Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, people right around Australia are shaking their heads in bewilderment because the Prime Minister who wants to cut penalty rates has brought 150 parliamentarians into Canberra for a two-day working week. Well, you would do it if you were going to discuss the issues that the Australian people thought were core to the future of this nation. Issues like the $57 billion worth of cuts to hospitals in the health system, or the GP tax by stealth. Issues like the school funding arrangements, and the Prime Minister's plan to defund public schools and his refusal to fund the Gonski education program; or $100,000 university degrees—there is an issue worthy of debate! Issues like the $2 billion worth of cuts to TAFE and vocational education. Youth unemployment is a national disgrace: today there are about a quarter of a million young people who cannot find a job and who are not in work. There is the future of the steel industry, and the stubborn inability of this government and this minister to match Labor's bold and visionary plan for the future of the steel industry. Issues like homelessness: every night around 105,000 people are sleeping rough and without homes. And how about a royal commission into the banking and finance industry? Here are 10 issues. Sadly, they are not on the government's agenda and they are not on the parliament's agenda, but they well and truly should be!