Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, like the member for Braddon, am pleased to rise in the Main Committee tonight to support the passage of the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2008-2009 and the Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2008-2009. These bills seek appropriation authority from the parliament for additional expenditure of money from the consolidated revenue fund in order to meet requirements that have arisen since the last budget. The total appropriation sought through these bills this year is $3.1 billion or about 4.1 per cent of total annual appropriations. Like other speakers before me, I may take some licence to broadly address spending initiatives by the government because, to borrow an old saying, we are living in interesting times.

The global financial crisis, which has significantly worsened since September-October last year, has meant that it is necessary for the government to take decisive and early action. So, in addition to the expenditure covered in these appropriations bills, we have also recently seen the passing of bills to establish the Nation Building and Jobs Plan—a substantial and significant stimulus to the economy. I am pleased to be part of a government that has taken decisive and early action to address and combat the worsening of the global financial crisis. Importantly, we have seen the government take decisive and early action to stabilise our financial system in Australia, especially our banks. We have seen substantial investment in funds to stimulate our economy, supporting growth and jobs as well as investing in infrastructure for the future. So it is not only money that is being made immediately available to support consumption; it is also funding payments for the future benefit of Australians through investment in our infrastructure.

Today there were significant announcements about assistance the government will make available to those who lose their jobs through no fault of their own in these difficult economic times. I am confident when I talk about the investment that will occur in my electorate; and how that is well received. I have been visiting many schools in my electorate in recent weeks—when I have been able to get back to my electorate—and they are very pleased about the government’s further investment of some $14.7 billion in Building the Education Revolution. I note that that is the single largest schools building program in Australia’s history. I am very pleased that all of Australia’s 9,540 schools will benefit from the immediate funding for major and minor infrastructure projects.

I particularly urge my own state government, the Western Australian government, to look at an effective way to ensure that those funds are available to state government schools at the earliest possible opportunity. There were substantial difficulties in the previous government’s Investing in Our Schools Program, because of how procurement policies operated in Western Australia. I am hoping there will not be unnecessary restrictions or red tape imposed upon our state government schools in the electorate of Hasluck and that we will be able to see those funds flowing at the earliest possible opportunity. We all agree—irrespective of which side of the House we are on—that it is our responsibility, indeed our obligation, to ensure that Australian children have the best possible education. It is the way to give them the best start in life.

We will also see the benefits of this funding boost to our construction and building industries. I am most pleased about that. Equally, I congratulate the government for its investment in housing and the commitment to build some 20,000 new public homes—not only because this will support local tradespeople and the building industry but because it will have a direct effect on beginning to address the problem of homeless people in our community. Already we have heard in the House today from the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Housing, about the benefit that is already being seen in our local construction industry, particularly in the new homes area, from the government’s stimulus package.

More specifically, I will address some of the issues in the appropriations bill. In particular, I want to comment on the additional funding directed to AusAID. As I have previously advised the House, each year some 34,000 mothers and over 400,000 children under the age of five years will die in our immediate region. These figures will increase to 200,000 mothers and 3.2 million children if we include all of South-East Asia. The mothers generally die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, the children from largely preventable causes. Australia’s aid in the region has made a significant contribution to the health outcomes in many countries, and this will increase with the improved AusAID health policies and initiatives of the Rudd government. The government has pledged to increase overseas development assistance from 0.3 to 0.5 per cent of the gross national income by 2015. This funding will in part support our neighbours through the Pacific Partnerships to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The 2008-09 budget allocated an increase of eight per cent expenditure on health issues affecting the Millennium Development Goals outcomes. As a member of ASEAN in 2008-09 Australia is committed to nearly $1 billion in bilateral and regional development for the East Asia region. That is a substantial investment by Australia, one I hope to see increased, and I am proud to be part of a government that has made that commitment and that investment in our region.

I note that the appropriations bill also addresses additional appropriation for the Department of Climate Change. Some $13.95 million is provided for a national advertising campaign to raise public awareness of climate change and of the government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. It seems to me, particularly with the recent extraordinary climatic events, as well as the terrible fires we have just witnessed in Victoria and the floods in Queensland, that very few people now would argue that there is no such thing as global warming or climate change. In the lead-up to the November 2007 election, the Labor Party made a substantial commitment to tackle climate change after nearly 11-odd years of inaction by the previous government on that issue. I am glad to say that we are also taking steps to prepare Australia for the challenges of the future by tackling climate change. Australians know that acting now on climate change is the responsible thing to do. We cannot afford to waste any more time on this issue.

I note that the Leader of the Opposition and the opposition parties appear to remain hopelessly divided when it comes to taking action on climate change. Indeed, I think there are still some of his colleagues who cannot agree with the Leader of the Opposition that climate change even exists. But we are moving on from that and taking strong action to tackle climate change by introducing a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. We are also making sure that we are putting in place targets that are appropriate and responsible, given the need to protect our economy and our jobs during this global recession. I think it is money wisely spent by the government in lifting the nation’s awareness of how the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, intended to start in 2010, will indeed operate.

Among the significant benefits of the scheme, we will see for the first time in Australia a cost and a charge on carbon pollution, which will encourage major polluting businesses to lower their emissions. We will see the funds raised help industries that pollute lower their emissions. We will also use the funds raised to assist households to adjust to the scheme, making sure Australian families do not carry the cost burden of climate change and, importantly, build on our investment in renewable energy to create the low pollution jobs of the future in solar energy, on wind farms and in jobs using new technologies like clean coal and geothermal energy. Taking action on climate change will see the renewable energy sector in Australia grow to 30 times its current size by 2050, creating thousands of new jobs.

I also note the additional expenditure for the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts—some $100 million to meet the increased demand for household rebates under the Solar Homes and Communities Plan. I well recall the criticism from the opposition that changes to that subsidy would ruin the operation of the Solar Homes and Communities Plan, but what we have seen is a significant increase in demand by  households for the rebates that are available under the Solar Homes and Communities Plan. These bills will provide rebates of up to $8,000 for eligible households to install solar PV systems, transitioning to the new Solar Credits in mid-2009.

This complements a part of the Nation Building and Jobs Plan that the Rudd government has recently introduced, the Energy Efficient Homes package, which is about supporting clean, green jobs and rolling out energy efficiency to Australia’s suburbs on an unprecedented scale. Free ceiling insulation, worth up to $1,600, will be available to around 2.2 million homeowners. This is a particularly popular scheme in my electorate of Hasluck, and especially in the suburbs of Gosnells and Maddington, where, when many homes were completed, people were unable to afford insulation in their ceilings, and they wait with great anticipation for that insulation program to be available. Equally, I have many suburbs in my electorate that have a high level of rental accommodation. I am pleased to see that landlords will be eligible for a rebate of up to $1,000 to insulate, it is estimated, some 500,000 rental properties around Australia. It is estimated that this initiative will reduce heating and cooling bills by up to 40 per cent—saving the average household some $200 a year on their energy bills.

Rebates for eligible homeowners and renters to install solar or heat-pump hot water systems have been increased to $1,600 and the means test has been removed. Households in Australia can save over $300 on energy bills by replacing electric hot water systems with solar hot water systems. The $300 million Green Loans program will start rolling out energy assessments backed with low-interest loans for solar, water and energy efficient products from mid-2009. In addition, there is the National Rainwater and Greywater Initiative to help people use water wisely in their everyday lives. There are rebates of up to $500 for households to install rainwater tanks or greywater systems.

There is occurring in Australia a substantial and comprehensive response to the issues associated with climate change and converting or transforming our economy from a high-carbon producing economy to a low-carbon producing economy. The Western Australian government previously committed to match funding and cooperate with the federal government in the $13.9 million investment in Perth’s Solar Cities project, which will involve five local councils in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth, including the City of Swan and the Shire of Kalamunda in my electorate of Hasluck, in the rollout of a substantial program to implement for the first time in the east metropolitan region an initiative directed towards Perth’s Solar Cities. There has been some delay in that, and I would urge the Western Australian state government and, in particular, the Department of Housing and Works, to come on board with this crucially important project.

There was $4 million allocated in the budget for the upgrade of drainage systems in Perth’s Canning and Southern River areas. I heard the member for Swan last night in the grievance debate raising his concerns about investment in this important area of Perth’s river system. I indicate to him that I share his concerns. The state government previously agreed to match funding for upgrades of drainage systems around the Canning and Swan River area but have recently indicated that they would like to change the nature of their funding from cash funding to ‘in kind’ funding. We have yet to get to the bottom of what that actually means. These are important projects as part of conserving and protecting not only these important environmental areas but also our water in Western Australia, and I urge the state government to come on board.

There is money in the appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Ageing—and I have heard other members congratulate the government on this—for a national community education and awareness campaign for organ donations and transplants across Australia. I also compliment the government—in particular, the Hon. Nicola Roxon—for the comprehensive set of initiatives concerned. I also note additional funding to increase the number of places available under the Prevocational General Practice Placement Program and I congratulate the government for that initiative. I am very fortunate to have in my electorate an election commitment to a new GP superclinic in the suburb of Midland. Initially this project was agreed between the state government and the federal government prior to the 2007 election. As we speak, the Barnett state government are currently reviewing their decision to match funds and have indicated their opposition to the clinic being collocated on the site of the proposed new Midland health campus. Such a change of location will add further costs. It also has great cost implications for the commitment for superclinics. I know that all of the stakeholders involved at a local level—the Swan Kalamunda Health Service, the Midland Redevelopment Authority and the City of Swan—and the federal government and the current tender proponents recognise the importance and value of having the GP superclinic colocated with the hospital. I urge the Western Australian government to reconsider this decision.

I will address one last area. This concerns Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2008-2009. It has additional funds for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. There is $300 million for the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. This program sees some $250 million being distributed to local councils. I was incredibly pleased to discover that my local councils will share a considerable amount of that money: some $544,000 for the Shire of Kalamunda, some $677,000 for the City of Swan and some $668,000 for the City of Gosnells. They are all vibrant local councils with increasing populations and pressures on their budgets and expenditure. I am delighted that that funding has been confirmed.

In the case of the Shire of Kalamunda, it will go towards the refurbishment of the Kalamunda Aquatic Centre, which will see a major upgrade with the installation of a pool filtration system, resurfacing of the toddlers’ pools and change rooms and the installation of additional shade shelters, amongst other things. In the case of the City of Swan, there is a raft of projects throughout its very large area in not only my electorate but also the electorates of Pearce, Cowan and Perth, which will all see substantial upgrades to local community infrastructure. I am delighted that we will see that funding both support jobs and boost local economies. I look forward to seeing the City of Gosnells plans. Of course these funds for local government have now been substantially increased by some $500 million. I know my local councils look forward to working with the federal government on building and establishing new, important infrastructure for our communities to use. I commend the bills before us to the House.

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