Unless this country moves on we will be doing our young people and their children and the generation after that an extreme disservice.

There are three real reasons why you act on the environment and climate change. One is the environment itself, which is something of value in its own right. It is the only thing that we deal with in this parliament, both in government and in opposition, which is not a human construct. It is the one thing which actually exists whether we are here or not, and it deserves a very special place in the minds of governments for that reason. But there is also the cost. We know that each year we delay real action on climate change we leave a greater cost burden on the people that come after us. We leave a greater cost burden on the next generation. If we do not build the economic model which generates investment in finding the answers in this country, if we do not introduce a market-based mechanism, then we risk leaving our industry, our entrepreneurs and our scientists out of a field that is growing at an incredibly rapid rate in the world. Last year, China, which is much maligned for not acting on climate change, spent more on renewable energy than it did on coal-fired power stations. China has moved into the new world, and we do the next generation an incredible disservice if we do not move as well—if we do not provide the economic frameworks which will drive industry in Australia to explore the possibilities for finding answers to what is a very real problem.

Look at the mining tax. I saw a beautiful photo not so long back which explained perfectly the whole purpose of the minerals resource rent tax, why we in government introduced it and why it should be maintained. If the government thinks it has some flaws, the government can amend it, but it is an incredibly valuable piece of regulation to protect the future generations' assets. It was a beautiful picture. On one side was a huge open-cut mine, with a ginormous yellow truck gouging ore from its side. Above it was the word 'mine', with a question mark. On the other side of the page was a picture of a small child in a sandpit, with a tiny, yellow Tonka toy, digging sand out of the sandpit. Above him was the word 'ours'. It was the clearest explanation I could think of for the purpose of the minerals resource rent tax, which was to ensure that the assets in the ground that we in this generation can take out with gay abandon, the assets that belong to all generations of Australians, would be able to be enjoyed by future generations. The abolition of the MRRT without regard to cross-generational issues of wealth is a tragedy, and it is another indication of a government which does not have the youth and the next generation of this country in its mind at all.

If you are talking Rip Van Winkle, as I was before, in terms of action on climate change, you need not go any further than the NBN. They went to sleep in 2007 and dreamed of the Howard years. Things have moved on. Fibre is the way of the future, without any doubt. I am well over 50 now. I admit I am closer to 60 than 50. It is a future that I can imagine. It is the future for the three-year-old child you see on the bus who already knows how to use an iPhone. The world that they will create through fibre is something that we cannot imagine. But it is the role of government to make sure that the economic circumstances and the infrastructure are there for that generation—for those who are now 15, 16, 17 and 18 years old—to build the world that they want to live in, a world where the entrepreneurs of Australia can play their part in shaping the technology of the future.

To walk away at this point from ensuring that Australia has the technology that it needs for the next 50 years borders on criminal. Again, it is an indication of a government that does not have youth in its frame and does not see the next generation at all. It does not see the benefits to regional Australia. It does not see that we as a nation have within us every language and culture of the world. We have the capacity to deal from our own homes with every country in the world. We live on the edge of the fastest growing region in the world. We have within us people who know and understand and live the cultures of our northern neighbours. Yet we have a government that—although I hesitate to say it—seems a little uncomfortable with our place in the world. It certainly is not setting up future generations to benefit from the extraordinary powerhouse to our north by providing what is today a basic piece of infrastructure: fibre. Copper—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Rip Van Winkle. They have been asleep for 80 years, I think, shadow minister—80 years at least—if they think we can go back to copper at this time.

If you want to see a government not caring about the next generation, not seeing them what they need, you need not look any further than at the total walking away from federal responsibility for standards in education that we have seen in the last week. We have seen a government that does not know that, in the six years they slept in opposition dreaming of the Howard years, the arguments that went on between the different elements of education—the private, independent, Catholic and state schools—were resolved. Through some incredibly hard work by Labor in government, by people in the community and by leaders in all of those sectors, we found a way past that and settled on a model which actually ensured that our young people would be funded on the basis of need. The model ensured that we would no longer have the incredible difference in the results of children raised in advantaged households and those raised in disadvantaged households.

We currently have an appalling circumstance in this country, which we sometimes do not realise. There is a disparity in the results of those that live in disadvantaged areas and families and the results of those that do not. The government, knowing about that disparity and knowing that so many of our young people are falling behind, is not prepared to act on it. In the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, which we know will drive our prosperity in the future, we are seriously lagging, particularly in the lower quartiles. We know that fixing that is not a three-year job. Ensuring that teachers are trained and that young people who enter the school system now leave the school system with the skills they will need in 15 years—not the skills we need now—is a massive undertaking that will take a generation. It is a long-term activity that a decent government would be undertaking now if they recognised their role to govern for young people. But this government is not doing that. This government is happy to cap student fees. It is happy to see fees going up again, as they did in the Howard years. They are talking happily about privatising student debt. They are talking, quite clearly, about strategies which will take us back to the Howard years, where the difference in enrolment rates between people from a disadvantaged area and young people from an average or upper-middle income area will widen. Shamefully, that gap widened under the Howard years, and this government is prepared to see that gap widen once again. This is a government that does not see the needs of our young people and the needs of their children.

Superannuation is another area where the government is not prepared to do the hard yards to ensure that young people have the kinds of retirement that they would expect. The delay in the superannuation increases is a significant blow, particularly to young people. I know that young people may not know that. I have quite a few people in my family who do not always understand the value of superannuation. But those on the government side do understand the value of superannuation because, I have no doubt, they are well superannuated. Yet this government does not see that there is a need for young people to start saving for their retirement as early as possible. Even the cuts to the public service will hit the young. When you slash so deeply into public service jobs you create a circumstance where it is very difficult for young people to find a path in.

So let us recap on what we have with this government. The government came to power after the last election on a promise of a positive plan for the future. We saw the blue book; we saw it being held. We heard then that they had a positive plan for the future. We heard today in question time that they have a plan. We were not quite sure what that plan is, but we heard minister after minister get up today and talk about having a plan. We are still waiting to see it, but they have plan.

Yet, when you look at what government ministers have actually done in this first four weeks of parliament, you find that they have hacked away at almost everything which would build a nation for the next generation. They have hacked away at environmental reforms. We saw this House vote for the handing back of powers to the states. We heard statements about their winding back of the World Heritage listing in Tasmania. This government has a plan to wind back the marine parks. This government is hacking away at the work that was done to protect our environment for generations of the future. This government has hacked away at the model which will drive investment in new technologies for clean energy. They have hacked away at it—attempting to abolish it. There is nothing to replace it yet. Clearly, this government does not understand the need to ensure that our next generation is at the forefront of finding answers to climate change.

This government has no concern that our assets in the ground belong to future generations as well as this one. It is happy to rip away—hack away—at the mechanism which ensures cross-generational wealth, so that the wealth of this generation is maintained for future generations.

It has not been a good start, at all. For those 4.29 million people—nearly one in five—who are under the age of 15 there is a lot to worry about from this government. Those on this side of the chamber know that we need to govern not just for the children who are going through primary schools now; governments need to govern for the generation after that, and the generation after that. It is a tragedy to watch the actions of this government in hacking away at the things that this generation will need in order to prosper.

A government with a plan for the future? It is hard to see. The government said they had it, but it has been hard to see the plan in action in this first four weeks. I have to say that this does not bode well for the next generation.

Debate adjourned.