David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to admit that when I first read the general business notice of motion ‘That the Senate notes the Rudd Labor government’s reckless spending’ I did actually think to myself, ‘Well, hats off to Senator Parry.’ ‘Hats off’ because he is, in his own manful way, trying to evacuate the Liberal Party back to what might be said to be its political high ground after it has spent several weeks languishing in division and languishing in farce as it has tried to come to terms with climate change, with the RET, with Utegate and with the antics of the Leader of the Opposition and our very own Inspector Clouseau, Senator Abetz. Senator Parry remembers that, once upon a time, economic credentials were a brand strength of the Liberal Party. Incredible as that might seem, one might say that economic credibility was a pre-Malcolm attribute of the coalition. This is why Senator Fifield talked to us about the 1990s, because he hearkens back to those glory days, those pre-Malcolm days, when economic credibility was a strength of the coalition.

So how appropriate it is that the opposition has sent in the undertaker, in the shape of Senator Parry, to exhume its economic credentials from the tomb in which the Leader of the Opposition has interred them. When we consider the travails and disasters that the coalition has inflicted upon itself over the last few months, it really is just as well that the coalition has an undertaker on hand and it is just about ready for his professional services.

As the Liberal Party now attempts to re-engage in the economic debate in this country, after having taken a policy sabbatical of several months, it is clear that the coalition still has a long and rocky road ahead of it. The opposition is not seeking to participate in the economic debate in a real way—in a real debate. It is not proposing to make a real contribution. It is not offering a plan to protect Australian jobs or Australian industries. Instead, it is attempting to mount a fear campaign. The opposition seeks to campaign on a fear about taxes, a fear about employment and a fear about interest rates. This week we have seen Mr Turnbull and his frontbench trying to beat up a fear campaign over the Henry review of taxation. Indeed, we have just heard Senator Fifield suggest that the GFC itself is part of a magnificent Labor conspiracy. Perhaps he will do us the honour of showing us the email where this spectacular fact is revealed.

Just as the pre-Malcolm Liberal Party once enjoyed strong economic management credentials, so too did it once have a strong track record of mounting successful fear campaigns. It used to be good at that too. Senator Parry and those opposite will fondly recall the politically devastating fear campaigns mounted by Prime Minister Howard on issues like interest rates, terrorists and immigrants. Alas, it now seems that, in a post-Malcolm Liberal Party, even a half decent fear campaign is beyond them.