David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise also to take notice of answers given by Senator Wong to questions asked by Senators Brandis, Cormann and Edwards. I noted that, in her opening comments, Senator Wong studiously avoided answering any of those questions. She went right out of her way to avoid ruling out changes to superannuation that would disadvantage holders of superannuation accounts across the country. Similarly, she avoided any semblance of an answer to the issue of the impact on the budget of scrapping the carbon tax floor price. When Senator Edwards asked her about industry closures in South Australia, there was, once again, no substance whatsoever to her answers.

This is typical of the lack of transparency that is endemic in this government. They were elected in 2007 on the basis of something that I believe was called Operation Sunshine, which was apparently going to open the blinds and allow sunshine into the operations of the government. Five years later, we are yet to see even a little peek of sunlight coming in through the window. To the contrary, I think it has become noticeably darker in government since 2007. The government have become masters at trying to put forward ideas without actually giving any details or putting forward ideas that are not being funded, and I will get into that a little more in a minute, with a view to trying, as Senator Fifield put forward much more eloquently than I would ever be able, to create the impression that they are taking action on these issues. There is just enough information and just enough money to make it look like there is a possibility that they are taking some action but, in reality, there is no substance behind it and there is no money behind it.

It is highlighted by the fact that this nation is currently facing a $120 billion black hole as the government of the day, this Labor Gillard government, makes promise after promise of these massive and hugely costly programs that it will put in place—things like the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Gonski educational changes. There is also the new-fangled dental scheme that will deal with the dental needs of millions of Australians, which I think is a particularly cruel one. There are Australians right across the country who have very urgent and painful dental needs that need to be addressed. We do need to work out how to deal with that. The Howard government put in place through the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme a very appropriate and well-funded way of doing so, but that scheme is going to be scrapped. The government is now promising a new dental scheme which will not come into effect for some years and, in the interim, there is nothing for those people who need urgent dental care. The reality is that there is no funding for the scheme when it is due to come in in any event.

Senator Cameron entertained us with his standard fare, where he plays the man. He attacked Senator Joyce and spent some time getting stuck into him. Senator Joyce has a far better understanding of the welfare and needs of ordinary Australians out there across the country than Senator Cameron will ever have. Then he played the second of his standard tricks, which is to attack the economic record of the Howard government. He takes a very selective focus and ignores all the major economic indicators that matter to the welfare of Australians, such as fiscal responsibility and employment rates. Senator Abetz is in the chamber and, as the shadow minister for industrial relations, can attest to the fact that we had record low unemployment rates during the Howard years. Senator Cameron ignores the fact that real spending on health and education rose massively in the Howard years but has not continued to do so. There is the tax reform undertaken during the Howard years, the tax cuts that were provided to people across the income spectrum, and the environmental challenges that were addressed through initiatives such as Green Corps and Landcare. I ask Senator Cameron whether he recalls when the four biggest surpluses in this country were delivered. If he actually goes to the trouble of having a look, he will find that the answer is that they were in the last four years of the Howard government. In fact, when were the four biggest deficits that this country has ever seen? The answer is that they were in the first four budgets of this Labor government. I suspect that, when the numbers come in for the year that has just ended, we will probably find that it is the fifth biggest surplus—amongst the five biggest surpluses; it may well be higher than five.