Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2013, and I commend this bill to the House. This bill will aid the coalition's election commitment to reducing the red tape burden and compliance costs on businesses by $1 billion a year. These unnecessary burdens are stifling our economy. If we can get rid of unnecessary red tape we can make our country more productive, which means we can have more jobs and a stronger economy.

As has been indicated the bill incorporates a range of important measures, and I intend to address some of the major features of the bill. They include adopting savings announced by the previous government, which shows that Labor says one thing in government and a very different thing in opposition. The sheer hypocrisy is on show for all to see. I find it extraordinary that the member for Blair has the gall to speak about surpluses. Where is the surplus from Labor? We never saw it. Over six years, what we saw was year after year of record deficits. I take the liberty to remind the House of those numbers: $27 billion, $55 billion, $48 billion, $43.7 billion, $19 billion and now $30.1 billion. Australians place real value on responsible economic management, and this is a shameful record.

In this bill we are tackling problem gambling by abolishing unnecessary red tape and duplication. Our bill will combine effective measures to help provide people who really need it. Electronic gaming statistics from Corangamite, the electorate I represent, show why it is so important that we get gambling legislation right. From July 2012 to June 2013, people in the City of Greater Geelong spent more than $108 million on electronic gaming machines. The people of Colac-Otway Shire spent more than $7 million from July 2012 to June 2013. People living in Surf Coast Shire spent more than $2. 8 million in that time.

Gambling is a major problem for some people in my electorate. However, many people in my electorate also gamble responsibly. Many Australians rely on the sector for jobs, and the legislation Labor left will put many venues under financial stress. Labor failed to win a majority at the 2012 election, and the former Prime Minister Julia Gillard did a dodgy deal with the member for Denison to hold onto power. As part of that deal, Julia Gillard committed to introducing a mandatory precommitment system for pokie machines. Labor eventually stabbed the member for Denison in the back and walked away from mandatory precommitment because they realised what the coalition had said from day one: mandatory precommitment does not work.

The coalition government supports venue based voluntary precommitments for poker machines. We are committed to delivering meaningful support for problem gamblers while also cutting red tape. That is why we are introducing amendments to the national gambling reform legislation that will deliver on several election commitments. The government will also abolish the national gambling regulator, which Labor established despite the fact that every state and territory has a regulator for gambling. The government will also abolish the supervisory levy. We believe that the states and territories are more than capable of continuing to regulate the gambling industry.

This bill also reflects our government's determination to ease administrative burdens on business by ensuring that the government does the paperwork for paid parental leave. Unlike Labor, we understand that red tape costs businesses money. The extra burden of administration duties is one that most employers can do without. Businesses will no longer have to act as paymaster of the Commonwealth government's paid parental leave scheme unless they choose otherwise. Because we recognise that small business has been struggling with red tape, we are moving to reduce the compliance burden on small business in our first 100 days. The coalition government will ensure small business has the time and resources to invest in their business success, rather than doing the government's work.

I am incredibly proud of our genuine paid parental leave scheme which reflects a genuine commitment to families, to women, to workplace productivity and to 26 weeks paid leave at the real wage. The amendment that Labor is proposing will add more compliance complexity and shows that Labor simply does not get it. It is proposing that employers with more than 20 employees will have to bear the administrative costs of paid parental leave. These are small businesses, the engine room of our economy, and it is time Labor understood that small business needs support, not more burdens. I note that the member for Dunkley is in the House today—a small business minister in cabinet. This reflects our genuine commitment to the small business people of this country.

I now turn to measures relating to Labor's 2013-14 budget. Unfortunately, Labor's reckless spending has left the budget in a dreadful state. Because of this the coalition has little choice but to match a number of savings made by Labor. A number of measures in this bill will help fix Labor's mess. But it seems that members opposite are in denial about what they did when they were in government. This is to be condemned. I refer to our changes to the family tax benefit and the eligibility rules. This change will see family tax benefit part A paid to families only up to the end of the calendar year in which their teenager is completing school. Eligible young people will still be able to access youth allowance to help them transition from school into work or post-secondary study. They will still have to participate in work, job search activity, study or training. Youth allowance remains the most appropriate payment to help young people transition from school into work or post-secondary study. This bill fixes Labor's failure to make the legislative changes required to implement this savings measure of $76.6 million over four years.

We have also committed to saving $80.5 million over three years by ending late registrations for the pension bonus. This measure will tighten the rules for certain payments to be made to people outside Australia. The bill will require age pensioners to have been an Australian resident for 35 years during their working life to receive their full means-tested pension if they choose to retire overseas or travel overseas for longer than 26 weeks. This replaces the current 25-year requirement. This will bring Australia into line with a host of other international systems and make the system fairer.

We have little choice but to match Labor's savings measure to maintain the childcare rebate annual limit at $7,500 for three more years. The bill fixes Labor's failure to make the legislative changes required to implement this savings measure. I remind the House that we have inherited Labor's budget deficit of $30.1 billion and the Australian people have put their faith in our government to restore Australia's finances. Last week I visited the Millville Child Care Centre in Colac in the western half of my electorate. I spoke with the director, Cathy Thompson, and her staff, and I really learnt a lot more about the pressures that early educators are under. We are committed to ensuring families have access to high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs. This is why it is a priority for this government to have the Productivity Commission conduct an inquiry into child care and early childhood learning. I welcome this review.

It is absolutely extraordinary that members opposite, including the member for Perth, are opposing this measure. This is an extraordinary display of hypocrisy. Labor took $105.8 million in savings out of the budget over three years, banked the savings, failed to make the legislative changes and is now opposing this measure. It is trying to wipe history. It is trying to lure the Australian people into thinking this never happened. But we do not forget. I reiterate just how important it is for the federal government to repair the budget and remove red tape and unnecessary regulation. The measures will boost confidence and help to improve productivity, which will help the people of Corangamite and the whole of Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

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