Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to the 2007-08 Budget.

Firstly, I want to remark on Senator Johnston’s contribution in answer to Senator Sterle’s question today. I confirm that my recollection of budget night was that the parties that were taking place were convened by government senators and in the offices of ministers. In my experience, there were no parties taking place on the opposition side. Indeed, the newspapers were reporting the functions that were being run so that donations could be made to the coalition’s election campaign. I recall seeing a number of people with visitor passes, who had been at parties, wandering around the Senate corridors. I think it is an absolute disgrace for Senator Johnston to misrepresent the facts, trying to make a theatrical point in answering a serious question from Senator Sterle.

In terms of the matters which he addressed, frankly it is pretty important to note that the member for Kalgoorlie saw nothing for his electorate in the budget. I am glad that Senator Johnston talked about a rail project; otherwise there would have been nothing he could have said about the measures in the budget that were directly related to the member for Kalgoorlie’s electorate. But he did remark about the mining industry. Of course, it is notable that this government has been in denial about the fact that the boom in the mining industry has been responsible for the economic position that this country faces at the moment.

The fact is that Treasurer Costello will not acknowledge that the Australian economy’s current performance is being driven by the mining boom rather than by good policymaking. The mining boom, in turn, is being driven by a world economy that is experiencing the best performance over three decades. Let me quote from Budget Statement 3: Economic Outlook, the Treasurer’s own paper, which says:

The world economy grew by 5.4 per cent in 2006, the fastest growth rate recorded in over 30 years ...

The budget papers acknowledge that the mining boom is the main story for the Australian economy. Further, on page 3-3, it says:

The Australian economy is adjusting well to the increasing global demand for mineral and energy resources ...

Further, it says:

The Australian economy continues to benefit from strong world demand, with labour and capital continuing to shift towards the mining and construction sectors in response to the increase in commodity prices.

I know that the government senators do not want to hear this because it gives the lie to the claims by the government that the mining boom is not responsible for this—that it is their economic management.