Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is important to pay close attention to what we have heard from the Labor Party opposition this afternoon. We have heard two things. The first thing we have heard is that the National Commission of Audit cannot be trusted, that somehow it has a secret plan to reduce waste in our economy. The second thing we have heard is that somehow the coalition government cannot be trusted when it comes to cuts to science and specifically when it comes to the CSIRO.

Let me just take Labor opposition senators back in time a little bit to May 2008. Senator Dastyari was not in the Senate in May 2008, so I might just read for Senator Dastyari some comments that were reported in the Australian Financial Review about the former government's cuts to science, cuts to the CSIRO. The Australian Financial Review on 22 May 2008 report starts by saying, 'CSIRO's chief executive, Geoff Garrett, has warned that the organisation's research effort will suffer as it shuts laboratories and loses a hundred staff as a result of a reduction in its budget funding of $63 million over four years.' Let us think about that. In May 2008, who was the government? You might want to forget that it was former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd—

Senator Dastyari interjecting—

I think, Senator Dastyari, you might have been the national secretary of the New South Wales Labor Party at the time. That is a debate for another time.

This is a lonely moment for members of the Australian Labor Party, and this brings me back to the National Commission of Audit. You will hear Labor senators and others say that the National Commission of Audit is a bad thing. But in January this year who was it who came out and said that the National Commission of Audit was necessary to correct the budget crisis that we find ourselves in? It was none other than former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, and his comments were endorsed by former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke. It is a very, very lonely time for people in the Australian Labor Party at the moment.

Let me just add to that: this is probably an excellent opportunity for Labor senators to familiarise themselves with the important work that you must start to do to rebuild credibility in the electorate.

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Senator Bilyk, I do not want to reflect on the results in Tasmania here at the moment—