Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, I received a letter about paid parental leave today. I hear the shadow minister. If he will just be quiet, I will tell him about the letter. The letter was talking about paid parental leave and asking for me to have a meeting with him. I will have a meeting with you, member for McMahon. I will happily have a meeting with you. The paid parental leave is going to be a productivity measure. He talked about the fact that there would be more people gaining a benefit in the Prime Minister's electorate than there would be—now he leaves the chamber. You should stay and listen because then you can avoid having a meeting with me! You should stay and listen. You might actually learn something. No, that is typical—he walks away. He talked about the fact that there would be more than 400 Riverina families who would benefit from the paid parental leave. Therefore, what is so wrong with people getting a benefit?

I have to say: Labor continually talk about the pension being stripped away. Well, I would ask the member for McMahon to ask the pensioners in his electorate if any of them are receiving a pension cut. In fact, the pension will continue to increase. We heard the Prime Minister say it again and again in question time today, but obviously the member for McMahon was not listening. The pension will continue to increase twice each year to keep up with the cost of living. In March this year the pension rate increased by a maximum of $15.70 a fortnight for single pensioners and $11.90 a fortnight for each member of a couple. The amount of the pension will increase again in September. We heard the Prime Minister say it will increase again twice next year, twice the year after.

The trouble with Labor is they are not listening. They did not listen in six years when they were on the Treasury benches and they fail to listen now. They do not have a plan for the future; they have a plan for the past, though. That plan is to eradicate 7 September from last year's calendar. They have a plan to say that 7 September, election day last year, did not occur. They have a plan to say, 'No, no, no—we're still in power, we're still running the show. Let's keep this age of entitlement going. Let's keep the welfare going up and up and up. Let's keep regional Australia where they belong—absolutely feeling like second-class citizens.'

We are getting on with the job of building the roads of the 21st century. We have got on with the job—and we are doing it again and again—of stopping the boats. We are getting on with the job of paying down Labor's debt, which, if left unchecked, would be $667 billion. There is $1 billion a month in interest payments that would build, as the Treasurer said today, teaching hospitals. We would have fantastic teaching hospitals if that money were spent where it ought to be spent. So many schools could be built on just the $1 billion a month we are spending in interest alone. We cannot keep maxing out the credit card.

The member for McMahon in his matter of public importance lead speech said we have talked a lot about surveys. He quoted a lot of surveys. Here is one for him: of the 17 top-surveyed International Monetary Fund countries, Labor left Australia with the fastest growth in spending of anyone in the world and the third highest growth in debt of any country in the top 17. There is a survey he can wrap his ears around. He talks about the adverse impact of the budget on the Australian economy and on confidence. Well, let me tell you: if there is any sap of the Australian confidence it is with the carbon tax. The carbon tax is costing each and every family $550 per year extra every time they turn on the power, every time they go to the supermarket, every time they drive their car. It is costing them $550 extra a year.

We heard in question time today about state parliaments. Today a good friend of mine, the Hon. Andrew Constance, the member for Bega—I know him well; we have been mates for a long time—showed what can happen when governments are not afraid to make tough decisions early. Andrew Constance is the new Treasurer of New South Wales in the Baird-Stoner government. Just as an aside, the carbon tax is costing the state of New South Wales, that fine state, $237 million a year, which should be being spent on schools, because at the end of the day states are responsible for schools. Newsflash, Labor: states are responsible for educating our kids. That is why they call them state schools. But they are also responsible for health. That $237 million would be far better spent on schools and on health.

When the New South Wales Nationals-Liberal government came into power they too inherited a mess. It was back in 2011. They had a debt which was out of control. Why would it have been out of control? Can anybody tell me why it might have been out of control?

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