Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Here is the good news: over the next eight years the Commonwealth will take in revenue associated with the fuel excise of over $100 billion, and big-hearted Arthur opposite, the Prime Minister of Australia, will return to the Australian people in one way or another perhaps $1½ billion. This is the government’s relief to the Australian people for the suffering that they are currently experiencing with regard to the petrol prices they are paying. I guess anything is welcome, but we ought not to be jumping through hoops over this particular exercise by the government.

It seems to me that the longer the Prime Minister speaks on this the less substance there is to the things he has to say. He was described recently in the Australian in an article by Ross Fitzgerald as the ‘Geoff Boycott of Australian politics’: he occupies the crease at any cost but does not bother about making any runs. This $1½ billion over eight years is a classic Boycott century. Every second or third over there is a small prod to mid wicket, either side of the mid wicket fielder, the single is taken, the game goes on and gradually, slowly, after about eight hours at the crease he gets to 100—shame about the crowd, which has long since disappeared; shame about the game, which has long since lost its lustre. This is a typical Geoff Howard innings. On the issues which are absolutely critical to the future of this nation, the Prime Minister has given it a bit of a nudge.

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