Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Senator Conroy. Given the tangible economic and social benefits to people in need offered by public transport and cycling infrastructure and the extremely overburdened or non-existent public transport systems on our city fringes and in our regional towns, can the minister explain why the government’s economic stimulus package contains no funding streams or appropriations for public transport?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ludlam. Being asked to answer a negative is always an entertaining challenge. Let us be clear. The government has focused its priority on schools; it has focused its priority on infrastructure in roads; it has focused its challenge on consumption and helping Australian families. No-one is suggesting that in the upcoming budget none of these issues could be addressed. But this is a very specific package that is designed to alleviate the pressure on the economy and try and support 90,000 jobs. That is the challenge. That is what is before you. We have put forward a stimulus package based on all of the evidence around the world, as six of our major trading partners are sliding into or already in recession. To stop Australia sliding into recession, as on current forecasts, this package will stimulate the economy, it will deliver jobs and it will deliver protection for families. For all of those in this chamber—

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. The question that was directed to the minister was why public transport specifically had been left out of the package. I would appreciate an answer to that question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is about what is needed urgently in this country to address a recession. Buses, last time I checked, travelled on roads; railway crossings usually have trains going across them. These are measures that deal with aspects of public transport. But let us be clear that this is a package that delivers immediate stimulus to address the very specific problems that have emerged in the last few months, and particularly with the IMF’s forecasts over the last few days. We have put in place a stimulus package— (Time expired)

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The Senate is fairly familiar with the minister’s brief on the overall justification for the package. I am interested, given that the stimulus package invests $6 billion to fast-track 20,000 units of public housing, in what planning the government is doing—it may not be doing any—to ensure that the new housing is well served by public transport and does not strand low-income people in car dependent and congested communities.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not quite sure how relevant that was to the primary question because it was about housing, and I am not actually sure that I have carriage of public housing questions. So I would defer the question to my colleague. But, from the information I have to hand for you, stage 1 of this new initiative will fund the construction of around 2,300 dwellings that are already planned and approved, with construction to commence this financial year. The government anticipates that around 15,000 dwellings will be ready for occupancy by the end of 2010, with the remainder to be available by the end of 2012.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Bob Brown is on his feet.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sherry interjecting—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Sherry and Senator Macdonald, I am waiting to hear from Senator Bob Brown.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. The question was very clearly about public transport facilitation at this housing, and the minister should address that question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has 12 seconds left to answer the supplementary question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am quite specifically talking about a question that revolves around public housing and transport, and I am giving information very, very specifically and dealing very relevantly with a question that combines— (Time expired)

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given that immediately buying more buses and trains made in Australia would get jobs into the transit manufacturing sector and the cycling sector and address the urgent demand for public transport, when can we expect an announcement of a government plan for the transit manufacturing sector?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to say I am not sure that the premise of that question is actually factually correct, Senator Ludlam. I do not have a lot of experience in ordering buses, trains and carriages, but I do understand there is a fair amount of lag time involved. Let me be clear: I do not think the premise of your question is accurate, because you do have to place these orders and they have to be slotted in behind existing orders. So I do not think the premise is correct. But we are committed to addressing the short-term needs of the economy, as have been exposed by the IMF report, which shows the international economy is plunging into a recession at breathtaking speed. Our response is about maximising the chance of supporting 90,000 jobs in Australia and working in the current environment— (Time expired)

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Senator Conroy. Precisely how will the government ensure that their so-called stimulus plan for schools and infrastructure does not encourage further state Labor mismanagement of their responsibilities?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that question. I appreciate that the Prime Minister and the premiers have only just held the press conference. I was able to watch a little bit of it before I came in here. Possibly Senator Barnett did not get an opportunity to see that. Quite clearly, the Prime Minister has stated that, firstly, we make no apology at all for investing in schools, something those opposite have been laughing at and making a mockery of. We make no apology. We have signed the states up to the toughest criteria to ensure that there is no substitution—there is no withdrawing of state funds and topping up with Commonwealth funds. That was the agreement that even the Premier of Western Australia signed off on.

I watched as much of that press conference as I could before I came in here. It is quite clear that the COAG communique sets out the responsibilities of state governments. They will not be allowed to withdraw their funding for programs and substitute Commonwealth funding. Let me quote from the communique:

... a process to ensure that there is no substitution of capital effort by the states in the areas of schools, energy-efficient homes, social housing, regional roads, black spots and boom gates, overseen by heads of treasuries and reporting to COAG through the Ministerial Council for Federal Financial Relations.

So there is a very specific commitment that the states have signed up to, and we will be holding them to that. (Time expired)

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that federal Labor abolished the coalition’s Investing in Our Schools Program? Secondly, is the minister aware of a statement made by Premier David Bartlett today on ABC radio in Tasmania where he said:

We have projects in housing and in schools that are ready to roll, ready and waiting for this sort of injection.

Hasn’t the Tasmanian Premier, Mr Bartlett, today confirmed that infrastructure funds merely replace already planned state government spending with borrowed federal debt?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When you write your supplementary question before you hear the first answer, you are going to end up sometimes in a slightly embarrassing position. I have just read to you from the communique that Premier Bartlett has signed. It is quite clear. As you appear not to have heard it the first time, I will happily read it to you a second time. It says:

... a process to ensure that there is no substitution of capital effort by the states in the areas of schools, energy-efficient homes, social housing, regional roads, black spots and boom gates, overseen by heads of treasuries and reporting to COAG through the Ministerial Council for Federal Financial Relations.

It is set out in black and white. There has just been a joint press conference. Perhaps in your rush to get the question through the tactics committee this morning you did not get a chance to update it because of the announcement. This is now new information. (Time expired)

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The minister has clearly not answered the question as to his awareness of Premier Bartlett’s statement. How will the substitution of federal funds for state funds stimulate the economy? Is the government merely bailing out Labor state governments, after a decade of incompetence, at the expense of future generations of Australian taxpayers?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite, who all of a sudden have discovered the words ‘schools’, ‘hospitals’ and ‘infrastructure’, who starved the states of public housing funding, who starved the states of hospital funding and who starved the states of education funding, now want to stand here and be taken seriously. If you want to be taken seriously on schools, on infrastructure and on roads, vote for this package. If you want to be taken seriously, vote for this package to protect families and to protect jobs.

When you return to Tasmania and start explaining to people that you are more interested in playing short-term politics than protecting their jobs, you will suddenly discover that all the short-term politics in the world will not protect you from voter backlash. What you are putting forward here is crocodile tears about public infrastructure when you had 12 years to do something about it. What you did was rip the funds out of all public infrastructure. (Time expired)

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr. Can the minister inform the Senate how the education initiatives in the Nation Building and Jobs Plan will further the government’s innovation agenda?

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

I thank Senator Arbib for his question and note that at least he is asking a question to the minister who is actually responsible for this area. Education and innovation go hand in hand. The purpose of the education system is to nurture creativity. The purpose of the innovation system is to harness that creativity. The government’s $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution initiative is a huge, long-term investment in our innovation capacity. It will give schools the physical facilities they need to do their job properly. Remember that there is something in this initiative for each and every Australian school. The Independent Schools Council of Australia ‘supports the inclusive nature of this package’.

The opposition of course have different ideas. They want to slash the investment to $3 billion. That is one-fifth of what is actually needed. Under the opposition’s plan, four out of five schools will miss out. Perhaps Senator Minchin can tell us which South Australian primary schools he wants to deny a hall or a library. Senator Barnett and Senator Abetz, perhaps you can tell us which Tasmanian secondary schools you want to deny urgent maintenance and upgrades.

When you invest in education, you are investing in our capacity to come up with new and better products and services, which is the key to maintaining Australia’s prosperity in an increasingly competitive world. All of this is lost on the opposition. The world is in crisis and they want to play politics. (Time expired)

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister explain how the science and language centres included in the secondary schools component of the package will improve innovation outcomes?

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

This initiative includes a $1 billion fund to build up to 500 science and language laboratories in secondary schools. This will increase our ability to create the technologies of the future and to participate in international collaborations. It complements the incentives this government has introduced to get more students to do maths and science at universities. Sir Robert Menzies is still remembered for building high-school science laboratories in the 1960s. Apparently, the Leader of the Opposition wants to be remembered for denying Australian children state-of-the-art laboratories. Apparently, he wants to be remembered as Malcolm the destroyer—the destroyer of jobs, homes, schools and businesses. It is little wonder that Peter Costello looks so cheerful today. (Time expired)

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain how the government’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan increases educational equity and social inclusion?

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

Building the Education Revolution includes two specific measures to improve educational equity. The back-to-school bonus of $950 per child will help low- and middle-income families meet educational costs for the 2009 school year. The $950 training and learning bonus will help students and people outside the workforce with their educational costs in returning to study. Universities Australia have welcomed this measure but the opposition has rejected it. They believe in supporting working families and seeking to increase their job and life opportunities by improving their education. Why doesn’t the opposition take that view? The opposition, of course, does not care how much pain and how much suffering it inflicts upon the Australian people. It is time they took off their neoliberal blinkers and had a look at what is actually happening in the real world. It is time they stood up for Australian jobs. (Time expired)