George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today.

On all the topics the opposition explored with the government today, and even in the answers of ministers to some of the questions from their own backbench, what we have seen in the chamber this afternoon is the humiliating litany of failure with which the Australian public are increasingly coming to identify the Gillard Labor government. It is an extraordinary thing. Ordinarily when a government is re-elected—albeit this government was reinstated in office over a month ago in rather controversial circumstances—there is a degree of goodwill from the general public, there is a sense of ‘give the reinstated government a go’. But all of the anecdotal evidence, all of the empirical evidence and all of the opinion poll evidence that we have seen in recent weeks has shown that the Australian people have woken up to the fact that the Gillard government is no different from the Rudd government. The policy paralysis, the dysfunction, the indecision, the meandering directionlessness which became trademarks of the Rudd government are the same under the new management of the new Prime Minister, Ms Gillard. There is a reason for that and it is not hard to work out. What we now know is that all of the key decisions or nondecisions with which the Rudd government was associated were made by a small coterie of senior cabinet ministers, of which Ms Gillard and Mr Wayne Swan were the two leaders.

Mr Rudd was not terribly interested in domestic policy. Let us call a spade a spade: Mr Kevin Rudd was much more eager to grandstand on the international stage, leaving the direction of the government on domestic policy to Ms Gillard. After Ms Gillard stabbed him in the back on the evening of 23 June—after having undertaken in the most plangent, most earnest terms to both him and the Australian people that he had her complete support—after this ‘Lady Macbeth’ stabbed Kevin Rudd in the back on 23 June and seized control of the government—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about the beneficiaries over there?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed, like Senator McLucas over there and Senator Farrell. How could we overlook Senator Farrell? But, Senator Cormann, you distract me from my theme. When Ms Gillard took over, the Australian public were for a few short weeks rather entranced by the idea of a first female Prime Minister and, more importantly, they thought there would be change. They thought that maybe under new management the government might at last get their act together. They grafted a very, very narrow victory on the two-party preferred vote in the election. They persuaded Independents to reinstall them in power. But the Australian people in the last four to six weeks have realised that nothing has changed. The Rudd government is continued in the Gillard government.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has got worse!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Senator Cormann says, in fact, if anything, it has got worse. As the Prime Minister has elevated the level of rhetoric, the government has fallen down the scale on the level of achievement. It is almost like a virtual government: it exists in rhetoric alone. What achievement can this government point to? Not the NBN—the colossal white elephant being presided over by Australian politics’ leading public policy lightweight, Senator Conroy. Not the dispossession of people in the Murray-Darling Basin. Not the continuation of the fiasco of Building the Education Revolution. Not the tidying up of the fiasco of the Home Insulation Scheme. Not, as Senator Scullion elicited from Minister Arbib, the fiasco of the failure to provide the Indigenous housing in the Northern Territory of which this government was so proud—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the boats.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am coming to that, Senator Cormann—and the fiasco of all fiascos: the reversal of a position where we had no problem with unlawful asylum seekers to a situation where we are now expanding the Curtin detention centre by another 3,000 places.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis talked about the alleged failures of the Gillard government. Firstly, it is hard to imagine that Senator Brandis really believes what he has said. I do not believe that he believes what he said.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let us look at these alleged failures, Senator Bernardi. Let us look at the low levels of unemployment. Let us look at inflation. We have just had the inflation figures come out today: low levels of inflation. Let us look at other measures of the sorts of things that are important to Australians, such as the record balance of trade figures. What I think the Australian people are concerned about is this: had they elected Mr Abbott as Prime Minister, what would they have found out about the economic policies of the opposition?

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are shaking your head, Senator Bernardi, but let us talk about the black hole—not $1 billion or $5 billion but $10 billion. That is the black hole that the Australian public would have discovered had they elected the Abbott opposition to government. Of course, the opposition were caught out on this, because the Independents had the good sense to ask what the opposition’s policies were going to cost. Before the election, of course, the opposition had lots of arguments as to why they were not going to release their costings—they could not trust the Treasury—but they got found out after the election because Treasury did do the costings.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What’s this got to with your government? Tell us what this has to do with your government.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This has everything to do with our government, Senator Bernardi, because this is the contrast between the great economic performance of this government and what would have happened had the Australian people been unlucky enough to find that Tony Abbott had become Prime Minister. Of course, the man he put in charge of this was Mr Hockey.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You might not have caught up with this, Senator Brandis, but your former leader Mr Howard—I know you were not much of a fan of him—at the National Press Club only minutes ago had this to say about Mr Hockey, the man who would have been Treasurer had Mr Abbott won:

I don’t think he’s in that league. No, of course not.

He is talking about a comparison between Mr Costello and Mr Hockey, and what he says about Mr Hockey is:

I don’t think he’s in that league. No, of course not.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What do you think of Wayne Swan? That’s what I’d like to know.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, Senator Bernardi, what I think is this. Of course, Mr Howard does not think very much of Mr Costello either. Mr Hockey is not in the league of Mr Costello, and Mr Costello he describes as an ‘elitist who lacked the ability to connect with ordinary Australians’. What does this have to do with—

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is hopeless.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, this is not hopeless at all, Senator. This is all about the issues that this country is facing. The choice that Australians had at the last election was a choice between Mr Hockey and Mr Swan. I have explained to you already, Senator Bernardi, about some of the great economic achievements of the Labor government. Of course, we now find out about what Mr Howard thinks about— (Time expired)

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Follow that, Cory.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is going to be extraordinarily difficult to top that contribution from Senator Farrell. If ever we needed more evidence that the Labor Party exist in a Walter Mitty-type world, I think Senator Farrell has simply given us some more. During question time, I was astounded to hear some comments from the ministers answering questions. First of all, we had Senator Carr. Senator Carr claimed that debate was somehow being stifled on the Liberal side of the chamber. How could he say this in the week in which his factional leftie comrade Senator Doug Cameron has come out and said that those on the Labor side of politics are like zombies and have all had lobotomies because they are not able to communicate and talk to their leader? Senator Cameron led this ill-considered and, may I say quite frankly, hopeless revolution in the party room of the Labor Party and was slapped down roundly, and we have not heard from him since. But, thankfully, there are wise people out there who are up to this. In the Sydney Morning Herald this morning, there was a letter from a lady named Anastasia Polites, who wrote:

Doug Cameron wants diversity of opinion within the Labor Party and the Left faction to be able to speak its mind publicly … Cameron must have forgotten how he ran the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union—with an iron fist. Not only were employees of the union forbidden to speak out, even internal dissent could be met with marching orders. Cameron wants freedom of speech only when he isn’t the boss.

What a damning indictment, yet Senator Carr has the audacity to suggest that debate is stifled on the Liberal side. This is humiliating for this government. Not only have they failed repeatedly to implement any competent policy agenda but, where they have implemented their policies, it has been a disaster. We know that.

The embarrassment of Senator Carr’s contradiction of his comrade’s claims was backed up once again by Senator Wong. We all know that Senator Wong has a history of failure in climate change debate. In answer to a question today about welcoming debate on economic issues—one of the greatest economic issues that this country faced being the emissions trading scheme, what we were told was one of the great moral challenges of our time by the man they knifed as Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd—Senator Wong would not listen to any debate. She said the science is settled and she went around alarming people and scaring the children so they could not sleep with outrageous claims about wanting to put a massive new tax on every Australian family.

Members of the Labor Party do not care. They do not care for the truth in their comments. We understand that. We know that Senator Wong, with her litany and track record of failure in her portfolios, was rewarded for her steadfast insistence that she wanted to put a new tax on Australian families and put the cost of living up for them all. We know that because she has now been given the portfolio in which she can have a big tax on every portfolio that she comes in contact with—the finance portfolio. She will have an increased controlling interest on the families of Australia. Just today, whilst Senator Farrell was defending the economic legacy of this government, we found out that rents are rising, we found out that electricity costs went up by 12 per cent or more in the last year and we found out that gas and utility prices and rates are going up by six per cent or more. These are the things that are hurting everyday families.

On that side of the chamber they might want to defend putting additional costs on families, but I do not, because Australian families are already struggling. They are struggling under the yoke of debt that this government has saddled us with, which is going to be an intergenerational debt. Despite the rhetoric from the other side, we know that debt will not be paid off in three years time. We know that debt will not be paid off for decades because Labor are incapable of doing it. They are fooling themselves, as they are trying to fool the taxpayers of Australia. They are fooling themselves, as they try to convince the taxpayers of Australia that Australia is on the right track. Australia is on the wrong track under this government. We are on a track of increasing public reliance on the government, where government wants to interfere in more and more individuals’ lives, where it is going to tax people more just to pay its bills, where it is going to implement more policies that fail the Australian people and fail the commonsense test. Labor know that and that is why they are subdued. That is why Senator Farrell could not mount a defence of the government in the face of such a flaying by Senator Brandis earlier on. It will be interesting now to see how Senator Pratt goes in that regard. (Time expired)

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In taking note of all answers today I would like to note what kind of debate this is. We have an opposition that has no preparedness to debate the substantive issues raised in question time today. But there is plenty to discuss, like the significance of the progress made on our national curriculum. Last night I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Western Australian principals from the Catholic sector, from the independent sector and from government schools who are all delighted with the progress that is being made. They are all delighted with the fact that this nation has a national curriculum before it and that we are successfully moving through the issues involved in bringing that national curriculum together. So, yes, it is legitimate to debate the issues around what will be the ongoing significance of the Anzac tradition within this curriculum. It does need to be protected, but we are actively consulting on that with the RSL and others. It is vitally important that Australia move forward with this national curriculum.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You dumped that slogan—‘moving forward’.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I am quite happy with moving forward because indeed we are. There is no more important issue than the education of Australia’s young people. There is the issue of mental health, which was raised in question time today. The Gillard government has been investing in mental health. We have for the first time a Minister for Mental Health and Ageing and we know there is more to do.

There are many innovative things happening in the Gillard government’s program and new investments being made in the mental health area. We have talked about the NBN—something that the opposition has no vision for. It has no vision to break the tyranny of distance that affects communications in this country. Our investment in the NBN is the equivalent of a whole network of national highways for what it will open up for our nation. It is the modern-day version of the great Snowy River scheme in the kind of nation building and investment it is.

We all use the highways, but it just shows what Luddites you all are if you cannot comprehend the kind of future that is open to us with an investment in modern day communications, with a huge quantum of data and what that means to our education system, to our health system, to entertainment, to community and civic engagement, to business in this country and to the way our commerce operates. There are things that we have not even dreamed of or imagined yet that the NBN will be defining as part of this nation’s future. There is the Murray-Darling Basin plan. This is a government with courage to tackle the tough issues. And we are tackling the big issues.

None of this reform is easy. It requires consultation, communication and public engagement. But what are you doing? Misinformation. That is what we are getting from the coalition. That is not going to help irrigators and regional communities that are affected.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You ditched the report. You said you are not going to do it.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I stand by this report and the process, but it is not government policy. It is a process that we put out there to engage with the public. People think that the government will compulsorily acquire their water. We would not. We only purchase from willing sellers. This is the kind of misinformation that you are putting out there.

During the election campaign, for example, Tony Abbott, Barnaby Joyce and Simon Birmingham announced that the coalition will release the draft basin plan within two weeks of coming to office and proceed with its implementation without delay. So who are you to talk about what is proper process here? We are not rushing into anything. We are allowing the water authority to conduct its consultations over the next 12 months. It is about getting the balance plan right and it is about working to restore the river system to health. Importantly, it is about protecting food production and supporting strong regional communities. What else have we had to talk about today? (Time expired)

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

I stand today to respond to the answer from Senator Conroy regarding the roll-out of the NBN in Tasmania. Interestingly, this question was asked by Senator Bilyk and I think she might have been shocked by the answer that was provided by Senator Conroy because he confirmed on the record today in question time that the roll-out in Tasmania is receiving the lowest connection rate in all of Australia. Compared to the mainland sites where the roll-outs are occurring, and where he indicated there were sites with a 74 per cent, an 84 per cent and an 87 per cent connection rate, it is on the public record that Tasmania has a 50 per cent connection rate. So the roll-out rate in Tasmania and their progress to date must be a great disappointment.

Senator Conroy should come clean and answer the questions with respect to the roll-out in Tasmania. He refused. He continues to refuse and obfuscated in the Senate estimates last week when I asked what the cost of the roll-out has been to date. He refused. We found out—he slipped it out last night—that they have signed a $37 million contract for the roll-out of the NBN in Tasmania for the main routes and for three towns: Smithton, Midway Point and Scottsdale. But when Senator Conroy says—he has said it time and again—that he is on time and on budget, that is nonsensical; it is meaningless because he will not reveal the budget. I have asked him time and again: what is the budget for the roll-out in Tasmania? He refuses to say. Industry estimates have been given at around $500 million or $700 million, but I do not know. Nobody really knows because Senator Conroy is refusing to provide it. There is no business plan.

We do know about the take-up rates. In Senate estimates last week in answer to questions from me Senator Conroy confirmed that there were 262 active connections to the network as at the end of last month. There were 561 services to be delivered to 436 premises. If you divide, let’s say, 500 homes into the $37 million, that is $74,000 or thereabouts per home. If you put the 262 active homes into the $37 million you arrive at $140,000 per home. Of course that figure is going to go down, drastically down, but the fact is that in terms of the $43 billion roll-out we know that compared to the US the cost to the government is 100 times higher. We know that it is multiple times higher than in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UK.

They continue to proceed with this white elephant without any business plan and without any cost-benefit analysis. This is fast becoming another pink batts fiasco and it is getting worse, not better. I want to refer specifically to John Salmon from Midway Point and his communications with we, including as recently as today, where he had a problem with a battery back-up. He was told specifically that he would need a battery back-up and that if the power went down his phone would not work. He was told he needs it and he was quoted in the order of $90 over and above. Yet, yesterday I understand the NBN Co. and Senator Conroy have done a backflip and that cost will now be covered by NBN Co. Well, if that is the case, they had better contact all of those Tasmanians who have already signed up and offer to reimburse the cost of the battery back-up—for all those homes that have already paid their $90 that will have to be repaid. I ask on the record now: will the government commit to reimbursing all those people who have paid for their battery back-ups?

John Salmon first had contact I think in April, May and June this year and he has indicated that he had two dozen phone calls to get his system up and going and properly operating. He has taken the lowest rate possible—and that is fair enough; why shouldn’t he?—and the deal is with Primus. The fiasco—the hassles he undertook for and on behalf of his family—was something shocking. He can expound that more in due time.

Clearly, we do not know the future for the NBN in Tasmania. The government refuse to answer the questions. They have got to come clean. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.