Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak against the motion moved by Senator Bragg. Senator Bragg has moved his motion as a matter of public importance. It is a motion that, of course, attacks the productivity round table. It attacks all the people who attended the round table—businesspeople, unions and, by extension, even his own parliamentary colleagues like the member for Fairfax. He goes on to attack industry superannuation funds—I guess that was pretty predictable; the great old nemesis of Senator Bragg, those pesky superannuation funds, is helping to secure the future of millions of Australian workers. But, really, this motion feels a little bit like a cry for help.

I'm prompted to ask Senator Bragg, 'Are you okay?' His motion looks a little bit like someone who didn't get an invite to the big dance. There it was, the big productivity round table in Canberra. Who was there? Well, the member for Fairfax was there—but no invite for Senator Bragg, or 'Braggy' to his friends on that side of the chamber. I get it; that stings a little bit when you're the thinking person on that side of the show, and you've waited by the mailbox to get your invite that just never came. But it's okay; those opposite were ably represented by the man who brought us such big reform ideas like the LNP nuclear plan that was roundly panned by the Australian people at the last federal election. It is intriguing to see the LNP seeking to attack the round table. It was a positive, constructive discussion of stakeholders. Perhaps if those opposite had spent more time speaking to people, they might not have taken some of those disastrous policies to the last federal election.

What those opposite missed is the incredible work this government has done to turn the economy around after years of neglect under the coalition. When we came to government, we inherited massive deficits, a trillion dollars worth of debt and years of low-wage growth for Australian workers. By contrast, our government has put the runs on the board. Headline underlying inflation is around four-year lows, annual real wages have been growing for seven consecutive quarters, the economy is still expanding, interest rates have been cut three times in the last six months, more than 1.1 million jobs have now been created since we came to government—a record for any government in a single term—and the average unemployment rate is the lowest of any government in 50 years. At the election, Australian people voted for higher living standards, higher wages and secure, well-paid jobs. But the job is not finished, and that is why the Treasurer convened the round table—to continue to drive growth.

So, while the Albanese government has been working to improve the living standards and productivity of Australians, it's been pretty disappointing to see those opposite refuse to come to the table and work towards solving the issues that matter most to Australians. In fact, over the weekend the Liberal National Party of Queensland held their annual convention, which is a staple of the Queensland political calendar—not one to be missed. It's always nestled up against the shadow of the Ekka; that's when the LNP circus always comes to town. Of course Senator McGrath was there handing out his showbags. There was plenty of merchandise on offer, even LNP branded Crocs and yellow and blue Converse shoes.

But, rather than focusing on how they can gain back the trust of Queenslanders, the LNP spent their time discussing some pretty wild and woolly ideas—things like cancelling medical checks for drivers over 75, creating a new 'office of space' for the Queensland government and abolishing the eSafety Commissioner, to name but a few. They doubled down on their efforts to divide Australia. We even saw the LNP membership and a number of people opposite vote with an overwhelming majority to abandon their own commitment to Australia's net zero 2050 target. The opposition leader spoke about the coalition's need to modernise and broaden their appeal. However, this clearly is a task that they find impossible. Instead, they are actively becoming more extreme in their policies and further seeking to disenfranchise themselves from the Australian people.

I am proud that on this side of the chamber we have been working with stakeholders to collectively solve the nation's productivity challenges and lift living standards. The roundtable showed that there is far more in common than conflict and that tackling big ideas and challenges is best when we do it together.