Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is amazing listening to the Nats lecture us on the spending of taxpayer dollars on roads. I wish to take note of answers—or attempted answers—to questions that were asked today. Before Senator Williams leaves the chamber, I say that I find Senator Williams to be a decent human being. He really is; there is no doubt about that. Sadly, when he has to defend policy that is off the reservation, he leaves himself wide open. As did Senator Macdonald with his quip to Senator Gallacher—and Senator Gallacher wiped the floor with him—with the 'stupid' comment.

Can I just say that no-one in this building hates road taxes or petrol taxes more than me. Mr Deputy President, I speak with authority in this building when I talk about how that 38c a litre gets distributed to roads. I challenge anyone who has paid as much in tax on fuel as I over the years; if you can, step forward, bring it on. I would love to have the debate. As an ex-long-distance-owner-driver I remember that back in the 1990s—a very difficult time for me—I was on a campaign in Western Australia called 'axe the tax'. It was a grassroots movement to attack the then Liberal government about taxing truck drivers and fuel consumers out of existence. I remember vividly standing on a makeshift platform out the front of parliament house. I found it unbelievable that I was sharing the podium with a fellow named Barry Court, who happened to head, at that time, the Pastoralist and Graziers Association. He also happens to be the brother of the then Premier Richard Court. I still pinch myself believing that I would have anything in common with a far right conservative, as the Court family produced in that area, to argue against taxing truck drivers and taxing fuel consumers. I will tell you why, Mr Deputy President, because Senator Williams is so far out here. If every single cent collected by the Commonwealth in the fuel tax is delivered to building and maintaining roads, whether it be rural, regional, country or city, I would have absolutely no problem. But I challenge anyone opposite to prove to me that every single cent collected in fuel tax is distributed across this great country for turning dirt roads into bitumen, because we know that it could not be further from the truth.

I also want to touch on the disconnect with reality that we see in this chamber, and it is not only in this chamber. I have no doubt that my colleagues on the other side of the building see it even more because there are more of them misleading the population. When we talk about fuel tax or petrol tax, we must not forget Mr Hockey, the Treasurer of this country. When he was questioned about the effect of the introduction of a fuel excise on low-paid people he came back with that famous line, something like, 'It won't hit the poor because they don't have cars or actually drive very far.' This is from an out-of-touch, cigar-chomping Treasurer, and I find it absolutely incredible.

As I travel this great nation, as I go through Western Australia, or New South Wales, or Victoria, in my role as chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, I do not see a lot of wealth in a lot of our country towns. I do see it if I am travelling through Karratha or Port Hedland, but not in all of Port Hedland. I do not see it in the wheat belts, and I do not see it in the growing areas. In fact I will talk about the south-west and the great southern area of Western Australia. I have noticed that Senator Smith, who is from Western Australia, is silent on this. When you travel the main streets of Wagin, as Senator Bullock would know as a Western Australian, or Narrogin—the great farming towns where wealth really was generated from their feeding our nation—there are a lot of shops boarded up, there are a lot of businesses that have gone. We in the city, or we in this chamber, may sit here on our very gracious remuneration and think, 'What is a couple of dollars a week?' Well, to a lot of people out there in rural Australia, where Senator Williams comes from and where he espouses to represent, I do not think they share that same reasoning.

I also want to tell you about remote Aboriginal communities where I work throughout the Kimberley. I have to tell you that fuel is a major cost for the Aboriginal people to get to health services, to get to food, or to get their children a better education. (Time expired)