Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak to the Address-in-Reply. It is indeed an honour to be re-elected into this, the 44th Parliament. This is a new coalition government with a new direction and new challenges that need to be addressed. This is a coalition government that will empower people rather than stand in their way. The coalition government has very different ideas from the former Labor government on what Australia can, and should, be. We believe that anyone can succeed with opportunity, enterprise and ambition. In fact, we want all Australians, whether young or old, to achieve their maximum potential. When people realise their potential there are no limits to what they can achieve or to the benefits that are provided to us as a great nation.

It is disappointing that, in their time in government, Labor created a culture of people stepping down rather than stepping up, and of accepting handouts rather than a helping hand. I want to see people putting their hands up and getting involved, and using the ambition, enterprise and opportunities available to them to get ahead. I want to develop a stronger community with less reliance on government and more individual enterprise. I admire people who take an idea and run with it. They are driven by ambition, and they create the opportunities to build their own success—for example, companies like the Varley group in our region, which is developing high-tech electronic vehicles. Last year when I toured the Daintree National Park with local member Warren Entsch, we visited Mossman Gorge Tourist Information Centre, and I saw an environmentally friendly electric tourist bus that impressed me no end. While talking to the operators I asked where they got the bus from, quite expecting the answer to be, 'from overseas'. I was absolutely floored when the reply was, 'from the Varley Group near Newcastle'—as I said, that is in my region.

I now understand what Varley have been up to. I knew they had developed a unique monocoque frame that was integral to the very successful Varley Fire Commander, and that they were testing prototype electronic cars, but I was not aware that they had developed electronic tourist buses. Jeff Phillips and his team never cease to amaze me with their innovation and approach to niche market problem-solving. It is great to see fellow Australians take innovation and opportunity to the next level to find their own niche market. This creates jobs and is great for our economy.

There are challenges ahead. Now in government, the coalition can see that there are many challenges ahead of us. We have had a good look at the books and can see that the Labor government has left us with more than a massive debt—they have created a dependency culture. In 2014 the new coalition government has been left with the challenge of guiding Australia out of this massive debt—which, according to Treasury, will peak at somewhere around $667 billion if rapid action is not taken to address Labor's fiscally irresponsible policies.

Let us be very clear. This is not a coalition-amassed debt. This is a Labor debt. It is all of their own doing, built from complete incompetence and a lack of understanding of what drives a successful economy and, therefore, a prosperous nation. It is reminiscent of the position that Labor left in 1996, but this time with a debt on steroids. In 1996 we were faced with what seemed an impossible task to guide this country out of a $96 billion debt towards a surplus, again due to the incompetent Labor government. And yet it appears they learned absolutely nothing about economic management from their 11 years in opposition. This time, in 2014, they have left Australia with an even bigger debt—a $260 billion debt that, by next month, we expect will explode out to $300 billion. And that debt is not slowing—we anticipate it will spiral upwards to between $400 billion and $500 billion until we are able to slow the debt and begin reducing it.

It is imperative that we, the coalition, arrest the debt. We, the coalition, have again accepted that challenge. It is we, the coalition, that have begun the process of balancing the books. It is we, the coalition, that have begun bringing some sanity and responsibility back to spending. It is we, the coalition, that have begun cutting bureaucratic red tape. And it is we, the coalition, who are determined once again to put Australian businesses in a position where they are able to thrive and invest and therefore to create new jobs with confidence. It is abundantly clear that it is we, the coalition, who have declared that Australia is once again open for business. It is not going to be easy. Unlike in 1996, we no longer have any large-scale assets we can privatise to help balance the books, and the debt is even higher than anyone could have dreamed of. The reality is that there is no magic pudding. And there is no sugar coating the solution. I will repeat that: there is no magic pudding; there is no sugar coating the solution.

When we lost government in 2007 we left this country in great economic shape. We delivered a $70 billion future fund; we invested $6 billion in higher education endowment funds; we put aside $2 billion for regional communication funds—which, by the way, could have assisted my electorate with the digital television debacle left by Labor. And, more importantly, we delivered a $22 billion cash surplus. Now our economy is in a dire position; our debt levels are high and unsustainable; and we, the coalition, have an enormous task ahead of us. It honestly angers me that the six years of Labor have put our country into such a terrible fiscal position.

In the 43rd Parliament I had the honour to serve as the shadow minister for tourism, and I would like to sincerely thank all those in the tourism industry who generously gave their time to mentor me, who worked with me as a team to develop strong policy driven by those with skin in the game. This policy of the coalition is a policy that this government will implement in full. We will implement it because we listened to the industry, and because it was developed hand in hand with the industry, understanding what they needed.

In the very first speech I gave to the tourism industry, at the ATEC conference, I said that the industry needed to speak with one voice and tell the government and the opposition what they really wanted. The tourism industry came together as one, and I appreciated working with them. I congratulate them, and I encourage them to maintain this united approach. It was this approach that saw the former Labor government back down on the proposed consumer price index increases to the Passenger Movement Charge. It was a key driver in our policy to freeze the Passenger Movement Charge for the first term of government.

We listen intently to the tourism industry. The tourism industry laid out its policy to place tourism in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio. This is a natural fit, as the primary responsibility for Tourism Australia is to attract and grow international visitors to our shores. I believe it not only provides a more focused approach in attracting more international visitors to our shores, but investment as well. The tourism industry demanded ministerial representation in cabinet for tourism, and I believe that Andrew Robb as the Minister for Trade and Investment will serve them well in that role.

While there were many who took the time to engage, I particularly thank John Hart, chair of the National Tourism Alliance, and chief executive officer of Restaurant and Catering Australia. I also want to thank David Sheldon, and the Australian Regional Tourism Network, for their guidance and unfettered access in hosting policy discussions and development. I thank Jason Westbury of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, and John Lee the then chief executive officer of the Tourism and Transport Forum—and their members—for driving the Passenger Movement Charge reforms with one industry voice. I particularly thank Gary Crockett, the global executive chairman of China Ready & Accredited, and president of the Accommodation Association of Australia, for his work with the Chinese National Tourism Administration which helped drive our understanding of the need for policy to increase the lucrative Chinese free independent traveller market, by moving to multi-entry and extended time frame visas.

We have done this because we took the time to listen and to understand the needs of the whole of the tourism industry, whether it includes aviation, accommodation, or individual tourism providers. I would like to thank Scott Leach, the president of the Australian Hotels Association (NSW), for his work in providing access to his team, from accommodation providers through to hoteliers, so as to better understand their needs as a major employer group. In particular I thank a person who has become more than a mentor and a sounding board: he is a valued friend. That person is Andrew Burnes, from the AOT corporation, a former deputy chairman of Tourism Australia, and a person whose business has grown to what is perhaps the largest privately owned tourism business in Australia. There is nothing like testing an idea on someone with skin in the game, to get an accurate and economically sensible response. This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many more to thank that time prevents me. I have thanked many individually, as I have met up with them in my travels.

The election has come and gone, and I now serve in a new role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry—my friend Ian Macfarlane. There are new challenges to address and opportunities to play in my part in making Australia great again. As I said in my maiden speech when I came to this House, I want to be a part of a team that turns the ship around to navigate a new direction towards prosperity.

Listening to your constituents in politics is critically important. So, it is beyond doubt that Labor's poor policies, and the carbon tax, have massively increased the cost of living for families—they said so at the last election. The removal of the carbon tax will reduce cost of living pressures on households and businesses. Some examples of the benefits that families will see are that they will be around $550 per annum better off; that household electricity bills will be around $200 lower than they otherwise would be in 2014-15 with a $25.40 carbon tax; and that the average household gas bill will be around $70 lower in 2014-15 than it would otherwise have been with the $25.40 carbon tax. Business compliance costs are expected to fall by around $87.6 million per annum as a consequence of repealing the carbon tax.

The legislation to repeal the carbon tax is already through this House. It only needs to get through the Senate, and there is only one person standing in the way, and that is the Leader of the Opposition, 'Electricity Bill' Shorten, and the Labor members, because they have refused to listen to what the Australian public have said.

The electorate of Paterson is such a special electorate, filled with very special people. I sincerely thank all of my constituents for having continued faith in me to work in their best interests. I would like to make special mention of the team of friends and volunteers, and my staff, for helping me win my seat in the federal election of Paterson—with an increased margin yet again. The victory was a real team effort, not mine.

In 2013 we increased our vote from 55.37 per cent to 59.8 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. This is a massive increase from 1996, when we were in the marginal position of only 50.4 per cent on a two-party preferred vote. The seat has gone from being the most marginal seat in 1996, not just in the Hunter Valley but in all of Australia, to being the seat with one of the largest margins in the Hunter Valley. This has been despite redistributions that have gone against us. Again, I thank the constituents of Paterson who have invested their trust in me. I never forget where we started, and I always treat my constituents with the utmost respect they deserve. I will never take the people of Paterson for granted, and I will always maintain the attitude that Paterson is a very marginal seat.

There is a long, hard road ahead. There are issues I am working very hard on, like digital television, and mobile phone black spots. Most importantly, what we need to do is ensure people can stay in jobs in our local areas. Downturns in jobs through the mining industry, which then flow through the whole of our community, are really starting to come home, and we need to stop that. That is why it is important to get rid of the carbon tax, get rid of the mining tax, and repeal unnecessary legislation, to restore confidence to the business community.

It is very clear to me I would not be the member for Paterson if it were not for the support of my electorate, but in particular my wife, Cynthia, and my children David, Robbie and Samantha. To them I say thank you. I apologise for the times and the hours I have not been there, and I appreciate their generosity. I thank my staff, Adam Olsen, Simon Ryan, Jarrad Hamilton and Brooke Vitnell, my former staffer Brett Sundell and my tourism policy adviser, Alistair Mitchell, who put in the long, hard hours on the road to success.

I have learnt through the journey of life that nothing happens by chance, and I appreciate the massive efforts put in by my army of volunteers, in particular Doreen Bradley—and, of course, her companion dog, Lady—Steve and Ros Mudd, Dennis and Elizabeth Martin, Rob and Meg Olsen, Bill Garret, Howard Grigor, Sonny Morris and many, many more.

The organising of polling booths is a difficult and time-consuming job, and I wish to thank my zone captains Michael O'Halloran and Gary Hoson in the Great Lakes region, Chris Bowen down through Stroud and Dungog, Jarrad Hamilton and Doreen Bradley from Raymond Terrace-Tilligerry, Drew and Di Gibbs through the Port Stephens area and my federal electorate conference president, campaign director and long-time friend Bob Geoghegan in the East Maitland area. And, of course, I thank the nearly 1,000 volunteers who helped out during the campaign and on election day. I am honoured to have their support.

To those who helped at the shopping centres and the market days with our mobile office, I say thank you. You turned up whether it was hot or cold, wet or dry, windy or wonderful. You can now rest knowing that you have made a big difference. But the work starts again soon.

The long, hard road back to prosperity for our nation has begun. I accept the challenge and I will do all in my power to contribute to make a difference so that we can restore hope, reward and opportunity for all Australians.

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