Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment (Schoolkids Bonus Budget Measures) Bill 2012. I would like to acknowledge the previous speakers, including the member for Cowan, another West Australian, who I know has a deep interest in education, particularly as he has two young girls that he is extremely proud of. His interest in their education is shown by the way he delivered his speech on this particular bill. We also heard from the member for Aston, who spoke about this bill being all about a carbon tax compensation, and the member for Bradfield, who spoke about this bill as being just politics. Last night the government announced their planned budget for the coming year. It was a confusing message from the Treasurer, and it seems that this government continues to lack any sort of narrative that appeals to the Australian public and deals with the economic challenges which Australians face. If we had taken Labor's rhetoric at face value, we would have expected a tough budget with a coherent economic strategy to deliver stronger growth and higher productivity. Instead, we got more Labor handouts, money shuffles and a pretend surplus.

The surplus is an illusion. The planned increases in national debt next year and over the forward estimates will continue to rise. Those who watched the budget last night might ask themselves: 'How can the government deliver a surplus while simultaneously increasing national debt? Surely there's something the Treasurer isn't telling us.' The bill currently before the House is yet another example of the government not being upfront with the Australian people. Labor has decided to dump the education tax rebate, a targeted program that provided genuine assistance to relieve education costs for parents. Instead, it is giving out handfuls of taxpayers' money in a desperate bid to improve its electoral stocks.

The new handouts bring back memories of the $900 cash handouts that former Prime Minister Rudd sent out in the early days of the government. Consistent with this government's usual practices, waste occurred on a massive scale, with payments going overseas and to dead people. I recall during the Rudd period a talkback caller to 6PR in Perth whose name, if my memory serves me right, was Charlie. He won the title of talkback caller of the day. The subject he spoke about was what he had spent his $900 of stimulus money on. He had spent it on brothels. There was no accountability for the $900, so, instead of helping him out—

Mr Baldwin interjecting—

It seems to be an acceptable practice.

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