Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the opposition for this MPI, because the actual MPI reads:

The need for the Government to deal with issues confronting Australians and govern in the national interest.

That is exactly what the Turnbull government is doing. In fact, this Labor MPI again highlights the lack of interest that the Labor Party has in actual policies. It is more interested in playing around on the sidelines with distractions. The coalition government is governing and delivering for Australian families. The coalition government is governing and delivering for Australian workers—indeed, this year, for 240,000 more workers; more than any other year in the last 40 years. The coalition government is delivering for Australian small businesses, and, closer to my portfolio, it is delivering for those living with disability. Perhaps instead of asking such a question of the coalition, the opposition should be asking the Labor leader how he justifies authorising donations of union money to his 2007 campaign when he was secretary of the AWU—a small conflict of interest? Not if you are in the opposition.

The opposition leader has always been big on promises, but short on plans; big on talk, but short on delivery; big on shifting his position, but short on consistency. Instead of attempting to govern in the interests of its union puppetmasters, the opposition should be considering how to serve its constituencies. Compare Labor's lack of achievements to the track record of the strong coalition government and you will see a government that gets on with the job of delivering for all Australians and a Labor opposition that delivers distractions and has no plans. Labor stands for higher taxes on Australians. Labor stands for higher taxes on Australian small businesses. We see an opposition that delivered secret funding deals to 27 schools throughout the country. The coalition government has delivered increased funding, real reform and transparent national needs-based funding for education in this country.

As the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, I see firsthand the benefits a fully funded NDIS, delivered by the coalition government, will have for some 460,000 Australians who are living with disability and for their families. We want to give them the certainty they deserve—unlike the opposition, which left a $4.1 billion shortfall in the funding for 2019-20. Labor failed to specifically set aside adequate funding, and they spent any savings that they said they were going to use to support the NDIS several times over—typical Labor, magic pudding 'Shortenomics'. Instead of funding the $4.1 billion, they left the most vulnerable in our community in a state of uncertainty. Australians want security. This coalition government has delivered security for our borders. We have delivered more than 1,000 days without a boat arrival and zero deaths at sea and closed 17 detention centres.

Australians want secure and affordable energy. The coalition is putting in place measures to provide affordable and reliable gas and electricity for all Australians. If Labor had its way, Australia would literally be living in the Stone Age with rolling blackouts. Australians want a secure future—one of prosperity and stability. They do not want the frivolous debate thrown around by the Labor Party at the behest of the member for Maribyrnong. Australians want the coalition government to continue our demonstrated track record of delivering on good government, and continue we will. We are a government of job creation, a government of small business success, a government of economic growth, a government of delivering infrastructure and a government of delivering Medicare guarantees.

Labor has demonstrated that they are a threat to investment in Australia, a threat to business, a threat to jobs and a threat to families. As Prime Minister Turnbull said earlier this year:

Their failure to provide for the future is imposing an unconscionable level of debt on our children and grandchildren.

While the opposition ducks, dithers, distracts and wastes time, the coalition government is getting on with governing in the national interest. Contrary to Labor's nay-sayers, we're delivering literally more than 100 pieces of legislation through the Senate because we want to deliver for the benefit of all Australians.

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