Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to offer some comments on this incredible matter of public importance that we have in front of us. I say ‘incredible’ because I agree with the Assistant Treasurer’s description of this particular statement that has been put before us as ironic coming from the current opposition, who were the previous government. I would go further and say that it is absolutely breathtaking irony that those members opposite who were members of the previous Howard-Costello government—who for 12 years played political strategies by dividing this nation by putting their own interests and those of their marginal seats over the interests of investment in the nation and building the important infrastructure that we need—could get up and say that we as a government have put a political strategy before an economic strategy. That is incredible irony.

As I said, on 24 November 2007 the Australian people voted based on a number of issues, and among them were two critical issues relating to this very matter. They voted to end the blame game and they voted for a government that would invest in the essential infrastructure and services that they had been in need of for so long. They voted for the real economy; they voted for investment over a political strategy and political division. And why? Because they were sick to death of excuses and they wanted their government to do something. They wanted all levels of government to do something. They wanted the Commonwealth government to work in partnership with the state governments, and with local governments, I might add—to once again champion that essential level of government that is often ignored, particularly by the opposition when they were in government.

They voted for real investment, and the irony here is that the previous government did invest. They were the ones who made an art of investing in political spin. They were the ones who made an art of spending hundreds of millions of government dollars on advertising to in fact broadcast their political spin and their political strategy. As a result, our capital cities, our regional towns and our rural areas were left in absolute deficit when it came to investment in infrastructure, health, education and community services.

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