Graham Edwards (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary (Defence and Veterans' Affairs)) Share this | Hansard source

It is laughable to listen to the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, government ministers and other government speakers stand up in this place and complain about ALP policy being about getting into the Future Fund. We just heard the input from the member opposite, who used the words ‘steal from future generations’. What a lot of absolute nonsense. I say that because we know that this government, and we have seen it over the last decade, has consistently spent money on securing its own short-term political future at the expense of long-term investment in infrastructure and long-term investment in the future of this nation.

For this government to turn around and say today that we are selling out on future generations is an absolute joke. You will only secure the future for future generations if you start spending on infrastructure today. This government have consistently thrown away opportunity—10 years of opportunity—on short-term political fixes geared to secure their own political future at the expense of Australia and young Australians. And we get this hypocrite of a Prime Minister come into this House and try to lecture the Australian Labor Party on securing the future of this nation. We are seeing a tired old Prime Minister. That is becoming increasingly evident, not just from what people are saying out in the community; you only have to look at the backbench during question time to see that they are scared. That is one of the reasons why right from the word go today they have been trying to scuttle Kevin Rudd’s view for the future, a view that we have to have if we are going to secure the future for younger generations and for the young kids of our nation.

I have spoken on the issue of Telstra and its lack of services for some time. I campaigned on it in 1998. We have campaigned on it ever since. For the minister to recently have said in public that no-one is complaining about broadband speeds in metropolitan Australia is a clear reflection of just how out of touch with reality and how arrogant this government has become. We know that what this government has been about in recent years is simply squandering money in the bush, trying to placate the Nationals and trying to look after their political interests—and it has been at the expense of Australia.

When I spoke in 2005 on the matter of public importance regarding another partial sale of Telstra that the government had gone into, I said:

The proceeds of the partial sale have been squandered. They have been squandered on buying votes in the bush and through the bulbous pockets of the government’s spendthrifts, who have wasted countless opportunities for proper and prudent investment in our infrastructure, our services and our future. The proceeds have been squandered by the biggest pork-barrelling government in the history of Australia—squandered and wasted, not invested. The government has not invested in infrastructure, in growth, in their loyal clientele, in the future of our nation ... or ... in Telstra.

Is it any wonder that the greatest number of complaints we get in my northern suburbs office are about broadbanding issues? Is it any wonder that ordinary small business people—mums and dads—are complaining that this government has let the people of Australia down consistently over 10 years? Is it any wonder now that they are not going to accept the word of this tired old Prime Minister who accuses us of stealing from the future? The Rudd Labor opposition is about investing in the future, investing in infrastructure, investing in our young people and securing their future. (Time expired)

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