Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will tell you why I know this, for the member for Perth's benefit. I know this because not only was I an employer, not only was my wife an employer; but my parents were employers. My father was an employer and my mother was an employer. I watched as they would stay up late at night, having completed a full and hard day's work, to sit down and undertake the necessary and requisite paperwork. That was a challenge then and it is an ever-increasing burden.

We have red tape, we have green tape and I have this week been introduced to a new term: tier tape. I had to stop the individual who made this remark and say, 'What do you mean by tier tape?' I understand that there is green tape. That relates to environmental matters. I understand there is red tape. That relates to government matters. Tier tape is this concept that there can be regulations imposed upon regulations across the tiers of government. So we now have red tape, green tape and tier tape. Quite frankly, the more that we can do to take that burden off ordinary everyday Australians who take the risks out there in the community to create wealth, the better we will be for it.

The Labor Party, disappointedly, has come into this place, and did so with great fire and brimstone in both March and in October and attempted to heap scorn on the efforts of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and on the PM himself. That is all they have in terms of this argument. As the member for Perth will have to acknowledge, they had six years. They had six years to get on top of this. Instead of getting on top of this, what they did was lump 21,000 extra regulations on the Australian people. It was the World Economic Forum that judged Australia, pitifully, 128th out of 148 countries surveyed for burden of government regulation. That is the background that the Abbott government is determined to turn around. We have to turn around this overwhelming tide of red and green tape.

It was interesting to read a speech recently given by Ms Gina Rinehart, who, of course, is one of our nation's great wealth generators. I am sure the member for Perth—

A government member: And she is a great person too.

Exactly. A strong, principled woman in business and, I am sure the member for Perth would agree with me, a great Australian. She was commenting in this speech about the difference in culture between South-East Asia, where she had been touring, and Australia. She was lamenting the fact that we had created a culture in which forms ruled over reforms. I am determined while I am in this place to give strength to her arm, to give strength to our arm—reforms need to roll over forms.

It is a great privilege to be in this place. Today I hosted students from Murray Bridge High School. I took them all the way to the roof, which was my second occasion on the roof. They asked me, 'Why is it that you are in this place? What drove you to give up a successful practice in law? What drives you to give up as much time as you do away from your family?' I can assure you it is not the fare that we get in the cafeteria—it is certainly not that! What it is is the desire to do better—better for my young daughter, for her children if I am ever blessed with grandchildren, better for the future grandchildren of the member for Braddon.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

The member for Perth can keep interjecting, but she fails to realise that people in this place, on this side, understand how important these reforms are. If those on the other side want to continue to heap scorn on our attempts to cut red tape from the burden that this government imposes on its citizenry then you can keep having that argument because, news for the member for Perth, she will keep sitting on that side of the chamber if that is the agenda she is going to take forward. I can just see the slogans now: 'Vote 1 Labor for more red tape'. You are not going to say that in future elections; what you will be saying however is this—

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

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