Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Banking and Financial Services) Share this | Hansard source

I am referring to page 1-5 of Budget Paper No. 1, Senator McGauran. Go and read it. In 2007-08, there is 2.25 per cent for productivity and then, after 2007-08, there is a decline which sees productivity flatline back down to 1.75 per cent over the next three years. Now, I am not going to focus on Work Choices today but, if the argument is that Work Choices is going to lift productivity, why don’t the Treasury budget papers reflect the lift in productivity that they argue will flow from Work Choices? That is another debate for another time, but it is interesting that the Treasury papers do not reflect the lift in productivity that is claimed by the government.

The budget fails the future test, secondly, because it does nothing practical to build a high-speed broadband network. Again, my colleague Senator Conroy and our leader, Mr Rudd, have outlined what Labor intends to do in this area. A high-speed national broadband network is essential to increasing productivity, particularly for small business and for rural and regional Australia, Senator McGauran. What has the National Party done about this issue?