Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance today because I believe the people of Macarthur are in urgent need of a stable government—a stable, competent and secure government that will restore confidence to families, pensioners, small business owners and manufacturers in my electorate and across this country; a stable government that they can be proud of, not one that they are embarrassed by; a stable government that will focus on sensible economic management, with a strong plan to pay back the debt and return to balanced budgets.

The people of Macarthur have had enough, and they have good reason to be disillusioned with this Labor government. Just look at the long list of incompetent policies that it has blundered in its short time in office. We have had the border protection fiasco. Last week alone, eight boats arrived, carrying 564 people, and there have been more than 2,000 illegal arrivals this year alone. And what about the East Timor processing centre or the Malaysian asylum seeker swap—five for one—which the High Court declared was illegal? There was the BER school halls debacle, the citizens' assembly, the cash-for-clunkers scheme and the carbon tax promise—that there would be no carbon tax under a government led by our Prime Minister.

The carbon tax has been met with great contempt by the people of my electorate. The increased costs for small businesses and the rise in electricity bills for local residents mean they are struggling to make ends meet. Last winter I shook the freezing cold hands of pensioners in their homes who were too scared to turn on their heaters in fear of their rising electricity bills. That is an absolute fact. One lady told me she has cut back to eating one meal a day because she is fearful of the rising costs of her electricity bills as a result of this tax. Fear, insecurity, instability—all caused by this reckless government. The carbon tax is just another example of an unstable government which relies so heavily on the Greens to hold on to government. What is even harder to swallow is that the people in my electorate are suffering under a scheme that does not even reduce emissions.

But it does not stop there. What about the government linking Australian carbon trading to Europe, just as the European scheme started to collapse, or the fact that we have a mining tax that raises no revenue? And what about the Prime Minister breaking her promise with Andrew Wilkie, the member for Denison, about pokie reform, or the ban on live cattle exports and the attacks on skilled migrant workers, resurrecting Pauline Hanson? But why stop there? We have seen the raids on inactive savings accounts and superannuation, and the digital set-top boxes sold at three times the price of Harvey Norman. The list goes on. What about Labor's solution to Europe's debt crisis? All they did was lecture Europe to take on more debt—great policy! And, for those of us keeping count, so far there have been over 500 promises to bring the budget to surplus come hell or high water.

We have seen this government demonise single mothers, and so many in my electorate are feeling the brunt of this failed policy. One of these single mums is Deanne Saros from Currans Hill. Poor Deanne—she lost $350 a fortnight after the government decided to stop her single-parent payments once her son turned eight. Ms Saros has a son with various health problems and must attend several medical appointments with him through the week—stopping her from taking on full-time work. She works part time to support her son and told the Camden Advertiser that she has to rely on her elderly parents to help pay the rent after the government cut her payments without warning last year. Sadly, this mum, like many others in my electorate, fell through the cracks of this policy because she is not unemployed but she does not have enough work to be able to support herself without the government payment. She is a single mum disadvantaged by a poor policy that the Labor government should revisit.

With so many bungled policies, it is no wonder the government is fed up with the Australian media trying to keep it honest. The government's attempt to rush its proposed media reforms through the parliament this week is outrageous and just shows the extent this government will go to protect itself. Labor's mad rush on media laws is no different from its mad rush on school halls and pink batts.

The Australian people are also fed up with this government's pro-union bias, which does nothing but undermine our economy. It is about time this government stopped acting in the interest of union bosses and started focusing on the national interest. The people of Macarthur lost all faith in this government a long time ago. I am sure my colleagues would have received the same feedback from locals in their electorates across the country. I have been out on the ground speaking to the people of Macarthur, and they have simply had enough. And can you blame them? Lies, rumours, backstabbing, poor policy, leadership speculation and the inability to manage the budget and keep this country out of billions of dollars of debt—no wonder the people of Australia are sick and tired of this government and the circus it has become.

On top of all these bad policies and failures, Labor continues to obsess about leadership, because the Prime Minister continues to show bad judgement. The people of Macarthur and the people of Australia want stability. They deserve better. They want to see good policy from their government and a strong economy. This comes from good governance. If this government were a local council, it would have been sacked by now and administrators appointed. The people of this country are not stupid. They know that this government's problem is not whether it is Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister; the problem is that we have a divided and dysfunctional government that will never change as long as we have both of them in this parliament.

The message I am hearing in Macarthur is very clear. Families and small businesses are desperate for a new government that they can have confidence in. Families are struggling with the rising cost of living, and businesses are shutting-up shop under the uncertainty of this Labor government. It is impossible to expand your business when you are so unsure of what outlandish policies and red tape the government will rush through this parliament next. What is next for the people of Australia? The cost of living and the amount of debt this country is in have been two of the most frequent issues raised with me by the people of Macarthur.

Labor's interest payments are now at almost $20 million a day. Imagine how many programs and policies could be supported across Australia with this money. I can name hundreds of community projects, organisations and charities in my electorate that would benefit from extra funding: Society 389, Lifeline, the Right Start Foundation, KU Starting Points—Macarthur, St Vincent de Paul, Macarthur Temporary Family Care, Northcott disability services, NOVA Employment, Macarthur Disability Services, Macarthur Diversity Services, Beautiful Minds, Cystic Fibrosis Macarthur, the Kids of Macarthur Health Foundation, or our local sports teams and schools. So many organisations in my electorate are desperate for funding to support those less fortunate, but so much has been wasted by this Labor-Greens government. This government's waste and mismanagement has been a disgrace, and the people of Macarthur and the people of Australia deserve better.

What we have in this country is an urgent need for stable government, focused on the needs of all Australians. I stand here today as a proud member of the coalition, because I know that a stable and secure coalition government will help the people of Macarthur. The first thing we will do is get rid of the carbon tax. We will reduce regulation by a billion dollars, and cut back on government waste and mismanagement. We will introduce new economic policies that will ensure a stable and well-run economy.

A stable government would give businesses in Macarthur the certainty they need to prosper, and, after years of instability and uncertainty under this Labor government, they will finally have the confidence they need to grow and invest in my community. More than 70 per cent of the workers in my electorate commute out of Macarthur to work every day. I would love to see local businesses in my electorate grow so that they can employ more local people, so that the people of Macarthur can live and work closer to home and spend more time with their families.

The people of Australia want an election because they have had enough of the division, dysfunction and instability of this Labor government. It is time for a coalition government that offers the people of Macarthur and the people of Australia hope, stability and security. The people of this country deserve a government that they can be proud of—one that gives people a hand up instead of a handout, understands the importance of small business and wants to see it prosper, supports families and pensioners and will build a strong economy so that our children and their children will not be paying off this debt for many years to come. A coalition government will do that.

We have real solutions for all Australians. A coalition government will build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy with lower taxes. We will get the budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt. We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax. We will help small businesses grow and create more jobs. We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class, five-pillar economy. We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years. We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving. We will deliver better services including health services. We will deliver better education. We will take action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas. We will deliver stronger borders. We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability. This is the coalition's plan and we will stick to it.

Our plan has real solutions for all Australians, including the people of Macarthur. I hope that, for the sake of my children and future grandchildren, we will never see a government that is as incompetent and unstable as the one we have now. The people of Australia and the people of Macarthur simply cannot afford it, and they deserve better. Here it is, in my hand—our plan: real solutions for all Australians, with the directions, values and policy priorities of the next coalition government. This plan will bring to the people of Macarthur and the people of Australia hope, reward and opportunity for all.

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