Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 46th Parliament resumes for me on my feet in the chamber today, across from the third-term Liberal-National government, who you would have thought by now would have found their groove and would have had a good, hard look at what this country needs—not an unreasonable assumption after six years in government. But what do we have? Do we have that? Do we have policies? No. Are we dealing this week with the legislation to act on the banking royal commission's recommendations? No. Are we dealing with the payday lenders legislation? No. Are we dealing with action to increase wages? No. Are we dealing with ways to address homelessness in our suburbs? No. Are we dealing with underemployment and casualisation? No. All we've got from this government is slogans. 'The best form of welfare is a job,' they say. 'If you have a go, you get a go,' they say. Well, from this side of the House to that side of the House: get up and have a go yourselves before you tell the rest of Australia what to do. In Victoria, the state government is driving infrastructure funding and big building is driving jobs growth, not this federal government. In six years, they have left all of the heavy lifting to a state Labor government. What we're getting from this government is cliche after cliche. When those opposite have a go at being a responsible government, those on this side will give them a go. (Time expired)