Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to support the Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Bill 2008, and I commend the broad and thorough speeches of the members for Isaacs, Blair and Lindsay and their detailed treatment of the legislation before us. Before I too turn to the legislation, I just want to touch base with some of the points raised by the member for Dickson in what was quite a bizarre approach to the legislation before us. I wonder sometimes, if he is the opposition’s economics whiz-kid, what his actual grasp of the world economy is and what his grasp of even practical economics is. It must be a little bit different in Brisbane on the other side of the river, I guess. People on the southern side of the river obviously have a different view of the world—although, thankfully, our Treasurer does provide a little bit of logic over that side of the river.

It was amazing that the member for Dickson was able to detail the last 11½ years of economic reform and he was able to encapsulate all of the last 11½ years of economic reform as being, quite simply, some accounting skills that the Howard government touched on. That was it. Look at the great Hawke-Keating reforms of the decades before. All the member for Dickson was able to touch on was the fact that there had been some accounting skills demonstrated by the Howard government. So I think the time of the member for Dickson as an economic spokesperson is limited, and the member for Higgins might be able to provide him with a bit of guidance. He certainly needs to do a lot more work when it comes to understanding the world economy.

Whether we look at local sporting clubs, multinational companies or suburban households, no matter how big or small, every organisation needs a useful system in place to manage its finances, to pay its bills and to invest for the future. Obviously the Australian government is no different except that the accounting sheets are just so much more significant. Could I just take this moment to thank all of the treasurers across Australia, especially the volunteer treasurers, who do that great work for their organisations just for a pat on the back.

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