Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure what the Greens thought, although Senator Ludlum seems to suggest he did not think much of it. The government knocked it instead of engaging in a positive debate about the future of Australia, something that the public out there want us politicians to do, as a class. It is the one thing they really want from us. This was where the Prime Minister began the year. By nominating the election date the Prime Minister was saying, 'Let's have a debate about policies and positive matters and we can have the politicking towards the end of that time, in the run up to 14 September.' So we get this relentless knocking of our views for developing Northern Australia.

What is wrong with having a vision about how we develop this country, particularly those parts of this country which are relatively less populous and have a potential to be developed? Admittedly, elements of the environment there are fragile, but that is why you get the best brains in the country thinking about how we develop regions like that. Also, following the northern Australia policy, we had the dams and water policy, again released as a draft discussion paper, which went to our policy around water and water storage across the country. All these are very positive ideas that Mr Robb in the other House and others have been formulating for some time, but what did we hear from the government? Relentless negativity. Whenever an idea comes from another side of politics, they just knock it. They do not want to have a fair dinkum policy debate.

It goes to the heart of how this government sees itself. This government puts its faith in government. Kevin Rudd talks about putting government at the centre of the economy—it was in his maiden speech. At the height of the global financial crisis, which Senator Furner talked about, to Kevin Rudd that was an opportunity to put government at the centre of the economy. The coalition puts workers, entrepreneurs and investors at the centre of the economy. They are the ones who take the risks and do the work and they should be incentivised to work, to save and to invest. That is a very positive outlook. That is positive faith in your fellow man—that, given responsibility and given incentivisation, individuals, communities and businesses will thrive. No-one is truly free unless they are able to exercise choice and personal responsibility. That is a positive vision. The idea that you have to have government looking over your shoulder the whole time, telling you what to do, is the nanny state—that is paternalism; that is a relentlessly negative view of human nature. You have to be optimistic about the human condition and the capacity of people to do the right thing if you put your faith in them. I see Senator Ludlam nodding at that.