Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

WALSH () (): I'd really like to thank Senator Bragg for the opportunity to talk about failures of measured policy development and administration in this place, as per the terms of his motion. When it comes to failures of policy development and administration, there is no better example than those opposite, starting with the very legislation that is the subject of this motion: the Financial Accountability Regime legislation.

This is actually the former government's legislation. It's legislation that they promised and that they failed to deliver. They failed to get it through their parliament. This is legislation that is based on reforms recommended by the Hayne royal commission. It's legislation that sat gathering dust under the previous government from 2019.

It's legislation that does some incredibly important things for consumers of financial services, including establishing an accountability regime for financial sector companies and establishing a compensation scheme of last resort for victims of financial misconduct. It also implements the reforms recommended by the long-outstanding 2016 Review of the small amount credit contract laws, the SACCs review, which said it was urgent to protect vulnerable people from being trapped in unsustainable debt spirals as a result of payday loans and consumer leases that were not operating effectively in this country.

This is a series of really important legislative reforms to protect consumers, which has been sitting there for years, ignored by the previous government. Those opposite basically had to wait for us to get into government to get the work done, just like they had to wait for us to get the work done on another important royal commission, the aged-care royal commission, and its recommendations for more nurses and more care time, which we legislated; just like they waited for us to implement the findings of the Respect@Work report; and just like they waited for us to take real action on climate change and legislate net zero targets.

Really, if you want to talk about measured policy development and administration as per the terms of this motion, then look at the Albanese Labor government and what we've delivered in the last six months, doing what the previous government failed to do for almost a decade. They waited for us to introduce a strong and independent National Anti-Corruption Commission, another policy that they promised and yet failed to deliver.

Let's look at the previous government's record on policy development and consultation. We all remember the appropriate consultation undertaken during the sports rorts scheme and the commuter car park scheme. We remember the appropriate consultation for the Building Better Regions Fund. All of those had absolutely nothing to do with measured policy and everything to do with rorting public funds for political gain. If we want to talk about measured administration, let's talk about a Prime Minister who secretly appointed himself to five ministries without the knowledge of the ministers themselves. How did that contribute to measured policy development and administration under the previous government? How on earth did a motion on measured policy administration get through the opposition's processes and make its way to the floor of this chamber? The list of examples goes on and on and on.

The legacy of the previous government is a record of policy failure, of missed opportunities and neglect, of confusion and chaos and not much—what was Senator Bragg's term?—measured policy development and administration to be seen. In the 20 seconds I have remaining it's impossible for me to get through what the Albanese Labor government has actually achieved in just six months: aged-care royal commission reforms to deliver more nurses and more care time, legislating net zero, delivering 10 days paid family domestic violence leave, setting up Jobs and Skills Australia, repealing the nasty and harmful cashless debit card, making medicines cheaper for millions of Australians, getting wages moving for Australians. These are the measured policy responses— (Time expired)