Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ludwig, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Minister Assisting the Attorney-General on Queensland Floods Recovery. Can the minister please inform the Senate about the Queensland flood reconstruction effort, the Commonwealth government’s emergency response and the task ahead as rebuilding occurs?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Furner for his question. The impact of the floods across Australia is unprecedented. This is one of the biggest natural disasters ever to hit our nation. In Queensland we have seen a once-in-a-generation natural disaster followed by another devastating weather event in Cyclone Yasi. Much of Queensland has been impacted by these disasters. For some the loss has been, quite frankly, devastating. Everyone around Australia is thinking of those families who are grieving and who have suffered loss.

Queensland of course is still assessing the full impact of these natural disasters. The state and the Commonwealth will continue to made a significant contribution in the initial emergency response and to the rebuilding effort. It is a national responsibility to respond to these challenges. We should respond, and have responded, as a nation. The Gillard government has responded and quickly rolled out emergency financial assistance. This includes the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and the Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy. As of 8 February, across Australia over 350,000 payments from the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment have been made to a total of around $413 million, over 44,000 Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy payments have been made totalling over $18 million and Commonwealth agencies such as Centrelink continue to work with communities that have been affected in areas right across South-East Queensland up to Emerald and into the Cyclone Yasi area of Far North Queensland. The Australian Defence Force and federal law enforcement officer staff from our human services agencies are doing a tremendous job on the ground getting Queensland back up and running again. The Prime Minister has— (Time expired)

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question with regard to the Commonwealth government’s funding of the recovery effort. Can the minister inform the Senate about how the government will fund the Commonwealth contribution to reconstruction?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Furner for his first supplementary question. The Gillard government has made the tough decisions to find the funds required to rebuild after these natural disasters and keep our economy strong. The Prime Minister has announced that the government will fund the reconstruction effort through $2.8 billion to be delivered through spending cuts and $1 billion to be delivered by delaying some infrastructure projects. Also, $1.8 billion will be provided by a modest one-year progressive levy, which will not be paid by people directly affected by these disasters or by those on incomes of less than $50,000.

For every $1 dollar raised through the levy $2 will be saved in the federal budget. The government will ensure that the funds are spent effectively and efficiently and that they are targeted to the areas where they are needed the most. That is the responsible thing to do to ensure that we join together to rebuild Queensland, which has suffered significantly under these natural disasters. (Time expired)

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question with regard to the funding package for the recovery effort Senator Ludwig has detailed. Are there any impediments to the flood funding package?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Furner for his second supplementary question. A levy of course is never popular. It is not an easy decision to make. The Gillard government understands this, and Mr Abbott understands it also. We know that Mr Abbott supports levies, because he said less than one year ago:

... sometimes for very, very important social reasons, for national interest reasons you have got to say we need the money ...

We know that Mr Abbott and the Liberals support levies. A levy was good enough for Mr Abbott to fund the Howard government’s guns buyback. A levy was good enough to fund his election promises. I call on Mr Abbott and the Liberals to support this levy and fund the reconstruction of Queensland. This government is making the tough and responsible decisions to fund the reconstruction after these unprecedented natural disasters. What we have seen from the Liberals is the same ‘opposition for opposition’s sake’. (Time expired)

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

My question is to Senator Conroy. I refer the senator to his answer to Senator Abetz’s question concerning the appointment of former Howard government finance minister and New South Wales Premier Mr John Fahey to head an oversight group to manage how $5.6 billion of flood rebuilding funds are spent. Is the decision to place oversight of the expenditure of the flood reconstruction funds in the hands of a former Liberal finance minister not an admission that, after the wasted billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money in the Building the Education Revolution program and the pink batts program, Liberals manage public money much better than Labor ministers ever could?

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

It is good to see that you enjoyed good Christmas cheer, Senator Brandis. You have come back with a good sense of humour. As I said earlier, through Mr John Fahey, the government will work to see every single dollar spent effectively in the regions that need them. Mr Fahey has the power to inspect and advise on contracts before they are signed, examine high-value or complex projects prior to execution, examine projects undertaken by local government and check spending and project milestones. The government is also keen to ensure that we can bring private sector experience to bear on project management, tendering and contractual frameworks. The government wants to get the rebuilding right.

We have seconded Major General Mick Slater to chair the Queensland government’s reconstruction authority and Mr Brad Orgill will be sitting on the authority’s board to make sure that value for money is front of mind. We will also require audited statements for Commonwealth contributions to the recovery to ensure that the money is properly spent.

Without the stimulus, we would have seen thousands of skilled workers exit the construction sector and be lumped into the unemployment line. In the US, for example, over one in four construction jobs were lost. We acted to make sure that that did not happen here. We will be making sure that we apply the lessons learnt in the stimulus to the rebuilding effort. The reconstruction effort will be careful and methodical. (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Doesn’t the Gillard government already have a minister whose specific responsibility is to ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent efficiently? Is that not the Minister for Finance, Senator Wong, who sits right behind you, Senator Conroy? Has the Gillard government at last realised that a retired Liberal finance minister will always do a better job than a current Labor finance minister?

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

The whole basis of that question is an entirely false premise. I reject it utterly. The attempt to impugn the Minister for Finance is cheap politics. Those opposite are playing cheap politics. While the rest of the country was raising money to help flood victims, that mob over there were raising money to help themselves, a cynical political act. This exposes the hypocrisy of those opposite, who will do and say anything—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on relevance. Could you indicate to the Senate how that answer abides by sessional orders requiring the minister to be directly relevant to the question asked.

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

On the point of order, Senator Abetz, I refer to you the question. I believe that the minister is answering the question that was asked of him.

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

As I was saying, the aspersions being cast by those opposite on Senator Wong are entirely false and driven by the same cynicism. (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I note the minister’s assertion that, for the Gillard government, the notion that the role of the finance minister is to ensure that taxpayers’ money is efficiently spent is a false premise. If the Prime Minister cannot trust her own finance minister to be the best person available to oversee government spending, why should the Australian people?

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

Again a false premise is the basis of a question. This attack by those opposite is being made because they are embarrassed at the performance of their leader and at the performance of their frontbench over the levy. They are trying to pretend that they have introduced some cuts when really they are just being cynical—as cynical as they have been in this attack here today. It demonstrates that the Australian public were right last August or September.

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

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on relevance. From 11 seconds into the answer to this question the minister has done nothing but attack the Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Party in relation to fundraising. Nothing that has come from the minister in the last 30 seconds, with only 20 seconds left to go, has been either directly or indirectly relevant to the question of confidence in Senator Wong.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: the question was not about confidence in Senator Wong or otherwise. The question was directed to the acting leader and it was a question that the senator was in fact answering. The point of order taken is on a question that was not asked by Senator Brandis. I would ask you, Mr President, to rule it out of order.

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

Senator Ludwig and Senator Brandis, the minister has 26 seconds remaining. I draw the minister’s attention to the question.

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

As I said, the underhanded and pathetic attack on Senator Wong, who is doing an excellent job in her portfolio, is unfortunate. Those opposite just want to stand up and throw stones. (Time expired)