Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I can hear a faint, distant voice from a member of the opposition. It is only faint because on these matters they are very quiet; they just peep up a little bit in the background. In the end, it is not so much that you should be measured in this place by what you say; you should be measured by what to do. I am very proud of the legacy that this government will leave, whether it is infrastructure development, boosting the economy, providing tax offsets and improvements to the tax system or greater efficiencies. Beyond doubt, the government’s economic stimulus packages have made a great contribution to Australia, ensuring not only that we survive the economic crisis brought on by global circumstances but also that we thrive and that people get on with their day-to-day lives and their business affairs.

Industry stakeholders particularly have expressed support for the measures we are putting forward and we thank them for their support—the Australian Industry Group, other business organisations, independent economists and others. They support the measures because they are really good measures, designed to be in the national interest. We hear all sorts of abuse from the other side when particular groups are mentioned, but they cannot have it both ways. When it suits you, you cannot be patting them on the back and when they say something that may not suit you, you cannot say that their voice is irrelevant or has no credibility. That is a real issue. I do not think the opposition understands that. They have some real issues with what they see as a voice out in the community, a balanced and fair interpretation or analysis of the things we are putting forward.

Having been an opposition member in this place for a very long time, almost 10 years, causes me to reflect on the things I could have done had I been in government for that time. The greatest lost opportunity which sticks in my mind—the things you can never really reverse, never really undo, the things you lament when you talk to your communities—is the lack of investment in infrastructure. In the good days, we used to come into this place and speak about the rivers of gold, the unexpected revenue and the windfalls that fell into the previous government’s lap. When you think about the opportunities lost—

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