Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I am debating Senator Cameron's comments. It is not the way I would usually like to debate this because it is filled with personal invective and that is not me. But if they lead with their chin, they will get it back double.

I sought the protection of the chair. Senator Cameron was trying to kill me with laughter when saying that Peter Costello was not a good Treasurer. Peter Costello left this country $60 billion in credit and turned a $96 billion deficit left by the last Labor govern­ment into this $60 billion credit over a space of 11 years. Senator Cameron says he was a hopeless Treasurer, that Wayne Swan is a beauty. Not only has Wayne Swan spent the $60 billion; he has given us deficits every year he has been Treasurer. We now have a total debt in the vicinity of $150 billion, increasing by millions of dollars each day. To suggest that Peter Costello was an eco­nomic illiterate just does not deserve any further comment.

This bill tries to put some financial responsibility on this totally irresponsible goverment, a government that is irrespon­sible generally but particularly irresponsible when it comes to financial management. Senator Ludlam, you can do a cost-benefit analysis. The Productivity Commission and Infrastructure Australia do it every day of the week. What Senator Ludlam and Senator Cameron and their mates in the Greens and the Labor Party do not want to be demon­strated to the Australian public yet again is that this government is totally incompetent and corrupt when it comes to financial management. The proper analysis that this bill calls for would even more clearly show to the Australian public that this NBN is a financial white elephant.

I conclude by repeating, as I will continue to repeat, that had the coalition proceeded with its plans in 2007 Australia would have had a very fast broadband network up and running today. We still would not be, as we are under Labor, thrashing around trying to put all the pieces in place after the event in getting this white elephant on the way. This is a good bill. It deserves support. Clearly with the Greens and the Labor Party yet again getting together, it is going to struggle to get through. But notwithstanding that I would hope that some of the Labor senators would see the sense and vote for the bill. (Time expired)