Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, the theatre. It would have woken up anyone who might have the misfortune to be listening to this debate. Sadly, I have only 13 minutes to try to list the outcomes and positive progress that has happened in Australia since the Turnbull government was elected and before that, of course, under the Abbott government.

I would like to pause for a moment on that to say that, for anyone who follow these things and can remember the dysfunction of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, any government after that would look progressive and positive. I still remember my old mate Senator Cameron's line when he referred to his colleagues as lobotomised zombies—and they are talking about disunity in this government! There are so many factions in the Labor Party that even those in the Labor Party forget which faction they are in now. You should ask Senator Carr which faction he now is in.

A government senator: Or Senator Conroy.

Well, he is former Senator Conroy now. Let's not speak ill of the dead, except to say this. I note the Minister for Defence has graced the debate with her presence. The Labor Party kept trying to find someone to be shadow minister for defence and kept picking the absolute worst people possible. The comment about Senator Conroy reminded me of that.

I am reducing my time. As I say, 13 minutes will not allow me to but scratch the surface of the great advances that have occurred in this nation since the advent of the coalition government. I will start with defence, as the minister is here. A wonderful white paper has set the plans for defence for years into the future. It is a credible, costed plan that will protect Australia. All credit to you, Minister, for presiding over that wonderful white paper.

Part of the white paper, indirectly, was the comprehensive strategic partnership with Singapore which will result in 14,000 Singaporean troops training at new defence facilities in Australia—$1.2 billion worth. That is all paid for by the Singaporeans, I might say. It does not cost the Australian taxpayer one cent. But it will bring those troops, their money, their leave time and their operations to Australia. That is, again, one of the most exciting things that has happened up in Townsville where I am based.

Talking about Townsville reminds me of the wonderful work the government did with the northern Australia white paper. Already there has been $6 billion worth of investment into northern Australia as a result of the coalition government's interest in the north. That is opposed to what you get from Labor. Labor have no interest in the north at all. They did used to have Senator McLucas in here who I rarely agreed with, but at least she was from the north and at least she put a northern view to the Labor Party. Of course, the Labor Party got rid of her. They dumped her and replaced with a union hack, a failed state candidate who not only comes from Brisbane but has moved further south to the Gold Coast. That is the interest the Labor Party have in northern Australia.

Australia's economic growth has strengthened 3.3 per cent—the fastest growth of any of the G7 economies. That is a wonderful credit to the Treasurer, the Prime Minister and all of the cabinet. But importantly after Labor and the Greens—because they always work together; they are one and the same—had six years in government they did not do one thing about multinational tax avoidance. It was left to the incoming coalition government to start on the world's toughest laws to make multinational companies pay their tax. Labor and the Greens did absolutely nothing in six years.