Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to the 2018-19 Budget.

The budget that we saw last night had that distinct whiff of an election about it. In fact, just about everything about this budget has that odour—that odious odour—of a government desperate to restore its political fortunes through a crass attempt to rebuild its political stocks. It's not about the long-term economic future of Australia; it's about the short-term political interests of the Turnbull government.

In the lead-up to this year's budget we saw—and it has been the case over the last five years, but this year it has been at an accelerated rate—a series of highly selective leaks provided to the media. It was so-called information provided on a selective basis, a misleading picture presented as to what was to be in the budget. These stories were about key infrastructure projects; they were about aged care; they were about taxation matters, either corporate or personal. After many years of austerity, the government was able to assert—in its very selective way—that we're now looking at a situation where the government was investing in the nation once again.

Of course, what we saw in the budget was very different, a very different picture entirely. What we saw was anything but a nation-building budget. What we saw, for instance, was that on infrastructure projects there was not one new funding announcement—not one! Every single infrastructure project that the government brought forward in its glossy brochure was about measures that had already been announced and funded by previous allocations. The first tranche of so-called income tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners were there—to operate from 1 July this year, aimed squarely at an election timetable, an election framework—but with no explanation whatsoever as to what the cost of the higher levels of benefit would be. The Prime Minister this morning, on ABC Radio, was not able to come anywhere near providing really basic information about what the cost of these measures would be in the medium term. And today, again, the Leader of the Government in the Senate was not able to provide basic information to this Senate about the cost of the government's corporate taxation arrangements. Yet there's an expectation that this government will call upon the Senate to move immediately to carry these propositions into effect.

What we know is that this is a government that, essentially, is seeking to provide immediate sugar hits in a range of areas without regard to the longer term consequences, and is hoping that it can escape scrutiny and escape any proper attention. If you look at the science and research area, for instance, the government's taking away $2½ billion over four years out of the research and development funding arrangements, but providing only $600 million in terms of additional support. Yet today the education minister talks about a funding package of $1.9 billion. What he forgets to point out is that it's over 12 years. So these sleights of hand are constantly being put forward. What we've got is a rhetorical illusion being presented—an attempt to try to present something that's different from the reality. We've got a Prime Minister who is focused on electoral fortunes, not on the nation's fortunes—a Prime Minister who really is concentrating on trying to revive this government. In fact, this morning's effort, I thought, was an attempt to repair the damage of some of the manic performances of the government's Treasury spokesman on these matters.

What we are seeing time and time again is statements, for instance, around these special leaks, provided in very secret circumstances to selected journalists. For instance, look at the space agency. We were told in these special leaks that $50 million would come about for seed funding for an Australian space agency. What's the reality in the budget? $26 million. We see this happening again and again and again. What this budget does is actually lock in cuts. It locks in the $17 billion in cuts to schools, the $700 million in cuts to hospitals, the freezes to the Medicare rebate. It raises the pension age to 70, there is the energy supplement to pensioners and the $80 billion handout in tax cuts to large corporations. This is a test that the government's failed yet again in terms of fairness and in terms of social justice. It really is all about preserving the political interests of the Liberal Party and the National Party rather than the interests of ordinary Australians and defending the long-term interests of Australia. (Time expired)