Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Economic Security Strategy) Bill 2008 and related bills. The bills will provide for Economic Security Strategy payments to be made to pensioners, seniors, people with a disability, carers and veterans. The bills will also provide for Economic Security Strategy payments for families with dependent children.

While the opposition supports this strategy, it comes after some doubt and concern across the parliament, particularly on the government side, that pensioners would ever get relief from the ever-increasing cost of living, including high fuel prices, increases in the price of food and increasing inflation across all their outlays. At a time when the cost of living has been exacerbated by the ever-developing financial crisis sweeping the world, these payments have been called a one-off. The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, in the past called the Howard government’s one-off child payment in 2004 ‘irresponsible’ and ‘bad social policy’. Entering into government at the last election, this government has found—and the member for Makin may have missed this—that governing is not as easy as it looks to be from opposition.

These pension payments in this package do not include any consideration of the base rate. No doubt pensioners will welcome this payment, but what will happen in the longer term? How will pensioners cope with future cost of living increases? The coalition took steps to address this issue as far back as September with a bill introduced into the Senate. The bill was a first step in a coalition policy regarding pensions, income support, veterans support—and I know, Madam Deputy Speaker Vale, that you are very close to veterans issues—and carers. This was to be developed over time. From the opposition’s point of view, assisting pensioners was an immediate priority—a priority at the time ignored by the Rudd government until it was shamed into it by the circumstances of the day and the urging of the coalition, its leadership and its members across Australia. Over 928,000 pensioners, including 857,000 single age pensioners, 700 widow B pensioners and 70,900 single age service pensioners, would have stood to gain a financial boost from the coalition’s bill had it been taken up by the government.

Australia’s pensioners cannot wait for a Prime Minister who is content in every area to establish yet another review before acting. Being the Prime Minister and being in government mean actually having to make decisions on behalf of the nation, having regard to the best policy outcome that we can get for the funds that are available to us. We say that from little things big things grow. Policy takes time to develop. But the government said that they had a plan. When it comes to implementing their plans to do with our economic wellbeing, it is up to the opposition to at all times take careful account of what the government are doing on a daily basis. Of course we broadly support the government in this financial crisis and with the difficulties that are facing them today, but in turn we must demonstrate our active intention to hold the government to account for all the decisions that they make.

We are going to be talking about another Prime Minister through this week, one who demonstrated a great ability to make decisions, though he was not of my political persuasion. Andrew Fisher, whose 100th anniversary as Prime Minister we celebrate this week, was a former miner from Ayrshire who became the first Prime Minister of a majority government. He left school early to work in the coalmines of Scotland, educating himself at night. He benefited through the miners of the time, who decided that they would give the opportunity to younger, brighter miners to be educated to take on roles that were previously prohibited, examples being engineers, accountants, mine managers and engine drivers—not train engine drivers but mine engine drivers. Andrew Fisher grasped the opportunity, educated himself and achieved great things, as David Day has written in his recent book entitled Andrew Fisher. He served ‘three terms from 1908 as Prime Minister, serving Australia longer than John Curtin, Ben Chifley, Gough Whitlam or Paul Keating’ and ‘he launched a massive nation-building program, which included the establishment of the national capital, the Commonwealth Bank, a transcontinental railway line’ and old age pensions—one of the issues that we are debating today.

And now, as we fast approach the end of the year and our thoughts turn to the celebration of Christmas and all that that encompasses for our families and for the communities we serve and are part of, I realise—of course, it is the realisation of all members of parliament—the great gift that education has bestowed on the generations of our children. As I move around my electorate of McMillan, I cannot fail to recognise the commitment of teachers, the enthusiasm of the students and the ongoing support from parents and families. At this time many families across the world will look forward to celebrating Christmas, but many will not be able to celebrate their children having the education opportunities that we enjoy in Australia. We live in times of financial difficulties and worry, but we must not forget the great advantage of living in this great south land—Australia.

Today I remember the gift of education that empowers our children and, therefore, the nation. The most precious gift we give our children is an education. Nations have successfully evolved, despite opposing forces, by giving the peoples of the world the freedom gained by the provision of a free education. Nations have been empowered, oppressed minorities have been unshackled and the poor have been enriched as education and knowledge release the generations of our youth to a future of hope where there was hopelessness and opportunity where there was none. The barriers to a life of wellbeing, increased wealth and life expectancy are broken by the universal engagement afforded through our education system. Even the opportunity of a minimal education can and has in the lives of many, including the rich and famous alike, ignited the fulfilment of astonishing stories—stories of overcoming deprivation, disadvantage and disability to achieve merited acclaim.

We in this House and we as a nation cannot know, nor can we tell, which students will claim a mantle of success or who will turn a dream into a reality. But there is one thing we can do: we can give each child in our care the basic opportunity to reach their full potential and, in turn, become a gift to this nation. And so I turn to a negative action of the government. I am perplexed and surprised that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Mr Garrett, has axed the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, removing its funding. It is one of our centres of excellence. Once the Australian National Academy of Music is gone, it is suggested, there will be nowhere for Australian elite musicians to go except overseas—away from this country.

Labor’s decision to axe this funding demonstrates that the Rudd government has no commitment to an elite training institution for classical musicians. It is not distanced from us ordinary members of the public, who will never reach these great heights in a particular field. But we believe that, through our taxes, we can invest in people with amazing talent. Money is being thrown around like confetti by this government at the moment—in my humble opinion, in many areas it is being thrown in the right direction to support people who need support right now and to support organisations that need support—and very difficult decisions have been made. But why, for $2½ million, would you have a crack at a group like this? I can tell you one thing: we would not do it to a sports academy in this country. Shadow minister Steven Ciobo said, ‘Whether they are elite sportspeople or first-class musicians, Australia’s best and brightest deserve an academy of excellence in which to pursue their passion.’

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