Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is right; it is not well thought through.

I will make some comments in respect of the other issue troubling South Australia, that being water security. This government has spent so much money over its first two years. It borrowed money to hand out $900 cheques. We saw last week that even its advertising about the borrowed money for the handouts misinformed people as well, so that is another issue about the approach of this government. It borrowed $23 billion to hand out. Imagine what we could have done for the water security challenges this country has by investing that money, rather than just handing it out to the punters. We could have seen a real investment in water security, as we have done in Adelaide, in South Australia, throughout regional New South Wales and Victoria and so forth. Instead we have seen that money disposed of up a wall, so to speak! Again, it is a badly thought through decision that will be costly for us in the future. It will cost Australian taxpayers when we start paying higher taxes; we are seeing interest rate increases already. It was a such a missed opportunity. It is such a pity that we are now lumbered with this huge debt with nothing to really show for it.

In conclusion, and as I said at the start, we support the passage of these appropriation bills. We are disappointed that the government have to rush through bills. They are not thinking through these policies, they are not thinking through the consequences, and it is high time they started to do so.

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