Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take note of answers to questions from opposition senators today. I have to say with regard to this budget of broken promises that it is quite amazing the way that government senators are responding. I know that the Treasurer and the Prime Minister of this country are desperately out there on the airwaves and anywhere else they can go, quite frankly, to sell this budget, this harsh and cruel budget, this budget of broken promises. But here in the Senate it barely rates a mention, and that is because I think government senators opposite are truly embarrassed and are hanging their heads in shame about how bad this budget is. All they can do is either continue to carp about Labor, making up these ridiculous assertions about what we did and did not do in government. We hear that almost on a daily basis. If we are not hearing that, it is about avoiding answering the questions or it is sarcasm. Indeed, naming former Labor politicians is a great habit and seems to delight those opposite over and over again, because that is what they spend their time doing, despite the questions we ask them.

Today I think Senator Scullion takes the prize if there were one by inventing new language, 'blicky-blocky', in answer to serious questions about a budget of broken promises, about a budget which particularly for Aboriginal people really entrenches disadvantage. Despite the Prime Minister of this country before he became the Prime Minister championing the fact that he wanted to be the Prime Minister for Aboriginal affairs, this portfolio has received savage cuts and we have certainly seen money ripped out from all over services to Aboriginal people—$90 million out of health services just gone. We know that Aboriginal health in this country is a long way from where it should be. The average life expectancy is shameful, yet we see that Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey just slash and burn $90 million out of health services. And it does not stop there: they have stolen money from preventive health. Aboriginal young people have some of the highest smoking rates in this country, an absolute tragedy, and what do we do? We do not leave that money in preventive health, no; we redirect that to our new centrepiece that Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey have gone on about but seem to be failing to get much traction on, their medical research future fund. Then there is the GP supertax. If that does not further disadvantage Aboriginal people I do not know what does.

But that is not the only area where there have been savage cuts. It goes on and on. We heard Senator Singh today talk about money that was to preserve Aboriginal language in this country. It was Labor who delivered the apology to the stolen generation—something many in the then opposition at that time could not even acknowledge. So, obviously, it is easy for the government to take millions out of the preservation of Aboriginal language—something which Labor would not have done.

But it does not stop there. Today we heard Senator Payne talk about universities. Universities have suddenly become markets. Instead of higher institutions of learning, they have become markets. So, apparently, we no longer pride ourselves on going to university to learn, to explore and to really challenge our thinking. No, we are going to a university market. I heard the Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt on radio this morning saying that 80 per cent of the courses that are offered will double. Again, the Abbott government seems to think that everyone who graduates from a university starts to make $100,000 a year. Well, they do not. The vice-chancellor used the example of a course in agriculture, which he said will cost $100,000—and no-one will be able to take up that course, because when you graduate as an agriculture worker you are earning quite a small salary. So here we have our vice-chancellors telling the Abbott government, 'We think 80 per cent of our course fees will double.' How dare the Abbott government turn our universities into markets. They are just two examples of a disgusting budget of broken promises. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.