Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Monday just passed, we saw the Liberal caucus engage in an experiment of hope over experience. I think we understand and Australia understands and at least 39 and perhaps even more of the coalition understand—I suspect many more—that this is a government who will not listen, cannot learn and will never change. If we needed further proof of this fact, we saw the remarkable 7.30 interview—and I am not talking about Mr Hockey's interview last night—of the Prime Minister on Monday night. There the Prime Minister declared—even though he could not answer which Prime Minister he was, which Tony Abbott—he said, 'I am a fighting man.' Well, the people of Australia know that they have a fighting man for their Prime Minister. This must make them feel very happy.

We saw from the PMO bunker earlier in the day those bizarre proof of life videos saying, 'If you are watching this, I am still the leader.' We have seen the ball of energy. I understand the Prime Minister is a fighting man. But Australians understand he is just fighting mad. We see him as a ball of energy. There is no doubt that the Prime Minister is a pugilist, a most renowned pugilist. There he is, dancing around the ring, shadowboxing, occasionally connecting with his own chin. He keeps moving around. No-one in Australia doubts the energy of our Prime Minister. He is a very energetic man. He circles around, chasing himself, snapping and biting, seeing off his rivals. The one thing the Liberal government in Australia has is a fighting man as a leader.

But, unfortunately for Australians, the fighting man can never learn and can never change. Of course not everyone in the coalition is a fighting man. We have the member for Wentworth here. He is not a fighting man, is he? We saw that. I acknowledge that he can do a Eurovision audition as well as anyone on the government's front bench. But, as I said on Monday, never in Australian politics have we seen a man who so much wanted the job but just would not do anything to get the job. I understand the great conundrum of the member for Wentworth: 'Why won't people just hire me to do the job?' For all of his political career, he has asked that existential question—which no-one else, to be fair, in this parliament has had to ask—'Should I be Labor or should I be Liberal?'

What I also understand and what Australians understand is that—to be fair to the member for Wentworth—previously he has had an instinct for some causes of progress. No-one can deny his leadership of the republican cause at the end of the last century. No-one can deny that he was a man of principle and would never support a proposition which would not see an emissions trading scheme. But unfortunately, this Monday we saw the member for Wentworth, the man who was not a fighting man, look at the fighting man Tony Abbott and do what many Australians would do if they saw someone shuffling around, swinging punches, snapping and biting; he crossed the road to avoid him. Very prudent, Member for Wentworth.

But one group who will not cross the road to avoid this Prime Minister is the Labor Party. We will fight this unfair budget and we will make sure that this government is held to account. The reason the Labor Party and the opposition is holding this government to account is that we do not believe in marginalising the middle class. We understand cost-of-living pressures; we are in touch with the real issues that people face every day. We do not support the increases in prohibitive childcare fees. We will never vote to wreck Medicare with a GP tax.

We have seen all of the contenders bounce up to the dispatch box this week from the government, and the record is very clear. They were happy to back down against their leader when it came to Prince Philip, but they were not happy to back down against the GP tax because none of them every opposed it. They do not oppose the $100,000 university degrees. They certainly were all there to be counted to cut the pension or to freeze the superannuation of workers. They are happy enough to see the unemployed not receive dole payments for six months. This is the calibre of this government. It is not just the fighting man, the Prime Minister, who is at fault in this government; it is the whole of their leadership and the whole of their cabinet and ministry.

There are people, unfortunately, in this government who will never cross the road to avoid Tony Abbott's brand of unfairness. They may want his job but they certainly will not change his policies. Every last member of this government has put their name to the budget. They are incapable of learning and they will never learn.

Then we come to the latest debacle this week. I speak of the submarine project. To be fair, most Australians had never heard of Senator Edwards until he famously decided to join the political process. But it is clear that there was a deal done in return for Senator Edwards' vote. What is crazy is that Australians are already paying twice for the submarines to be built in Adelaide. The Liberal Party of Australia lied, lied and lied to South Australians and Australians. They said they would build the submarines in South Australia, and today we heard our Prime Minister say: 'It depends'. We never saw 'it depends' in the fine print of the Liberal Party election policy.

Amazingly, this morning as we were talking about closing the gap and the opposition pointed to the cuts to Indigenous funding in Australia, outraged members of the government walked out. Why aren't they walking out over a tawdry $20 billion deal for one vote or two votes? We hear the government saying they have this all under control. 'You can trust the government with this matter.' The truth of the matter is: this government has been dragged kicking and screaming to any form of process on the submarines and the decision about where the submarines go. This government has to be fought to make it look after Australian jobs.

The government says that they have learnt the error of their ways. This government reassures Australians—they had the rebooting before Christmas; they had the mark II and the mark III versions of the government—and on Monday we remarkably heard our Prime Minister say that 'good government starts now'. What on earth has this government been doing for the last 500-plus days? How on earth can they have the cheek and effrontery to present to Australia and say: 'We have learnt. After 500 days we have decided that we are going to become a good government.' Yet, by Wednesday, they had flown the minister and they had the poor old backbenchers as fodder, standing in front of the submarine corporation, and they cannot even work out what their position is on submarine purchasing. We can give them a position: build the submarines in Australia.

This is not a government capable of learning and changing. We know that. They know that. And deep in the hearts of the Liberal backbench they know that too. Somewhat remarkably, the Prime Minister of Australia got 39 votes against him—and there was not even a challenger. It is a problem for Australia when the Prime Minister's own backbench—and indeed some of his frontbench—will not even vote for our Prime Minister.

So, yes, we do not believe this government is capable of learning. We do not believe this government is capable of changing. Australians intuitively understand that powerful older men in their late 50s and early 60s find it very hard to fundamentally change who they are. We have seen this government in question time all this week declare that it is everyone else's problem.

What is ironic about Senator Edwards is that he has discovered what millions of Australians have already learnt: pensioners, people in the Defence Force, people seeking to educate their children in higher education, people going to the doctor. Senator Edwards has learnt what we all know about this government: they will lie to you to get their vote and then you can expect that promise to be broken.

Labor does not change its priorities. We fundamentally believe in growing the national economy. We fundamentally believe in defending Medicare. We fundamentally believe in protecting our pensioners.

We fundamentally believe in keeping our promises to the Australian electorate. We believe fundamentally in a proper healthcare system.

Labor would welcome the opportunity, if this government chooses, to have an early election, because we know that we are on the side of the great Australian people. We are ready for whatever this government's current chaos and incompetence brings forward in terms of leadership spills, division or chaos. What is really the case here in Australian politics is that this government has broken trust in the Australian political process. There is a covenant of trust between the government and its voters. When you lie and lie to the Australian people and break your promises, Australians will not give you another chance. We say to the government that it does not matter who you present to be your chief salesperson, Australians do not want what you are selling Australians.

We have watched the government all this week thrash and flail around and declare that they have learnt from their mistakes. If they have really learnt from their mistakes, do you know what they should do? Drop the GP tax, drop the pension cuts, drop the attack on $100,000 university degrees and the $6,000 payments to families— (Time expired)

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't you just love taking lectures on leadership from the man who assassinated not just one prime minister but two prime ministers? Regardless of where Bill Shorten goes from here, he will now go down in the history books of Australia as being the man who has assassinated, knocked off, more prime ministers than any other person who has entered this parliament. Congratulations, Bill Shorten. Mr Shorten has the loyalty of a rat. I tell you what, we are not going to be taking lectures from a man who may have expertise in knocking off prime ministers but when it comes to policy is just such a pale imitation of some of the Labor leaders of the past who actually believed in economic reform, who believed in trying to grow the economy and who believed in deregulation, such as Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. He is an absolute pale imitation of those leaders.

I am very happy to be speaking on this matter of public importance. In some respects we have had a tough week—of course we have. We have had a very difficult week—one which as a member of parliament you never really want to go through. But have we listened? Have we learnt? Have we acted? Absolutely we have. We changed some personnel in December and have made some adjustments to our policy already. Already we are making some changes to the way we will engage with the community. Yes, we have listened. Yes, we have learnt. Yes, we have acted.

If you are going to make accusations about the way Liberal and National parties behave and conduct ourselves here then you better have a pretty squeaky clean record. I would like to examine the Labor Party's record in relation to their accusations. Have they been a party that has listened, that has learnt and that has acted? Perhaps we can start by looking at the overall budget management which the Labor Party oversaw for six years and now in opposition are starting to comment on as well. The biggest debate we have had for seven years now is the fiscal management of this country. We know that when the Labor Party took over from the coalition government there was $20 billion in budget surplus and $90 billion in the bank. Of course we all know what happened over the following six years. There was budget deficit after budget deficit after budget deficit—the biggest budget deficits in Australian political history.

Today of course we have to pay $1 billion a month just on the interest on Labor's debt. Do you know what that gets you? One billion dollars can build you a full tertiary hospital each and every month. That money is just gone. That money has been paid for on the interest. We do not get anything back for that. We could build a hospital each and every month. Today we still are borrowing $100 million per day just to pay for the deficits that Labor left. The size of the debt and deficit that the Labor Party left is quite extraordinary. Of course it was not just what they did in office but they also legislated incredible growth in expenditure for the years ahead. In fact, their forecast was six per cent in real growth in expenditure in the years ahead despite the $50 billion budget deficits and commodity prices coming off that meant our revenues were also going to be coming off.

Had they not listened to Peter Costello? Had they not listened to the Australian public, economists or international accolades—at all of those who said: 'Gee, look at the fantastic fiscal position under the Howard-Costello governments. We are so jealous. How did they do it?' Did they not listen to that? Have they not appreciated the importance of running budget surpluses? In some respects they had, and this is the funny thing. In some respects the Labor Party do understand the importance of budget surpluses because they say so themselves. They understand it but they just do not have the spine, the ticker and the capacity to actually deliver them.

Let us go back and look at some of the things people said. Mr Swan, who was the Treasurer for so long, said:

… meandering back to surplus—would compound the pressures in our economy and push up the cost of living for pensioners and working people.

He said:

So coming back to surplus is about making sure we help those people sitting around the kitchen table when they're figuring out how they will make ends meet.

Chris Bowen, now the shadow Treasurer, said:

The Government needed to make responsible spending cuts to put downward pressure on inflation and therefore interest rates.

They even went through the pretence of saying that it is very important to keep expenditure under control so we could get back to surplus. They committed to two per cent real growth in government expenditure. So they sort of had learnt but they simply had no capacity to act. Perhaps the greatest illustration of this is exactly what the budget deficits were each and every year under the Labor Party.

Listen to what Wayne Swan said. In 2008 he said in the budget, 'It is a surplus built on disciplined spending'—a $27 billion deficit

The next year: 'The savings decisions we have taken will have put us back to surplus in 2015-16'—a budget deficit of $54 billion. The next year, for the third time, Mr Swan says, 'A strategy that will see the budget return to surplus in three years time'—another deficit. He said: 'We will be back in the next year. We will be back in the black by 2012-13, on time as promised'—a $43 billion deficit. The next year: 'The budget delivers a surplus this coming year on time as promised, and surpluses each year thereafter'—an $18 billion deficit. And the final one, in 2013-14, 'This budget sets us on a sensible pathway to surplus,' he says, and what was it? It was $47 billion of deficit.

All the rhetoric is there. They understand the importance of budget surpluses. I think they do, but they do not have the spine, the capacity or the will to actually deliver upon it. For their expenditure they had a target of two per cent growth, and what actually was it during the entire year of the Labor Party? It was 3.6 per cent growth. And what did they lock into the forward estimates frequently through legislation? Six per cent growth. What is more, now that they are in opposition, as the coalition are trying again to fix a budget mess which the Labor Party has left, what do the Labor Party do? It blocks every single measure and not just the measures that we announced before the election and are trying to put through but the measures which they themselves had announced, had locked into their budget, but had not legislated to bring those savings into effect.

When we were actually trying to legislate to bring into effect those savings that the Labor Party had proposed, what do you think the Labor Party did? They opposed it. They opposed their own savings. They are not fair dinkum at all about getting back to surplus. They no longer even talk about it. I believe there are some sensible people who still understand the importance of running budget surpluses, who still understand the importance of getting control of the overall debt of Labor. They understand, as we do, deep in our veins, that debt today is put on to future generations, who will have to pay it back. We understand that it is intergenerational theft to be running up massive budget deficits today and that it is our future children and grandchildren who will be paying it back. We understand, deeply in the marrow of our bones, that you cannot continue to spend more than you earn, otherwise you will follow countries that we have seen in Europe, where they continue to spend more and more and more above what they are earning. Look at what happened to them. We are the responsible side of this parliament. We are the ones that understand that you must live within your means when it comes to budgetary policy. Labor, I think, sometimes do understand that, but just do not have the ticker to deliver.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think what you see in the previous speaker is the perfect illustration of the reason that we had to have this matter of public importance debate today, because what we have heard on the one hand from the Prime Minister is, 'I am humbled,' 'I have listened,' 'I have learned,' 'I will change my ways,' 'Please forgive me,' 'Give me another chance,' 'Another six months,' 'Hold Malcolm back for a little while yet' and 'Hold ScoMo and Julie Bishop off for a little while yet.' But what we see is that there is no—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, a point of order. Would the member for Sydney refer to honourable members by their titles.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to refer—

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the future Prime Minister, his majesty of Wentworth, for the intervention!

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a fault on both sides of the House, I acknowledge, and it should be learned by both sides.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What you see is the reason for this matter of public importance. You have got a Prime Minister who is desperately trying to convince people that something has changed and that it is all going to be different from now on—since the 16 or 17 months we have had, where no Australian felt better off, where every Australian felt under attack by this government's policies—because today is the first day of good government.

We have the Prime Minister saying on 9 February, 'I have listened,' 'I have learned,' 'I have changed' and 'The government will change with me.' Then you have the previous member saying: 'Hang on a minute. We still are committed to all the cuts that people find so unpalatable.' You have got the member for Wentworth saying, 'Of course I support unreservedly and wholeheartedly every element of the budget.' You have got the Treasurer on 7.30 last night to Leigh Sales, when asked whether he will persist with policies like the GP tax, the $100,000 university degrees and pension cuts, saying, 'We are because we have no choice.' You have got the Minister for Foreign Affairs saying yesterday that the whole cabinet has to take responsibility for the budget.

You have the whole of the leadership of the Liberal Party—as competitive as they are with one another, undermining as they are with one another—agree on this one fundamental fact: the cuts stay. The $100,000 university degrees stay, the GP tax stays, the billion dollar cut to child care stays and the cuts to the age pension stay. Frankly, that does not sound like a government that has learnt its lesson. It does not sound like a Prime Minister who has learnt his lesson. It does not sound like any real change, sadly, for the Australian families that are suffering cuts of up to $6,000 on an income of $65,000. It does not sound like real change to me.

Perhaps the best illustration of this, other than backing in this toxic budget, is the shambles we have seen over the last few days in determining whether Australia's future submarines would be built in Adelaide, as the government clearly promised before the election, or whether they are going to be built somewhere else. We had a classic answer from the Prime Minister today in which he not only claimed that under Labor the submarines would be built in North Korea but also said they would be built by a dead man. I think Kim Jong-il has been gone for a while now, so he really jumped the shark on that one!

But here we have a submarine promise very clearly made before the last election to the people of South Australia: they will be built here, and the jobs that come with them will be South Australian jobs. Then there was some sort of arrangement—we are not clear what, because the Prime Minister clearly refused to answer the question today—made with Japan, an arrangement that the Australian people are not to be party to. Then we had, on Friday, some promise made to Senator Edwards. Again, it is not clear what the promise was, because we had two such clearly different accounts, one from Senator Edwards, saying, 'Absolutely I was told that there would be a tender process and that South Australian workers would potentially get work from this' and one from the Prime Minister, saying, 'Oh, no; I never said anything like that.' This is a broken promise about a broken promise about a broken promise. We have had three completely different promises about where these submarines would be built, and it looks like all of them now will be broken. The tragic thing about all this, of course, is that the people who always suffer at the end of the day are ordinary working Australians. They have a government in chaos. They have frontbenchers undermining each other, all lobbying for the top job. And we see education expenses going up, health cuts, pension cuts—all of the things that this government promised they would not do.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In March 2008 the Leader of the Opposition gave, I think, his most memorable quote. Words fail me. I wish he had said this a few more times since then, because, as we have seen again today, the opposition leader is not short on opening his mouth. The pity is that we cannot harness what comes out of his mouth, because I am sure if we could we would send the first hot-air balloon to the moon. Let's look at today's MPI, where he has been preaching about listening, learning and changing. Let's talk about changing. Over here, we saw, on your side, that you had done nothing when it came to opening access to overseas markets—absolutely nothing. If anything, it went the other way. What did we do when we came in? We changed that: free trade agreements with South Korea, Japan and China in the space of 12 months. That is real change. That is a change compared with those opposite, who sat on their hands doing nothing, to provide a future for this nation, a future in a globalised world, a future when our exports need to access markets at the most competitive rate possible. And it is our goods and our services that need to access these markets in a globally competitive way, because, if they do not, we are shackling our economy. And just remember: in six years, you did nothing, yet we have brought about real change in this area.

And then there is listening, and sadly you have failed to listen on that side. That is why you want to bring back the carbon tax, before there is any type of international agreement in this area, once again hurting our competitiveness. And you do not care. You sit there and you are happy for us to become an average country. You do not have a vision for where we want to be as a nation. You have no vision. All you want to look after are your own particular interest groups. Yet what do we want to do? We want to make sure that every industry, every family, every worker has a future in this country.

And let's have a look at another area which Mr Blowhard, the Leader of the Opposition, has been rambling on about—Mr Blowhard—and it goes to living within our means. What are you proposing in order to deal with the fact that we are spending $100 million more each day? What are you proposing for us to deal with this? Absolutely nothing; some three-word slogan, 'go for growth'. But seriously, we are robbing future generations unless we deal with this—$100 million each day; we are spending more than we are earning. Yet you sit over there, oblivious to this fact, offering not one solution to this problem. It is about time you all collectively had a good, hard look at yourselves—have a look at the real leadership required to take this nation forward, because you are offering absolutely nothing. Don't come in here and lecture us on listening, learning and delivering, because in government you failed on this, and in opposition you are failing again. We have a vision, we have a plan for this nation's future. Let us get on and deliver it.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think this matter of public importance has become even more important as we hear speaker after speaker not changing tack on the opposite side of the House. They are committed—absolutely committed—to their unfair budget. And whatever the Prime Minister says to get votes on that side of the House—that he has changed, that he has learnt, that he has listened—obviously those speaking on the MPI did not get the speaking points. Or, what I think is more likely to be true is that they have not learnt or listened and certainly have not changed. The parliamentary secretary said that there have been extraordinary events this week and indeed that they had probably had a better week. I would have to say that that is something that I do agree with the parliamentary secretary on: the government could have had a better week.

Of course, if they were to do what the Australian people want them to do—that is, drop their unfair budget—that would be a true sign that they had listened, learnt and changed. But, of course, we do not have that. We have every single member of the cabinet saying that they are backing the GP tax, we have every single member of the cabinet saying that they agree with $100,000 degrees, we have every single member of the cabinet saying, 'Yes, we should cut the pension,' and we have every single member of the saying that they believe that we should cut the SBS and the ABC. Not only do we have every member of the cabinet saying this; we seem to have every member of the backbench saying this. They certainly were not saying this last weekend. In fact, 39 of them were obviously so upset about this. But today we have seen that the government has not changed its spots. It still continues to pursue an unfair budget that the Australian people did not vote for at the last election. Indeed, the reason why we see this unfair budget here today and why the government will not change their course is that they have not listened. They have not listened, have not changed and have not learnt.

Indeed, we know that this unfair budget is deeply unpopular in the Australian community and, indeed, deeply unpopular in the Senate. We have heard speaker after speaker get up and say, 'It's been a bad week, but we will continue to pursue it.' Indeed, we have heard even more than that. We have heard those on the opposite side say: 'It's everyone else's fault we're not popular. It's the Labor's Party's fault we're not popular. It's the Australian people's fault we're not popular. It's the Senate's fault we're not popular.' Let us give those on the opposite side the news that actually they have to change. It is not the Senate that has to change, it is not the Australian people that have to change, and it is not the Labor Party that has to change. We are standing up for people. We are standing up against the government's broken promises and giving people a voice in this place. If the Prime Minister really wants to ensure that his position is protected over the next month, two months, three months or six months then, really, what we need to see is him abandon this unfair budget and these unfair changes.

Of course, the other promise that the Prime Minister made this week was that he was going to start providing an adult government; he was going to end the chaos and start providing stable government. We know that that has not been the case previously, but he said that he had turned over a new leaf. Then we saw the debacle of the submarine decision. We have seen clearly today that the Prime Minister is going to have two choices: he is going to have to break his promise to Prime Minister Abe or break his promise to the Australian people. So someone is going to be bitterly disappointed, and I am extremely concerned that it will be the Australian people that miss out, and South Australians in particular. Poor Senator Edwards—I do not say that lightly; Senator Edwards obviously believed in good faith that the Prime Minister had struck a deal with him to ensure his leadership—was led down a garden path. He was absolutely tricked. Now we have seen that the Prime Minister has not only broken all the promises that he made before the election but also, within one or two days, broken the promise that he made to Senator Edwards. This is an appalling, chaotic way to run what is a critically important project for South Australia. If the government really have listened, learnt and changed, we will see these submarines built in South Australia, but I doubt that will happen.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to make a contribution to today's MPI on the subject of listening, learning and changing. At the start, what needs to be recognised by the debt and deficit deniers on the other side of the chamber is that the federal Treasury is currently having to borrow $100 million every single day of the year. Our excess spending is $100 million a day. Close to $40 million of that is the interest payment on this previous Labor government's debt.

What does the Leader of the Opposition suggest that we should do about this? I quote from his recent appearance on the ABC's 7.30. He said:

… we've got to go for growth. And the way you go for growth is you spend money … what I'm spelling out is our direction for the future.

That is, spending money. So, if we are going to learn, for a good place to start I say that we should go back to the time of the Great Depression and to the words of US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau. In 1939, when the US had been through seven years of high unemployment and when the US had continued to run budget deficit after budget deficit, Morgenthau said:

No, gentlemen, we have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong, as far as I am concerned, somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat.

…      …   …

I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started.

…      …   …

And an enormous debt to boot!

He went on:

… what are we going to do about it?

He also said:

… the biggest deterrent of all … is that the country does not know when the end is in sight and this unbalancing of the budget …

That is the biggest deterrent of all. We cannot continue to borrow $100 million every day indefinitely.

While we are on the subject of listening, learning and changing, I would like to quote from today's editorial in The Daily Telegraph headed 'Bill Shorten an economic Pontius Pilate':

He was at it again during Question Time on Monday. "You are an extreme government motivated by an extreme ideology,” Shorten railed, looking like a furious, slightly less orange Oompa Loompa.

It goes on:

… he could perhaps use some remedial … education. It is by no means extreme to seek a balanced budget or to aim for a budget surplus.

It goes on:

This from the man who was a key player in the knifing of the last two Labor prime ministers.

…   …   …

Abattoir workers have less blood on their hands after a 12-hour shift slaughtering haemophiliac cattle.

It concludes:

The next time Bill Shorten wants to discuss social justice and unfairness, he ought to first consider his own actions. He should also consider the damage committed against future generations of Australians by his Pontius Pilate-like, cynical refusal to assist the government in reducing our national debt …

That was today's editorial from The Daily Telegraph.

One of the great philosophers of our time, Edmund Burke, talked about the contract between generations. He described it as:

… a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.

This opposition is simply proposing a plan to allow today's voters to live at the expense of those who are too young to vote or those who are to be born.

Mr Mitchell interjecting—

This is the tragedy of what this government is doing. You are engaged in intergenerational theft against the future kids and grandkids of our nation. You are an absolute disgrace.

On the subject of listening, learning and changing, we know what happens should this Labor Party ever get back into power. They will bring back the carbon tax as sure as night follows day. They will be weak on border protection. We saw 800 boats, 50,000 arrivals, an $11 billion blow-out in costs and over 1,000 deaths at sea. They will bring those policies back, and we will see bigger and bigger debt and a continual intergenerational theft against our children and grandchildren. You lot are an absolute disgrace. (Time expired)

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a disgraceful performance to be talking about stillborn babies.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I am calling the member for McEwen.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is embarrassing for the government to have to put up someone who talks about robbing from stillborn babies. What an absolute disgrace. It shows just how low this government is. This government came to power with the promise it would be an adult government, it would be a better government, and what did it do? It broke every promise it made—every single promise. No cuts to health—broken. No changes to pension—broken. They wanted to go out and get young people under the age of 30 and make them wait six months after they lose a job that could be in the automotive manufacturing industry, which this government closed with its ham-fisted approach, causing a great rise in unemployment in places like Victoria and Brisbane, where manufacturing was a key part of our success. Then you get the creodont over there who says, 'Oh, if it wasn't for Tony, we wouldn't have low petrol prices.' What an absolute blockhead to sit there and say the Prime Minister is the reason we have low petrol prices.

They also came out in their first term of government—in the first session—and what did they do? They went over there, did their little deal with the Greens and removed the debt ceiling in this country. We do not know day to day how much debt this country is in, because they did a little side deal and took it off the books. They could not be open and honest. We had a debt ceiling and would have to come in and actually explain to the parliament what we were getting money for, but what did they do? They removed that.

This week we have seen the extraordinarily repentant member for Warringah. Every day he is like he is in a confessional box at the party room—'I repent my sins; I will change'—and he comes out and does exactly the same thing. Nothing has changed, and people see through that. People know that nothing has changed with this Prime Minister. He has always been just a brawler. That is all he has ever done; that is all he will ever do. The country needs leadership.

Ms Claydon interjecting—

Well, we have the shadow boxer sitting down at the front bench over there in the member for Wentworth, who, when it came to the crunch, did not have the guts to stand up to the Prime Minister. He will never have the guts to run this country.

But we have seen this week in and out all the little dealings and side dealings done, people flipping sides—and all we have seen constantly is the same rhetoric from those opposite, constantly talking about the same things. They support a GP tax. They sit there and say, 'Medicare is unsustainable,' but not one cent goes to Medicare. So how do you make it sustainable by not putting more money in it? You have actually doubled the debt and you sit there and talk about borrowing money. Seriously, Craig; mate, try to read what you have said and what you have done.

The difference between us and those in the government is that we actually stand up for Australian families. We stand and make sure people can get jobs, get to see a doctor when they need it, get their kids the opportunity to go to school without being forced to carry a $100,000 on their backs as they go out in the world and start their lives. We actually go out and support industries to make sure jobs are there and the jobs are sustainable.

The first thing you did this year after you hit control-alt-delete for the third time—'We're gonna reboot; we're gonna reboot'—is come out and have this inquiry into removing the minimum wage and taking away penalty rates. And what does the member for Warringah come out and say? He comes out and says, 'Well, if you don't want to work weekends, you don't have to.' There are many people—people about whom those opposite obviously have no care—like police—

Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm in a marginal seat, mate; seven days a week!

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, you don't have to work if you don't want to work! That was the key that your boss said. And there were many ambulance officers, nurses and people like that who have to work weekends—many young people who started out in jobs as baristas, waiters and that sort who have to work weekends. They do not get a choice. But, because that lot over there are so far out of touch, they do not realise this. They just think everything is rosy. But these young people who work those jobs and the people who work in our hospitals, police and emergency services and defence personnel—are we going to go to war and say: 'Listen boys. It's five o'clock. Sorry, got to knock off; we're not working weekends.' That is the stupidity of the bloke who is running this country, and that is why Australians see through it. That is why each and every day, without fail, you see his numbers drop. Only Labor will stand up for this country for our future. (Time expired)

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where to start on that I do not know, but it was fascinating to hear the member for McEwen's views on the debt ceiling. It is obvious he has a PhD in economics. If the member for Hughes is a creodont then you are a quagga, if I may put it to you that way, member for McEwen.

I am known for my controversial views and my outspokenness. But I want to say to my colleagues that I do not think I am being controversial or outspoken when I say this could be the worst MPI in the history of federation; I think it is probably so. This is, perhaps, a complete joke that the Labor Party has put forward to us today, considering they are talking about listening and learning. At two elections now they have failed to learn or to listen to the Australian people give the clear signal they have been trying to give—that the opposition are completely out of touch with Australian people.

There is no greater sign of that than the Leader of the Opposition who wants to return us to carbon pricing—even though on two occasions, at two elections, the Australian people have said, 'Not before the rest of the world and not in our time.' Not listening and not learning—you should get a medal for it! You really should, because your lessons have not been learnt. When I hear the Leader of the Opposition tell us that his plan, his program, his policy and his way forward is to go for growth, I wonder who you have been listening to and who you have been learning from. We listened to the Australian people and we learned that 'go for growth' is really not a great slogan to win an election with. I would encourage the Labor Party to stick with 'go for growth'. 'Go for growth' should be your next election slogan. Give it a run and see how it goes with the Australian people.

The reality is we have a very serious situation put before us by the Labor Party. The Labor Party has left Australians with $100 million in interest to be paid on debt every single day. They have left us with a reform legacy that would challenge any competent government. There is so much reform this country needs which has been squibbed on by Labor, including important procurement and defence decisions like submarines. How dare they lecture us about making tough decisions on submarines when they squibbed on them for six years! How dare they tell us that we refuse to make a decision about a capability gap in one of our most important procurements for Defence in the last 100 years! That decision was extremely important. You were incapable of making it. Tell that to the workers you brought here today from Adelaide—tell them that you could not make it. You had six years of government to get their contracts for them and you refused to make that decision. Go and tell them that. Go and tell them you are incapable of making those decisions. You simply could not do it because your governments were so dysfunctional. One hundred million dollars a day—it is a deficit and debt crisis.

The Labor Party's answer is that we do not have a debt or deficit problem. Their response is that there is no problem: 'Why do we have a problem? What are the problems? There is no problem.' They say we can just continue to spend in the manner they did when they were in office, which was to throw other people's money away as if there was no tomorrow.

It is clear this MPI is a complete joke because the Labor Party has refused to learn the lessons of its time in office. The lessons are: you cannot spend away tomorrow today; you cannot simply borrow—not just to fund big and important items, but the daily activities of government as well; you cannot just borrow every day to fund every single activity you wish to undertake. You have to have a reasonable and appropriate approach to economic expenditure and ensure you can fund your bills. It is good to see the Minister for Communications at the table because the NBN is one of the worst examples of a government simply having no idea how they could possibly fund a massive enterprise. You could ask the Labor Party, 'Where was the modelling for the NBN?'. They ask us every day, 'Where is your modelling? Where is your modelling for this? Where is your modelling for that?' Where was their modelling for the NBN—the mooted NBN—which was the single biggest item of expenditure by a federal government in the history of the federal government? There was no modelling done or undertaken and no modelling provided to the Australian people. That is the lesson that has simply not been learnt by the Australian Labor Party.

This MPI is a complete and utter joke. Australians do not want this parliament engaged in Canberra insider games, discussing these matters endlessly back and forwards. This is a government that is working hard to deliver for families—working on jobs, working on the economy and working on reining in the debt and deficit legacy that has been left to us by the most incompetent government in our history. We will continue to work hard on meeting that challenge.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have no doubt the members opposite are uncomfortable with this debate and do not wish to have this debate today. Indeed, the member for Mitchell declares his weariness and his boredom at today's MPI debate because we again have to draw attention to the Abbott government's failure to listen, learn and change. It is the worst debate ever, he insists. Well, that reflects the worst government performance ever. It is members on this side of the House, like many members of our community, who have to, on a daily basis, reflect on your broken promises—the broken promises this Prime Minister continues to add to on a day-by-day basis.

Today, however, I want to start by reminding members opposite of the words of your Prime Minister on the night that he was elected:

I now look forward to forming a government that is competent, that is trustworthy, and which purposely and steadfastly and methodically sets about delivering on our commitments to you, the Australian people.

Prime Minister, you have failed the Australian people. You have failed to form a government that is competent; you have failed to form a government that is trustworthy; and you have most definitely failed to act purposefully, steadfastly or methodically to deliver on your pre-election promises. Despite these obvious failures and, indeed, many others, you continue to let the Australian people down as you fail to listen, learn and change. You have shut your doors, switched off the phones and failed to listen to the voicemail messages. Your promise to listen to your backbench is not enough. You need to listen to the Australian people and you need to change tack.

Community groups, service providers and advocacy groups in my electorate of Newcastle, which rely on government funding to deliver vital community services, have been completely shut out of the discussions here. They have tried writing letters and they have tried being polite to you; now they are having to scream from the rooftops to get your attention and let you know just how cruel these cuts are, what changes the cuts are forcing upon them and how hard these changes are hitting our community. The levels of uncertainty and the ongoing limbo you leave them in is pushing them all to breaking point.

From our homeless organisations to Indigenous health, our legal service providers, our GPs, the Hunter Medicare Local, the University of Newcastle, our shipbuilders at Forgacs in Newcastle—all of these organisations and service providers cannot wait any longer for you to get your house in order. They cannot afford to keep waiting for the Prime Minister and this government to get back to the job of governing.

There is plenty of action from the Prime Minister when it is his job on the line, but they are not so worried about the hundreds of other jobs in my electorate—and in plenty of others—who are also faced with their jobs on the line. These are the jobs of hardworking Australian men and women. You need to listen and you need to act. They need the certainty. They need you to make right decisions for Newcastle and the broader Australian community.

The Australian people are firmly telling you that they do not like what you are doing and they do not trust you. They are not satisfied with your performance, because you are not listening; you are completely out of touch. It is truly astonishing that in 16 months you have become so completely and utterly out of touch with the Australian people you purport to represent.

The Member for Wentworth confirmed yesterday in question time that it is not just the Prime Minister who has his fingers jammed firmly in his ears, it is the entire government that cannot listen. The Minister for Communications—the man who is putting himself forward, albeit in a shadowy way, as the alternative leader of the government—said in question time, 'Of course every single member of the government supported every element in the budget; of course. We are a united government.' The nation erupted in laughter.

The Finance Minister, Senator Mathias Cormann, confirmed how out of touch the government is when he said on the weekend, 'No minister has ever said to me that this budget is unfair.' (Time expired)

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am also very pleased to speak on this rather unusual matter of public importance and very pleased to talk about this government and how it is undertaking the listening, learning and implementing of change from Australia so that we can turn around the mess created by those opposite and their abysmal social and economic mismanagement.

Those opposite raised this matter today: the need to listen, the need to learn and the need to change. Those opposite have graciously—at long last—publicly acknowledged the need to do just that, to change the financial downward slope that our government inherited from the dark days of the incompetent Labor system of mismanagement.

I thank those opposite for drawing attention to their own shortcomings, of the need for our government to step in and make changes to preserve the outgoing financial tide and to pick up the pieces for the Australian people. As a government we inherited from Labor an appalling financial situation just 15 months ago. We learnt that major systemic changes will be required to reverse the downward spiral, to reverse the debt that Labor created, to repair and recalibrate the NBN and education, to rebuild our international reputation to revive trade, to stop the boats—the list goes on.

Those opposite have noted that our government is moving carefully, with a plan, and its eye firmly focused on the endgame. We shall not be distracted as we make incremental changes based on an informed plan, not based on fast-fire quick fixes. Yes, our government has learnt from the blunders of Labor. Our government has learnt that the way Labor tried to govern was without a plan and without listening; however, Labor certainly did introduce change, there is no denying that—and each Labor change led from one calamity to another. There is a very long list. I will give a couple of examples: their poorly thought out and expensive mining tax; Labor's total mismanagement of maritime arrivals—Labor's boat policy was 'Let them come in; the water is fine;' and who can forget the pink batts debacle?

Yes, we have learnt from Labor. We have learnt what not to do. Those opposite had to learn the hard way. They went down in a screaming heap when the people of Australia told them loud and clear that they had mismanaged the country and our reputation throughout the world. They were not listening. They were out of touch with voters and they were not making changes that would see them turn the tide of driving the country right to the wall.

This week, we move into a new parliamentary year. It is true that the summer break has provided more time for members to reflect, listen, learn and consider the government's plans to rebuild the nation. These plans and major changes must be borne out in our policy and legislative timetable. Our government's change agenda must be underpinned by a sound budget and debt position. All of Australia knows this and they are tired of hearing it. That is what I have heard from my constituents. But they want us to get on with it: stick with the planned changes, hold our nerve and get the budget and debt under control.

This week we debate another major systemic change regarding higher education. The successful passage of the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill 2014 will lead to great changes and benefits for students in the bush—who I am particularly interested in—but also to the city. For those who can take a long-term view, there will be paybacks for the Australian nation. We will be making possible the world-class education that Australian students need and deserve, opening up higher education to those from lower socioeconomic—

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. The honourable member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.