Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Labor will never pay off the debt, and we will have to change the government so that a Liberal-National government will be able once again to repay the devastating result of Labor excesses.

We have a situation where the government is doing what Labor governments like to do, and that is to be a high-taxing, high-spending, old-fashioned Labor government. It really has become out of fashion for governments to build up deficits, but this government is like a pig in a trough. It is enjoying doing what Labor governments have historically done—writing cheques today without having to worry very much about when those debts are actually going to be paid. The government is completely out of control. There is an increasing level of concern in the community generally over debt. If you ask people whether they wanted the cash payments, most people would say yes. Then if you say to them, ‘But is it right that governments should be shovelling money out the door like that?’ most of them say no. We accept that there needs to be some spending, but the government has gone far too far and it has not taken into account the long-term cost of repaying this debt.

The honourable member for Maribyrnong went on about what this government has done for those people who are in receipt of pensions. The reality is quite different.

Another matter which is very relevant is the private health insurance rebate and the fact that the Leader of the Opposition in his budget reply speech suggested that tobacco should be taxed at a higher rate of excise than currently. Were this to occur, there would be a relatively small increase in the price of cigarettes, but this would mean that the private health insurance rebate would be able to continue as it currently is. The way to have a strong public health system is to have a strong private health system. The larger the proportion of the Australian community which is covered by private health insurance, the smaller the proportion of the Australian community that will be on public hospital waiting lists. If the government makes it impossible for people to continue to afford private health insurance then increasing numbers of people will join the queues for surgery in public hospitals.

Labor, of course, has an ideological hatred of private health insurance. It is sad, though, when you have a situation where the government is allowed to pursue its prejudices at the cost of the health of Australians—indeed, at the cost of the private health system but also, consequently, at the cost of the public health system. I think that the Minister for Health and Ageing should really consider very carefully the offer made by the opposition to support an increase in excise on tobacco products in exchange for making sure that the government keeps its promise, which was not to interfere with the private health insurance rebate.

The community expects governments to keep their promises. Regrettably, this government has not kept its promise to the Australian people with respect to private health insurance and changes to the workplace relations system. This government seems to do or say one thing one day and then not hesitate to tear up that promise. This government thinks its claim of changed circumstances makes it acceptable to break its promises. As I have been saying in the main chamber over the last couple of days, the government clearly has a system of core promises and non-core promises—but the reality is probably that the government does not have any promises worth keeping at all. The Australian people have lost faith in this government. The Australian people will simply not trust a government that says one thing before the election and in some cases even after the election and then is prepared to treat the Australian people with absolute contempt.

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