Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite accuse the coalition of negativity and of lacking the policies of a stable and able-handed alternative government. I remind the House that the coalition offers nothing but alternatives, with an experienced team ready to lead Australia. Compare the proven Pacific Solution with the horrendous Malaysia swap deal; increasing soil carbons and other measures to improve our environment versus the insidious carbon tax; and working with the private sector to acquire optimal broadband technologies at reasonable cost versus the government's hugely expensive NBN white elephant.

The coalition always has and always will formulate policies that help the Australian economy prosper, reduce the cost-of-living pressures, create secure jobs and restore the fundamental Australian promise: ensuring our children have more opportunity and inherit a stronger Australia than our parents gave us. We have done it before and we will do it again. Just as the coalition cleared Labor's $96 billion debt and bequeathed a $27 billion surplus, we will once again clean up Labor's huge debt, which is still increasing.

In realising the demands and challenges of the 21st century we will increase foreign aid spending to 0.5% of our gross national income by 2015-16. A minister for international development will be appointed to work alongside the Minister for Foreign Affairs to represent Australian interests in a century that sees the rise of China and India as key economic players. We will increase the study of foreign languages in Australian schools. Special student exchange programs with neighbouring countries will be established to further strengthen academic and professional ties in our region.

Our immigration policy will focus on skilled migrants and encourage settlement in regional and rural areas where there are skills shortages to benefit our highly productive petroleum, gas and mining sectors.

A coalition government will provide $4 million for the establishment of a defence industry advocate to assist the Australian defence industry in their dealings with the Defence Materiel Organisation. Furthermore, we will have a defence policy which gives genuine priority to our national defence needs, not to mere political opportunism which guts our defence capability.

To realise our obligations as signatories to the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, we will encourage genuine refugees to seek asylum by lodging an application on merit at one of Australia's overseas embassies. We will take real action to break the harmful cycle of people-smuggling that benefits no-one except the people-smugglers. This will be done the same way the Howard government managed to stop boat arrivals. The facility at Nauru will be reopened. Temporary protection visas will be reintroduced. Priority will be given to refugees who have made offshore applications to Australia's refugee and humanitarian visa program.

A coalition government will take real action to provide certainty of care with a four-year agreement with the aged-care sector. We will establish an aged-care bed incentive program to convert 3,000 of the allocated bed licences to operational residential aged-care beds. Convalescent care will be provided to assist up to 20,000 older people waiting in hospital to return home. We will ensure a high standard of quality care and less red tape and celebrate the continuing contribution of senior Australians.

The coalition will fund the installation of additional CCTV cameras and implement other state-of-the-art security related infrastructure in crime-prone areas to reduce the incidence of criminality, particularly towards vulnerable senior citizens. Working closely with local councils we will have more security patrols out in the community and a stronger graffiti task force ensuring better neighbourhoods for all.

The coalition will put an end to empty promises of this bankrupt government. Australians want a government with a strong agenda to drive economic growth, productivity and employment and reduce cost-of-living pressures. The coalition offers this choice. To the minister sitting at the bench, well over $100 billion is a lot of debt.