Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

Maybe. But $275 was promised, and it hasn't been delivered. You're not governing for people if you go and tell them something and then say, 'We've actually stuffed the policy up, and now we can't deliver it.' You're not governing for all Australians when you attack the historic dynamism of the Australian economy. By putting too much emphasis on Public Service jobs—and I completely respect what public servants do; we absolutely need them—that sector of the economy and the jobs market, then there's not enough emphasis and there's too much competition for the private sector, small businesses, to be able to do what they do.

I think it's really important that governments appreciate the great responsibility that they've been given. Every one of the 150 of us in this place represents roughly 110,000 people. Some of those people vote for us; some of those people don't. We've got to represent them all. When we come into this place in question time, we ask questions and we represent the people in our electorates. People who do that deserve respectful, considered answers. They don't deserve attacks. They don't deserve theatrical flourishes.

Today, the member for Mallee asked a question. It was a reasonable question about concerns that people in her electorate have. The member for Fowler asked a very reasonable question. It was a question based on the concern of a particular business in her electorate, but it's a concern that goes all across the people of her electorate and all of our electorates, which is gas prices. Those two women, who represent people in Australia and who have been elected to this place, deserve the respect of a reasonable answer. What I saw from where I was sitting was a pile on. It didn't look good, it was disrespectful, and it goes against the kinder, gentler parliament that the Prime Minister promised. He needs to be governing for all Australians—

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