Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Abetz. Will the minister update the Senate on the government's plans to build a stronger Australia and thereby reflect the will of the Australian people as clearly expressed at the election on 7 September?

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

The plan to which the honourable senator refers is not only the Australian government's plan; it has now become the adopted plan of the Australian people, because they endorsed our manifesto on 7 September 2013—something that those opposite have still not been able to grasp.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Senator Abetz, you can resume your seat as you are entitled to be heard in silence. Those on my left. Senator Abetz, you can continue.

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

Part of our plan for restoring the Australian economy, enunciated in the document Our plan—real solutions for all Australians, was to repeal the carbon tax to ensure that jobs could grow and household budgets could be maintained. We had a policy to repeal the mining tax. How important is that, given the information that Senator Sinodinos just provided to the Senate in relation to the drop-off of mining investment? We had a policy to stop the boats to ensure that the haemorrhaging of the Australian budget stopped. Senator Cash has just given us a description of the reasons why such a policy was needed and so overwhelmingly embraced by the Australian people. We also have a policy to restore law and order to the building and construction sector and to registered organisations. We took those policies to the Australian people and the Australian people endorsed them. We also took a policy of getting the budget back under control, which requires some tough decisions, as enunciated by Senator Nash earlier in question time. We are a party and a government that have submitted ourselves to the Australian people. It happens every three years in this country, and the people of Australia decide who they want as their management team for the following three years. The Australian people spoke loud and clear—very loud and clear—as to who they wanted to run this country and we intend to implement our policies. (Time expired)

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister update the Senate on the steps the government is taking to implement its plans and any efforts to sabotage them?

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

As promised, within the very first week of the parliament, we introduced legislation to repeal the carbon tax and the mining tax, and we introduced legislation for the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the Registered Organisations Commission. We have got on with the job as promised to the Australian people—and Labor, acting like churls, have opposed every single move, every step of the way. But so manic are they in their opposition—in trying to refuse us the capacity to implement our policy—that they have become so negative they are now moving to ensure that they do not even implement their own policies, as was shown to us this morning in the The Australian Financial Review with 'Labor's own backflip leaves $2.3bn budget hole'. They, over there, went to the Australian people and they are repudiating— (Time expired)

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the government continue to use every endeavour to implement its clear mandate?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! The minister is entitled to be heard in silence.

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

Once you get a mandate from the Australian people you are duty-bound to seek to implement that mandate, and that is what the coalition government is seeking to do by bringing in the legislation we promised we would. But what we would invite the Australian Labor Party to do, given how manically obsessed they are with ensuring we do not get the opportunity to implement our policies is: how about giving us the chance of actually implementing your policies, like the $2.3 billion cut you agreed to in your 'funny money' budgeting before the election? They agreed to $2.3 billion worth of cuts which we adopted and we are seeking to implement. We adopted their policy after the election. They now repudiate their own policy, not only the wish of the Australian people. They are repudiating their own policies. I would invite them to get out of the way and allow us to clean up the mess they left.