Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. How is the government making sure that the Australian economy and working people will be the winners in the Asian century?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for that question. This side of the House has a plan for the future—a positive plan for the future which is based on an understanding that there is a fundamental change in the global economic outlook: a shift in economic power from West to East. And that shift in economic power from West to East brings enormous possibilities for our country. If we put in place the right set of policies to maximise those opportunities, we will continue to grow strongly. We do that from a position of strength. We are the 12th largest economy in the world, up from 15th. Three places we have improved since this party has been in power. We are 11 per cent bigger than we were as an economy prior to the global financial crisis, while many other developed economies are still struggling to get back to where they were back in 2008.

We are in this position of strength to maximise the opportunities of the Asian century precisely because of the actions that we took back in 2008-09 to strengthen our economy. We know where the economy would have been if those opposite were in power: we would have gone into recession. We would have had many more people unemployed, and many more businesses would have hit the wall. We are in a position of strength right now precisely because the government got the economic settings right over the past five years.

In our response to the Asian century white paper we are getting the response right—yet again—for the future, to create the jobs of the future, to invest in education and innovation and research, to put in place the fundamental reforms that are required to lift the capacity of our economy. Unlike those opposite, we understand the importance of productivity growth, and the Prime Minister particularly understands how important investment in skills and education is in the Asian century. What we see is the high skilled, high-wage path forward—forward in the Asian century—not the low skilled, low-wage path that those opposite see.

Only last night they were in the parliament voting against bills to protect workers' entitlements. Their path to the future is lower wages and their path to the future is to attack the wages and working conditions of Australian workers. What we believe in is investing in our workforce; what they believe in is tearing it down. So what you can see is a fundamental approach here, a plan for the future, and what you see from those opposite is simply talking our economy down and being negative all of the time.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer him to the fact that the government has granted $550,000 to the Clinton Foundation's carbon accounting scheme in Kenya. Why has the government given over half a million dollars of taxpayers' money to fund a carbon accounting scheme in Kenya while at the same time it is presiding over a fast-disappearing surplus? Why can your government not get its priorities right?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am really pleased I have been asked a question about priorities and am delighted to get a question when it comes to carbon pricing. I am delighted to get a question that follows a discussion on the Asian century and how the path forward is the high-wage, high-growth path that is plotted for us in the white paper, because one of the foundations of growth in the 21st century is putting a price on carbon—putting a price on carbon so we can drive investment in renewable energy. Driving investment in renewable energy is the key to prosperity in the 21st century for a developed economy. So we do not apologise, for one minute, for putting in place a fundamental reform that drives investment in renewable energy. But what we get here—day in, day out—is all of this negative talk, all of this exaggeration, all of this approach which simply trashes public policy.

We do not apologise for what we have done with carbon pricing. It is absolutely essential to the jobs of the future. You can ask as many questions like that as you like; you will have no impact. I will tell you this: the public of Australia are no longer listening to this negative approach. They are sick of the harping. They are sick of the carping that is coming from those opposite. They are absolutely fed up with the approach of those opposite.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order on relevance: we would like to hear an answer about the Kenyan century rather than one about the Asian century.

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! As it was virtually impossible to hear anything, it does seem highly farcical that you would be taking a point of order when you are not allowing a word to be heard by the Treasurer.

Mr Hockey interjecting—

The member for North Sydney is warned.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We do not apologise for any of the investments that we make in reducing carbon pollution. We do not do that at all.