John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This afternoon we debate a matter of public importance claiming that the government of this country does not act in the national interest and the Prime Minister leads without integrity. These claims are as extreme as they are false. Of course, we know that the current federal opposition is the most negative in our history. This is the most negative federal opposition we have seen since Federation 110 years ago. In fact, the current federal opposition has no peer in Australian political history for gilding the lily. It has no peer for hyperbole and histrionics. Its words, I think, are cheap. Its senatorial snake-oil salesmen are cheapened by proposing a matter of public importance like this, using such intemperate and exaggerated language. I am reminded of the words of the eminent American reformer and author John William Gardner, who, in his famous book No Easy Victories, said:

Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all.

He wrote those words in 1968 but, equally, they could have been said about the Liberal Party of Australia of 2011, when it proposes a matter of public importance like this for debate in the Senate today. In my view, the government has shown integrity and the ability to act in the national interest, and it has done so when circumstances are difficult and at a time when driving reform has been unpopular. Australia is confronted with a number of challenges: the challenge of dealing with climate change, the challenge of an ageing population and a decreasing tax base, the challenge of modernising our communications infrastructure so that we remain globally competitive. Meeting these and other challenges does require a government to act in the national interest. Acting in the national interest is not just about telling people what they want to hear to belittle debate around important issues with platitudes and abuse; it is to speak and act while conscious that the need to ensure a vibrant, strong and competitive future for our nation will at times necessitate the courage to undertake reform—and at times that reform can be unpopular—and to make decisions that at times are controversial.

For the first time in our history, Australia will have a carbon price. This has been a long and at times bitter process but it is one that is integral to our national interest. The planet is warming and we must take action. The legislation that we passed today in the Senate ensures that our nation's economic and environmental interests remain secure. On the driest continent on earth, one that is renowned already for its droughts and flooding rains, this legislation points the way to addressing the impacts of climate change. It is integral to our national interest. It also carries on the tradition of Australia being a responsible global citizen.

The national interest requires that the Australian government act to deliver affordable, high-speed broadband to all Australians and Australian businesses no matter where they live and to do it through the National Broadband Network. The NBN will mean better education, better health care and better access for Australian businesses to the biggest marketplace in human history.

The government has also shown it is willing to stand up to vested interests in the national interest. The minerals resource rent tax will mean all Australians benefit from the resources extracted from our soil. It will enable the government to raise the compulsory superannuation contribution from nine per cent to 12 per cent by 2020, and this is critical for the nation's future as our population ages and as the proportion of retirees compared to those of working age also increases. This reform will ensure that our nation's welfare burden remains manageable. It is prudent and it is a forward-thinking measure. It is in the national interest.

Also, in a period of continued global economic instability, Australia's economy remains strong and stable. The government has avoided the worst of the GFC and continues to chart a safe course during a time of relative instability. Nearly 750,000 jobs have been created since Labor came to office in 2007, and 120,400 more Australians are employed today than were 12 months ago.

Isn't it time for some support and acknowledgement for the efforts of the government by the opposition? Isn't it time for the opposition to break from its relentless negativity? You would never guess, Madam Acting Deputy President, that a few days ago the United Nations Human Development Index was made public and that we rank second to Norway in the world, out of 187 countries. Our citizens are amongst the most satisfied on earth. Our life expectancy is 82 years, just second in the world to Japan's. Australians scored first place in the world for non-income human development. Maybe, just maybe, the Liberals complain too much. Maybe, just maybe, Mr Abbott and his team could say something positive about Australia just for once. Maybe, just maybe, that would be in the national interest.