Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I saw today's MPI, I honestly found it quite funny that the Leader of the Opposition would pose a question about providing national leadership. So I did something simple. I googled, 'What makes a good leader?':

A good leader inspires, empowers, and guides a team toward a shared vision while acting with integrity and empathy.

The member for Riverina might like to stay to listen to this:

Essential qualities include clear communication, decisiveness, resilience, and the ability to build, mentor, and trust their team to succeed. They lead by example, are self-aware, and prioritize continuous learning.

I'll give the Leader of the Opposition this: he has certainly inspired, empowered and guided his mates towards a shared vision of sitting on that frontbench together, no matter who is in their way. When it comes to integrity and empathy, Australians have long memories. How much integrity and empathy were shown to the Hon. Sussan Ley, the first female leader of the Liberal Party, when she was knifed in the back? When it comes to communication, what we hear from those opposite is plenty of noise but very few solutions to the issues—slogans without substance, week in and week out. When it comes to decisiveness, we see hesitation, we see backflips and we see a party that cannot settle on what it actually stands for, as we saw just this morning in this chamber. On resilience, a resilient team or coalition does not fracture the moment pressure is applied. Yet, time and again, that is exactly what we see from those opposite. On building, trusting and mentoring a team and backing your colleagues, the revolving door on that frontbench tells its very own story. Leadership is not about who you stand next to when it's convenient; it's about who you stand by when it's difficult. And times are difficult; let's make no mistake.

We do have a great leader in the Prime Minister. If we really want to talk about national leadership, then let's talk about what it actually looks like in practice. Cutting student debt by 20 per cent, delivering relief to more than 19,000 people across my electorate of Spence—that is good leadership. It looks like strengthening Medicare. Opening an additional 50 urgent care clinics so Australians can walk in, get treated and not have to worry about the bill, with nearly two million Australians benefiting, is good leadership. It looks like backing first home buyers, giving them the chance to enter the market with a five per cent deposit. That is good leadership. Easing pressure on energy bills with 30 per cent off home batteries and helping households take control of their costs while we build a more sustainable and connected energy future—that's good leadership. It looks like investing in skills, in workers and in the future of this country, with free TAFE, opening doors for hundreds of thousands of Australians, and with up to $10,000 in support for housing apprenticeships, because, if you want to build more homes, you need more tradies to do it. It looks like backing families, expanding paid parental leave to 24 weeks with super, lifting wages and delivering cheaper child care, including a three-day guarantee, which families in Spence are already calling life changing. That is what good leadership looks like. It is about making decisions that improve people's lives, even when those decisions are not easy. It's about governing with purpose, not just opposing for the sake of it.

When I look at this government, since it came to office, I see consistency, discipline and a clear focus on everyday Australians. I see colleagues in this House and in the other place who are out there in their communities, listening, engaging and delivering—not chasing headlines or internal power struggles but getting on with the job they were elected to do.

Leadership is about responsibility. It is about outcomes, and it's about who you choose to stand with when it matters most. On this side of the House, we choose to stand with Australians. We choose getting on with the job and delivering for communities like mine, while those opposite are still fighting. They've got no sense of direction. They are like a ship with a broken rudder—stuck going around in circles and getting nowhere. On this side of the House, we are focused on leading for everyday Australians to ensure that tomorrow is better. I thank the House.

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