Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to address the very important matter of public importance—the failure of the Rudd Labor government to ensure the adequate provision of health services and road infrastructure for regional communities. More than seven million Australians live outside our capital cities and major metropolitan areas, and they are suffering at the hands of a dithering Rudd Labor government. They are suffering because of the continuing failure of health services in regional communities and they are suffering because of a lack of decent road infrastructure. That same Labor Party talked very tough when they were in opposition about getting things done on a whole range of issues if they formed government. They talked about it constantly during the campaign running up to the election. They talked about working together with the state Labor governments. Over and over, we continually heard about how well they, federal Labor, would be working with the state Labor governments. But what have we seen to date? Nada—absolutely nothing.

I am indebted to my colleague Senator Ronaldson for his very insightful media release of last week entitled ‘Kevin 07 and Kevin 08—a tale of two Rudds’. Australians heard Kevin Rudd say in the lead-up to last year’s federal election that he would ‘end the blame game’, that he would deliver ‘fresh ideas’ and that—everyone would remember this one—‘The buck stops with me.’ In the nine months before the election Mr Rudd said he would ‘end the blame game’ 146 times. But, surprisingly, since the election, what have we heard? We have heard him use that phrase a mere 36 times. When he said he would end the blame game, he was talking about being able to work with state Labor governments. He has used that phrase only 36 times since the election. ‘Fresh ideas’ he said 87 times leading up to the election. Guess what: he has used that phrase only seven times since the election. I am sure my colleagues will support me in saying that the phrase ‘the buck stops with me’ was heard 31 times before the election. How many times has the Prime Minister used that phrase since? Just once. The Prime Minister that we now have said in the run-up to the election, ‘The buck stops with me,’ and that he would be taking responsibility for things like hospitals and roads in the bush, but we have seen absolutely nothing.