Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, how is the government putting in place the right policies, properly costed, to ensure that Australia's future is stronger, smarter and fairer?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister has the call and will be heard in silence.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for La Trobe for her question and I thank her for her continuing concern for people in her constituency and her focus on their opportunity, on jobs, on their ability to start and succeed in a small business and also on the things that go to support the modern families who live in her electorate with the pressures of day-to-day life.

The member for La Trobe asks a very important question. First and foremost, let me say this: we as a nation are a strong nation and we are a smart nation. I am tired of the discourse in our national life that talks those attributes down. We have always been a nation which has presented strong in the world. We have always been a nation that has been smart and been able to bring clever solutions to complex problems. Indeed, our history is one of doing that. As a strong and smart nation, we have always aspired to be a fair nation. That is why this nation has been constructed around, and its national ethos is attached to, great Labor reforms like our introduction of the pension, like our introduction of Medicare, like our introduction of universal superannuation and like the fair workplace laws we will always believe in.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Monuments!

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, the pension's a monument? My God! What an outrage.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the dismissive attitude of those opposite to key concepts of fairness like the old age pension is well and truly on display.

As a strong, smart nation, we have to ask ourselves, in a world that requires sophisticated thinking, in a world that needs real plans and costed solutions: what is the best way forward as our nation needs to confront a high and sustained dollar which is impinging on competitiveness and economic diversity, as our nation faces challenges like how we can best support those with disability, how we can ensure our kids get the best start in life and the best education in the world? As you confront these challenges, you are called upon to think through for real plans with real costings and real details, not to float ideas that, on their face, are absurd—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like the surplus!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and would hurt families around the nation, not to put into the public domain ideas that actually do not even pass the laugh test—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like 'No carbon tax under the government I lead'!

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney is warned!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

do not have detail, do not have any costings and are aimed at hurting families. This government will always focus on the real things that matter to our nation and making sure we do the smart thinking that delivers the solutions for our country. I want us to be stronger in the future. I want us to be smarter in the future. I want us to be fairer in the future. That is our aim and that is what we are intent on delivering. (Time expired)