Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a great example of a company willing to look ahead and to plot a productive and a profitable path into the future. It reminds us just how important it is to get ahead of the curve in this area, whether you're a company or in government. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that with you—after 10 years of climate change denial and avoiding the necessary investments to address it. My word, how things have changed! Compare that with the actions of this government, in a period of higher inflation, to start to invest in the future of this economy in a way that actually assists people sitting around their kitchen table trying to make ends meet.

In the budget in October, Treasurer Chalmers stated that the significantly higher receipts from higher than expected resource prices will be applied to paying down that Liberal debt. It's a prudent move. It's a great idea. From time to time it is necessary for a government to take on debt, and this is done, hopefully, for a good reason. If we cast our minds back to 2008 and the global financial crisis, the Labor government then knew that a significant government stimulus was a useful way to ensure that Australian businesses and the economy generally stayed well. Our actions at the time drew applause from across the world, and it was a useful and targeted fiscal action taken in a timely manner and in a way that had lasting effects.

The present government inherited that trillion dollars of Liberal debt—an amount triple that which followed the GFC. Some of that was necessary, thanks to the pandemic, but, in the main, we have to ask ourselves just exactly how that money was disbursed. We're all now having to wear and bear the ongoing consequences as the cost of living changes. So, when faced with the National Reconstruction Fund being proposed by the government, we have to look at exactly who voted yes and who voted no. It's an investment in the future of this country. At a time when we faced the imperative of transforming our economy from the ground up in the face of climate change, where were those opposite? They were nowhere to be seen. Where was the Albanese Labor government? We were here, we were present, we said yes, and Australia, thankfully, will benefit from our leadership.

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