David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a few comments about the benefits of the budget to Tasmania. But, before I do, I might just make a couple of comments on some of that which I have heard in this chamber while I have been waiting for my turn.

Senator Polley's comments demonstrated to me, and I think probably to any objective listener, that which was so evident from the speech which was delivered tonight by the Leader of the Opposition—and that is that Labor is in total denial and will not face up to the mess that they created and are totally unable to offer any solutions to fix that mess. Senator Polley mentioned in her speech the issue of aged care and the funding of it. Coincidentally, the amount of interest that the Australian government currently has to pay on the debt that arises as a legacy of the last six years under Labor is around $12 billion a year, every year, and that is only going to rise, in the absence of policy changes. As it turns out, that is almost exactly the same amount of money that we spend a year on aged care. So we could double the amount that we spend in this country on aged care if we did not have to pay the $12 billion a year interest on the debt that Labor accumulated.

As an economist, Senator Whish-Wilson should know that economics is all about the best use of scarce resources. For some reason he tried to divorce economies from people and nature. But the reality is that they are inherent in people and nature. Whether it is a hunter-gatherer society or a modern 21st century society, the economy arises when people look at the best ways of how to make use of scarce resources.

The fact is that getting the economy right means that we are making the best use of those resources for the benefit of those who comprise it. So you cannot divorce the economy from people and nature. It is an inherent part of people making use of resources, which are needed to survive.

On Tuesday night the coalition stood up as an adult government and delivered a necessary and responsible budget for Australia. After six years of reckless spending, debt and deficits from Labor the government has clearly and methodically laid out a plan to strengthen our economy and get the nation moving forward.

The coalition has delivered an honest budget that will move Tasmania forward, my home state. As I mentioned, the nation is currently borrowing $1 billion per month just to cover the interest on our existing borrowings. To break that down, Tasmanians are paying $30 million a month to pay Australia's interest bill. That is $360 million that Tasmanians have to pay a year that is realistically going down the drain. Six years of Labor has torn away at Tasmanian's future.

The coalition respects the taxpayer and wants to invest and build a strong and prosperous economy in my home state of Tasmania. That is why in the budget the government announced up to $1 billion in a raft of incentives and benefits for my state. Tasmania's unemployment rate is above the nation's average. The government believes that those who can work should be able to do so. Job growth in Tasmania is vital.

The Restart program announced by the government will provide up to $10,000 in federal assistance and will be available to individual employers who take on job seekers aged 50 or over. Restart will be available to all employers in conjunction with the Tasmanian Jobs Programme, which already provides a payment of up to $3,250 for businesses that employ job seekers who have been out of work for at least six months and who are at risk of long-term unemployment in full-time positions for at least six months.

Tasmanians will notice that infrastructure investment is the centrepiece of the budget. That is why the government has announced $400 million for the Midland Highway infrastructure initiative. This will upgrade the road significantly and improve safety and efficiency as freight and passenger vehicle usage increases.

The Abbott government will also honour its commitment to lengthen the runway of Hobart International Airport. The $38 million upgrade will see the runway extended by up to 500 metres, allowing Hobart airport to become Australia's gateway to the Antarctic. On Antarctica, early last month Greens leader Senator Milne held a stump press conference, fearmongering outside the Antarctic Division, claiming that the government would be abandoning all funding and research involvement. She said:

Tony Abbott is jeopardising Australia's actual investment in Antarctica at a global level in strategic terms, he's risking jobs in Tasmania and he is undermining Tasmania as one of those key global hotspots for Antarctic research …

I am pleased to say tonight that Senator Milne's fearmongering has been well and truly quashed. The government announced in the budget a long-term commitment to Antarctica, by approving the process to procure a new icebreaker to be based in Hobart to replace the ageing Aurora Australis. This will be a massive boost for jobs in the region and will expand Tasmania's role as the doorway to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. As those who are interested in Antarctic research know, it is absolutely vital to Australia's presence in Antarctica and its continuing research.

Also contrary to Greens' alarmism is the government reaffirming its commitment to the funding of the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme, the TFES. The government is retaining the TFES, as promised last election, and eligibility for the scheme remains unchanged. The Greens, having done all they could to destroy Tasmania's economy, now seek to misrepresent the coalition's efforts to repair the damage!

Tasmania's environment is also benefitting from the budget: $3 million will be dedicated to the Tamar River Clean Up Program, which will be welcomed by the local community and will have a positive economic, environmental and recreational impact.

Other benefits for Tasmania include: $2.7 million to establish the Tasmanian Major Projects Approval Agency for Launceston that will speed up regulatory approvals and encourage private investment in the Tasmanian economy; funding for the Tasmanian agriculture sector, including $100 million for research and development and $15 million to help small exporters with export costs; $5.2 million for improvement of the Bell Bay intermodal terminal; funding for the veteran's community, including funding to support the work of veteran's advocates, pension and welfare officers, in helping veterans to access important information and services; and $20 million to build a stronger biosecurity and quarantine system; and $8 million to improve access to agricultural and veterinary chemicals—measures that will benefit Tasmanian farmers and producers.

There is also funding to upgrade the iconic Cadbury factory. The upgrade is aimed at boosting tourism by creating a unique visitor tour offering a chocolate manufacturing experience—and, for those who had the luxury of experiencing that tour in the past, I can assure you it is something that has been sorely missed since 2008 and will be warmly welcomed when it restarts, courtesy of the assistance that we are providing by restoring the famous tourist attraction to the standing that it once had.

The upgrade was announced prior to the election. Work on the factory will create 200 new direct jobs and 120 indirect jobs by 2017, and helping to secure 600 existing direct jobs and 340 existing indirect jobs. It will also have a massive supportive effect on the dairy industry in Tasmania, requiring a significant percentage increase in the dairy herd across the state to supply the milk needed.

Funding for mobile phone black spots in Tasmania has been included in the budget. There is also funding for the Burnie Pool redevelopment; Smithton and Devonport hockey clubs; the Devonport soccer club; and the Cradle Coast outrigger club.

The Coalition government has begun the job of repairing the budget mess we inherited from Labor. Tasmanians deserve to have their tax dollars put to investment in their state—not thrown away by paying down debt to overseas investors.

The Labor-Greens alliance in the Senate needs to allow the government to get on with the job of building a more prosperous Tasmania and strengthening our economy by acknowledging the mess that they left and help doing their bit to fix it.

Senate adjourned at 21:21