Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take that interjection, Senator Cameron. No is an easy position to take when you have nothing to provide, nothing to put forward. The Australian Labor Party stands for working-class people, and that is our background. We stand for working families: we care for them and we are prepared to assist them in times of need. I accept the fact that those opposite built up a surplus, but they squandered the benefits of that surplus by not spending at times when it was needed. We had to stimulate the economy and that is why we injected billions into school buildings and halls. I have seen schools that were desperately lacking in resources and it was only a Labor federal government that was prepared to put money into a system so depleted by a coalition government.

Let us go back to that period of time when the opposition did not want road and rail infrastructure—as happened with the Queensland flood levy. Once again they wanted to sit on their hands and do nothing. The stimulus package amounted to $42 billion in infrastructure, and along with that we provided stimulus into the economy through a $900 bonus, which stimulated the retail sector. We looked at all facets and all areas where people were in need, and in some circumstances, like the retail sector, they survived as a result of those injections of money into the economy. People went out and spent that money and stimulated the economy.

The Building the Education Revolution injected $16.2 billion into school halls, libraries and science centres. On just about every occasion those buildings are opened—in some cases there are three in a day—the principals, P&C presidents and mums and dads say, ‘Go back to the Prime Minister, go back to Senator Evans, and tell them how grateful we are that a Labor government stimulated the economy and provided these halls, science centres and libraries for us! They are something we would never have had, had it not been for a Labor government.’ That is gospel—they are so grateful to have received those buildings. I will rattle off a few of those: Dayboro State School received $2.65 million, Lawnton State School received $2.12 million, Chevallum State School, on the Sunshine Coast, received $2.65 million and so on.

It is amazing to see a matter of public importance like this which claims that we have no appreciation or understanding of the cost-of-living pressures facing Australian families. We do know what affects working families. We do know how to treat them and how to inject money in areas where it is appropriate. We will continue to prosecute that understanding in our carbon price. Conversely, the opposition claims they want to handle the carbon price by rolling it back. How irresponsible is that measure? Let us consider that. Mr Hockey said:

We will repeal the carbon tax and there will be no need for compensation, so we will unwind the compensation because you don’t need to have compensation if you have no carbon tax.

That demonstrates their incompetence and their irresponsibility. Should they ever, let us hope they do not, end up in government and be in a position to turn back—