David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A letter has been received from Senator Fifield:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:

The systemic Government waste and incompetence exposed at Senate Estimates, including the manifest failure of signature Rudd/Gillard election initiatives.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fifield is noted for submitting great matters of public importance for discussion in the Senate and this is a particularly good one, as I am sure you recognise, Acting Deputy President. As I have said on a few occasions over the last couple of years, there is one thing worse than the Labor Party keeping its election promises. What is that?

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not keeping them.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Exactly. But even if the Labor Party keep their promises, their implementation is atrocious. The Achilles heel of the Australian Labor Party is their implementation. The list of failures is as long as it is shameful. In a way, some of it is mildly amusing, and it would be amusing if it had not cost the taxpayers billions of dollars and in the case of one program it cost a few lives. If the Senate needed an illustration, it need look no further than the recent Senate estimates hearings. My area of education was front and centre as an illustration. You will recall that we first had computers in schools. You have heard me on this before, arising from Kevin 07's election promise that laptop computers would be the toolbox of the 21st century. In the end they were delivered, though they may have cost several million dollars more. Of course they are obsolete now, and the program has no more legs.

Putting that aside because I am in such a good mood, the problem was this: the schools have not been linked up to the NBN. The government made the promise that not only would this be delivered to high school students but they would be connected to the NBN or to high-speed digital transmission. Do you know how many have been connected after five years of Labor government? Ten out of 2,650 schools have now been connected to the NBN. That is the record of the Labor government. That is the so-called digital revolution. The revolution has fallen asleep.

Who would be surprised at all about the pace of the rollout? The evidence at the recent estimates was that the government is signing up new customers to the NBN at the astonishing rate of five households per day. Given there are probably about 10 million households in this country, it will only take a couple of thousand years before they are all connected at that rate! I was just thinking, imagine if the Labor Party had put together the Overland Telegraph Line and it was their job to connect it up. After 150 years, they would not have reached Broken Hill! That is the sort of shambolic implementation we see from the Labor Party.

You will recall that they made another big election promise—forget computers in schools and the digital revolution, for a second. What about trade training centres? What has happened after five years? We now know that 92 per cent of schools are still waiting. This was a signature Labor promise. Half the money is spent and only eight per cent of the centres have been delivered.

If you think that is bad, far, far worse—and my friend Senator Scullion would agree with me—are the Indigenous boarding facilities. I hate to say this because I am having such a good time, but Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory aren't because five years after the election, five years after Minister Macklin made the promise, only one has actually been built. The other two that were promised have not even commenced work after five years.

I am rebuked for talking about deadlines. We do not use the word 'deadlines' anymore with the Labor Party. We are not allowed to use the word 'deadlines' because that is too male, perhaps; we cannot say that. We cannot even use the word 'timetable'. I am not allowed to use the word 'timetable' when it comes to Indigenous boarding facilities. Do you know what I have to talk about now? Aspiration—no deadlines, no timetables just aspirations. It is all aspirational targets. The fact that only one boarding school has been delivered in five years—one out of three—is a failure of aspiration, not a failure in delivery. When I was young, I remember my mother saying to me, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.' Today with the Labor Party, the road to hell is paved with aspiration—not paved well, I might add; the work is always over budget and behind schedule.

We are talking about education, just think about Gonski, which is central to education reform for the Labor Party and the government. You would think that after all this time there would be some funding model. What did we discover after estimates, Acting Deputy President? There is no funding model. There is no money to pay for it even if there was one, and there is no agreement with the states. Do you know what we do have, Acting Deputy President? We have an aspiration.

The Prime Minister said at her address to the National Press Club that legislation will be introduced to parliament before the end of this year. She has about seven days left in the House of Representatives for the education act to be introduced. That act will not be about a funding model. It will not be about who pays for what. Do you know what the education act is going to be all about, Acting Deputy President? It is going to be about aspiration—yet again. There will be nothing about money and who pays for what or even what kids learn; it will be about aspiration. It will read like some United Nations declaration. It will be a matter of principle and heartfelt intuition, and aspiration.

When looking back now over all of these years of sitting through estimates, as you and I so often have, Acting Deputy President Marshall, I still find it hard to believe that the Building the Education Revolution still keeps on giving. After all this time, 87 school halls still have not been completed—two years after the end of the program. It is the gift that keeps on giving. And we could go on. You might think I get some joy, Acting Deputy President, from this litany of failure. I get no joy, because too many billions of dollars of taxpayers' hard-earned money have been flushed down the fiscal toilet. I do not get any particular joy out of this.

The problem with the government is not that their ideas are necessarily bad. It is not that their aspirations are bad. It is that their capacity to implement them is so absolutely appalling. It is always like this: some bloke from the blue carpet down there has a brain snap, some great idea, the grander the better. It is always a grand idea, a 10-second media grab. It goes something like this: a computer for every student, a great grab; a hall for every school, another great grab; broadband for every Australian home, another great grab. But, of course, the work has not been done. No-one thinks through all of these issues. No-one costs them and no-one does feasibility studies or business cases. Figures are just plucked out of thin air, but it all sounds terribly good on the 6 pm news—that is the problem.

They have grand ideas, lovely rhetoric, but no implementation and no business case. Then they wonder, of course, why it all falls flat. If Labor had only learned from their mistakes. But, even yesterday, we had the Asian century white paper released. Again there is talk about putting five more Australian universities in the top 100. That is all very well. I love the aspiration. But that will cost, says Professor Milbourne, at least $10 billion more, and this at the same time that in MYEFO the government has cut research by $½ billion. It is all very well to talk about aspiration and rhetoric but, in the end, you have to deliver, and the great failure of this government has not been their ideas or even their policies; it has been their failure to implement them effectively.

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is easy to stand here today and refute these allegations in this matter of public importance. If I can concentrate on some of the aspects that Senator Mason did, something I love talking about in this chamber is the Building the Education Revolution. I characterise it as this: new halls, libraries, science centres, undercover learning areas, performing arts buildings and kitchens, refurbished classrooms and Japanese gardens. Can you really describe—as do the opposition—those facilities, those initiatives, the advantages of them and how they will impact on our future generations of students—as waste or failure? We put $16.2 billion into that program, which is ensuring our children have the best education facilities money can buy, and those opposite are calling it waste.

I have been so privileged to be a duty senator for five duty seats—Longman, Dickson, Brisbane, Forde and Wright—and to have the opportunity to go to some of those openings—I think it is now somewhere in excess of 134—to officiate the opening of the Building the Education Revolution projects. Each school has generally built something different as a result of their desire and their consultation, generally with their parents and citizens associations—in some cases they have collaborated with the Catholic education system—and they have made amazing achievements.

Some of the schools I have visited can now fit their entire student body into one location. This kicked off their full assemblies, something they were never able to do before. Quite often I get comments from principals, teachers, students, parents and the P&Cs that they would have never been able to achieve these facilities through lamington drives or their other ways of raising money in the past. They would never have been able to get these facilities had it not been for a Labor government. It has been the biggest injection of funds into schools ever by a federal government.

One school built a language centre and a Zen garden to complement their Japanese students. They were also working with a local primary school, the University of Queensland and the Japanese consulate to give their students a boost in learning the language. We only just the other day released our white paper on the Asian century and what will happen in our schools in the future in providing these opportunities for people to learn another language. Another school on the Sunshine Coast ensured they had a nice big kitchen, and it was built into their hall to complement their federal government-funded Stephanie Alexander garden. This way the students could learn how to grow their own vegetables and use these fresh products to make healthy meals. You tell me if that is waste.

I have seen covered sporting facilities, where students can play sport or do HPE classes, rain, hail or shine. I have seen performing arts buildings where schools can now host their own musicals and plays. The possibilities are endless when it comes to these opportunities. The other added benefit of the Building the Education Revolution is the ability of communities to have access to some of these halls that schools have chosen to build. Karate classes, church groups and so on have come into the halls and had the opportunity to use them on the weekends or after school. I have spoken to parents, teachers and principals, and not one of them has indicated any negativity about the BER project—only those opposite.

As you know, Acting Deputy President Marshall, some of the opposition turn up—whether federal or, in my case the other day, one of the new LNP Queensland state members—and they will push you out of the way to get in the photograph. They cannot wait to be in the photograph about a project they condemned all the time. We just heard from Senator Mason, who was condemning the BER project, and the opposition voted against it. But there they are, pushing their way in and stumbling over each other to try and get into the photograph. The hypocrisy of this is stark. The hypocrisy of those opposite and from the other House turning up to be part of these photographs is unbelievable. And what did it do? It generated jobs, and certainly in those five duty seats that I indicated. Longman, Dickson, Brisbane, Forde and Wright—all those members have turned up on most occasions for the Building the Education Revolution openings.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I didn't.

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know you did not—you are not a Queensland senator, that is why you were not there. That is quite easy to understand. In concentrating on jobs, I really want to crunch this reality: in the state of Queensland we have a situation where the new Premier up there is sacking 14,000 public servants—and that is just the tip of the iceberg. They are going to eliminate them off the face of the earth. But when it comes to jobs for the Liberal National Party in Queensland they focus quite squarely on jobs for the boys, like Michael Caltabiano, who is now facing possible criminal charges. They focused on him and made sure he had a job when they were recently elected.

What happened after that? Former DG Neil Scales was terminated as a result of one of those 14,000 jobs that the state government was going through. He was on $343,000 then, and was paid that as a result of his termination, only to be re-hired on $428,000. How do you figure that? It is just another example of the waste of money and of how they treat jobs in Queensland.

Then there is the arts minister's son, Ben Gommers, who was hired to work in the transport department, being investigated by the Crime and Misconduct Commission. Where is Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts Ros Bates when all this is going on? First it was annual leave, now it is sick leave—she is roaming around in shopping centres with an injured shoulder but nowhere to be seen when it comes to having to answer questions in the Queensland parliament about these atrocities. This is what the LNP government is about in Queensland—jobs for the boys, not jobs for our struggling workers who need them the most.

Focusing once again on the BER outcomes and concentrating on each of those areas: in the seat of Longman there was $94,344,435 spent on 122 projects; in the seat of Brisbane $81,959,700 was spent on 132 projects; in the seat of Forde $102 million was spent on 127 projects; in the seat of Wright $100 million was spent on 245 projects; and in the seat of Dickson $71 million was spent on 113 projects. That is just an example of what those opposite describe as waste—money in education for our future generation that will only benefit them as a result of getting that great initiative and that spending to ensure that they are best situated for the global situation into the future.

One of the Labor Party's core election commitments in 2007, and the crux of my decision to run in this place, was to abolish the Howard government's Work Choices and the unfair, entitlement-robbing industrial relations laws. We did this decisively, to make sure workers were treated fairly, had confidence and security in their workplaces and were not unfairly dismissed. We introduced unfair dismissal laws and we introduced an independent workplace relations tribunal, Fair Work Australia.

One thing we lead paramount on is fairness in the workplace and fairness overall. That is one thing the Labor Party stands for. That is where the divide is between us and those opposite. We believe in fairness while those opposite believe only in the example I gave of Queensland—creating jobs for the boys. This is where we differ—we have created 800,000 jobs since we were elected while those opposite are up there in Queensland with the LNP terminating 14,000 of them. It is the tip of the iceberg.

This government supports Australians at different stages of their lives. One prime example is that, not long ago, the Paid Parental Leave scheme was introduced by this Labor government. It is a proud and genuine scheme that will make sure that workers who are in times of need and giving birth to children have the opportunity to be protected and to have reasonable payment of wages paid to them at a time when they generally need it the most. Shortly, through the partner scheme, we will also be enabling partners to stay at home with their partner and new children for at least two weeks.

I do not have the opportunity to go through all our fantastic initiatives, but this is an example of what we have provided over our term in government and, certainly, since our last election in 2010, and we will continue the rollout of these fantastic initiatives.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance. Ten minutes is nowhere near long enough to go through the systematic government waste and incompetence of the Rudd and Gillard governments. Ten minutes is nowhere near long enough to go through even the systematic government waste and incompetence exposed at Senate estimates in just the one committee that I intend to touch upon today—the Senate environment and communications committee—and the gross examples of waste and incompetence that were once again discovered, uncovered and discussed at those estimates hearings.

The gold medal winner of them all in the environment portfolio under this government is the Home Insulation Program. Nothing stands out more and nothing looks better in terms of waste from this government than how they failed in that Home Insulation Program—what would come to be known as the pink batts debacle. We discovered in estimates how much it cost—what the final tally was: $2.156 billion was spent over four years on installation costs and clean-up costs in this dodgy program that saw so much waste occurring around Australia and so many wasted taxpayer dollars. The pink batts disaster, announced in February 2009 and abandoned barely 12 months later, has left this multibillion-dollar legacy and has been linked to at least four deaths and more than 200 house fires. The program has also left behind some debts for the government—2,494 bad debts that this Labor government is still trying to chase, taxpayer money it has given to businesses and is now trying to get back because it was fraudulently claimed. These 2,494 bad debts total $34.5 million from the Home Insulation Program, and indeed the subsequent Insulation Industry Assistance Package, which was meant to be rectifying the problems, has itself left 58 bad debts totalling $5.45 million. It would be comical if it weren't so sad; it would be funny if it wasn't taxpayer money being wasted.

But what we have is a situation where even the clean-up went wrong and taxpayers have had to foot the bill and are left with bad debts. Such are the bad debts that the government is trying to chase that the Department of Environment and Climate Change have called in the debt collectors. They have engaged what they politely refer to as a 'mercantile agent' to try to recover some of the money that the government has handed out and now wants to claim back because it gave the money to people who should not have got it in the first place. Dun & Bradstreet now stand to charge the government to chase these bad debts to try to get back some of the taxpayer money. The Dun & Bradstreet website assures taxpayers and others who might want to engage them that their 'experienced team is committed to maximising your collections whilst ensuring that your customer relationships are maintained'. Here is a bit of advice for the government: firstly, I do not think you want to maintain relationships with the people who ripped your government and the taxpayers off for this money in the first place. Secondly, if Dun & Bradstreet are so good at managing to get money when it is needed, perhaps you should ask this company to collect your mining tax as well, because it does not seem to be going so well for the government on that front.

The Home Installation Program is but one. On a far greater scale of implications for the Australian economy is Labor's absolute incompetence when it comes to the management of its carbon tax. In the carbon tax we discover that the government has effectively outsourced this tax regime to Europe. The confirmation was given in Senate estimates that if Europe were to take steps for Europe to adopt a more ambitious target than it currently has, that would, all other things being equal, result in Australians paying a higher carbon tax. That means a policy taken in Brussels, made with European considerations in mind, would result in Australians paying more carbon tax. This is the type of madness this government has embarked upon. It has decided that if the government is not capable of making decisions itself it is happy to outsource those decisions to Europe.

Little wonder then that as a consequence of outsourcing the decision-making to Europe on the rate of Australia's carbon tax, the government cannot tell us what the carbon tax may be. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency could not tell us in estimates whether the $29 predicted in the forward estimates of the government would be accurate or even a best estimate. They pointedly refused to describe the government's own budget forward estimates as accurate or as a best estimate. Instead all we could get was that: 'In the current market the estimate is not implausible'. That is good to know about the budget forward estimates, isn't it? The budget forward estimates that this government is relying upon are 'not implausible'. That really provides a lot of confidence. Equally, when asked whether Senator Milne's prediction that the carbon price could, when linked with the European scheme, go to $50 in a few years, we were told that was 'not completely inconceivable'. Clearly Australians can have absolutely no confidence in what they will be paying as the carbon tax under this government, because $29 is 'not implausible' and $50 is 'not completely inconceivable'. Who knows what we will be paying? All that is clear is that Australians will most certainly be paying more under the carbon tax.

The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the new Clean Energy Regulator are on a drive to increase workplace productivity. We discovered that the New Clean Energy Regulator, one of several new bureaucracies established to manage the carbon tax, have in setting up their new offices decided to undertake a measure of workplace productivity that is quite novel. They have installed eight Nespresso coffee machines at a cost of $20,175 to the taxpayer. The justification for this? According to the CEO:

That procurement was for eight machines which was one for each of the staff kitchens. We did that obviously to provide a level of staff amenity but also because we thought it would be beneficial for productivity for staff to be able to buy their coffee on the premises rather than go out of the building.

It is nice to know that the taxpayer is now footing the bill for coffee machines as productivity measures within the Public Service. However, the Clean Energy Regulator is but a small-time contributor when it comes to such measures, because the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research admitted to buying five $15,000 coffee machines at a total cost of $75,000. The advice to public servants looking to transfer between departments is if you want good coffee the department of industry, with its $15,000 coffee machines, is going to have better coffee than the Clean Energy Regulator who paid a paltry $20,000 for eight machines. Perhaps I should be applauding the Clean Energy Regulator on the efficiency of the purchase of those coffee machines.

I am sure the coffee will go nicely with the wine cabinet that is needed for the climate change department's new building. The new Nishi building in Canberra is receiving a $20.5 million taxpayer funded fit-out that comes complete with luxuries like a stainless steel wine cabinet. Apparently there was a need to accommodate either a wine fridge or a standard fridge in the executive dining room of the department's new digs. I trust they will be well enjoyed. Having new digs and dining rooms, of course, requires you to have kitchens. Luckily the government built some kitchens for the sole purpose of the climate change ads. They built kitchens at a cost of $79,700, although sadly they were fake kitchens. If they are hoping to be able to enjoy meals from these kitchens in the dining rooms with the coffee made by the coffee machines, the government will sadly be mistaken, because the $79,000 kitchens were fake kitchens. We hope that if the government are going to go on another multi-million dollar advertising spree at taxpayer expense that requires the use of kitchens they will still have these fake kitchens available to use.

I could go on, but what we see from this government is such waste that comes about every single estimates. This is why the Australian public have so little confidence in the government. (Time expired)

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to say that I am fairly concerned today by the matter of public importance—and I am concerned because the opposition have fallen into this inescapable pit of negative language that they cannot crawl their way out of. Coming into this place, the only words that are uttered by those opposite are criticisms and pejoratives, and the same hollow catchphrases and the same empty, shallow rhetoric goes on day after day and week after week. The words fly out of the mouths of Senator Fifield, Senator Abetz and others opposite, and they do it in quite an authoritarian way. They speak of doom and destruction and of faceless union boogeymen that live under the bed. I have to say that it reminds me of that great poem 'We'll all be rooned', said Hanrahan. It is a great poem. To listen to those opposite, that is exactly how they go on.

They talk about waste and the way the government have allegedly wasted money. I remind all those opposite of Work Choices. How much did you guys waste on Work Choices? I am reminded about those mouse pads that were put out that were not even able to be used as landfill. So when you come in here you have to be careful about what you start carrying on about. Those opposite talk about Whyalla being wiped off the map by cobras, pythons, or octopus or whatever animal the Leader of the Opposition wants to use to mix into his metaphors. There are also quite a few three-word catchphrases the opposition's tactic committee has decided upon to try and impart a bit of fear in their fellow Australians, and those opposite come in here and repeat them robotically and ad nauseum—in fact, sometimes it is quite nauseous.

Why do they do that? We on this side know why they do it. They do it because they have no plans, they have no vision and they have no policy—and the only strategy they have is to oppose. They are still fairly embittered that they failed to form government in the other place and they come into this place and scream like banshees about waste and incompetence. I think that is why the Australian people are starting to switch off to them.

This government has made significant achievements in helping to support Australian workers and Australian families. Despite the assertion in today's MPI, the government's signature programs have not failed. We have introduced Australia's first national paid parental leave scheme, allowing working parents the financial security to spend much more time at home with their new child. From 1 January next year, two weeks of Dad and Partner Pay will also be paid in addition to paid parental leave. We know how important it is to support Australian families, especially in those first few weeks and months after the birth of a new child.

We have introduced tax cuts for all Australian workers earning less than $80,000 a year, by lifting the tax-free threshold to $18,200. We have delivered around $47 billion in personal tax cuts. So a worker earning $50,000 is now paying over $2,000 less in income tax than they were before Labor came to office in 2007.

Previous speakers mentioned the roll-out of the National Broadband Network. Coming from Tasmania, I know it is a great thing, and I have yet to hear any Tasmanians grizzle about it—except those on the other side. The complaint I hear, if one can call it a complaint, is that they just want the rollout program to go a bit faster and to get to their areas a bit faster and to get the plan going a bit faster. I have to say that they really love it in Tasmania. Within three years Tasmania will be the first state to have the rollout completed.

The NBN is rolling out fibre optic cable to communities that until just recently have only had access to slow ADSL or even slower dial-up. We all know—even though those opposite deny it—that the NBN is allowing businesses, local governments, schools, hospitals and individuals in the home to connect, interact and conduct business in a way that has previously been impossible. And that will only improve over the years. We all know how fast technology is changing and, as that progresses, there will be more and more that people will be able to do with the NBN. The NBN is a nation-building project which will allow all Australians to take advantage of an increasingly interconnected future.

Despite claims by those opposite that the carbon price would have an 'unimaginable' impact on prices, the implementation has occurred as modelling predicted. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index rose by 1.4 per cent in the three months to September—compared to a 3.8 per cent increase when the coalition's GST came into effect in the September quarter of 2000. The opposition's climate action spokesman, Mr Hunt, has continued with the scare campaign by claiming the September quarter CPI increase was largely due to higher electricity prices. In fact, higher electricity prices contributed 0.3 percentage points of the 1.4 per cent CPI increase, less than a quarter of the CPI rise—and, of course, not all of this was due to the carbon price.

Treasury modelling shows the impact of the carbon price on household electricity bills averages around $3.30 per week—and the Gillard government is providing households $10.10 a week on average. The clean-energy future program is cutting pollution, investing in clean energy and protecting the environment by putting a price on carbon—without a wrecking ball, a python or a missing Whyalla in sight!

The new schoolkids bonus, which replaces the education tax refund, supports families at a rate of more than $400 for each child in primary school and more than $800 for each child in high school from 1 January 2013. This will make life so much easier for parents to meet the education costs of their children. We on this side understand the role that education plays in improving outcomes for our next generation. Despite the importance of this payment to Australian families, the Shadow Treasurer, Mr Hockey, has confirmed that a coalition government would scrap the schoolkids bonus. That is right: they would scrap the schoolkids bonus; they would slap in the face thousands of parents of school-age children.

The government have also delivered greater justice for Australia's lowest paid workers in a number of sectors. The government have issued new guidelines that will ensure cleaners working for government agencies will have their wages and conditions protected; we have delivered greater rights and protections for vulnerable textile, clothing and footwear outworkers; we are securing the future of shipping in Australia with greater opportunities for Australian seafarers and an increased number of Australian flagged vessels; and we have delivered a new road safety remuneration system for Australian trucking.

The Gillard government is committed to delivering 100 per cent of our share of the historic Fair Work Australia increases for social and community services workers. SACS workers will receive pay rises of between 23 and 45 per cent in nine instalments from December this year. This means that 150,000 of Australia's lowest paid workers, 120,000 of them women, who have been underpaid for years will finally get fair recompense for the work they do. And who has done that? We have done that—not those on the other side but people on this side.

The Gillard government is investing $1 billion to deliver the first stage of a National Disability Insurance Scheme, beginning from July next year. The first stage will benefit about 20,000 people in five locations across the country, including in my home state of Tasmania. We are also working closely with state and territory governments and people with disability and their advocates to work out key issues such as assessment and eligibility. This will help prepare us as we work to make an NDIS a reality for all Australians. This is a vital program for all Australians, in particular those with disability, their families and carers.

In the minute or so that I have left, I would like to point out that the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook shows the Gillard government is on track to return the budget to surplus, and it shows again that the fundamentals of the Australian economy are strong, despite global turmoil. The responsible savings we have made since we were elected have also made room for true Labor reforms like the biggest increase to the age pension and paid parental leave. We are returning the budget to surplus despite global turbulence ripping almost $22 billion from government revenues. The ongoing tough times abroad reinforce that there is not a country in the world you would rather be in than Australia—something we can all be extremely proud of.

We have continued to find savings in a balanced and responsible way, doing everything we can to protect low- and middle-income families and the community's most vulnerable. The economic disturbances mean that we will have to find substantial savings to return the budget to surplus, but we remain committed to doing just that, because it is our best defence against global economic turbulence. Those on the other side know that. This government has delivered solid growth, low unemployment, strong investment and it has contained inflation—showing that our economy stands tall in the face of global economic challenges. (Time expired)

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was waiting for Senator Bilyk to cease her screeching. She comes into this place and says that she is sick of people screaming like banshees. You ought to listen to yourself, Senator Bilyk. Once again we have yet another one of the quota girls coming in here, preaching in unison, reading from the script—the same old script of lies and misrepresentation. Anyway, let me turn to the matter of public importance that is before us.

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whatever happened to solidarity among the sisterhood?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't ever refer to me as the sisterhood, Senator Bilyk.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, if you are going to interject you need to do it from your seat; but you shouldn't do it from your seat in any case.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President.

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Perhaps you can ask Senator Bilyk to come to order. She is getting a bit carried away.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we should move on with the debate before us.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The debate before us is in relation to the waste and mismanagement of the Australian Labor Party and their Greens alliance partners and how it is adding billions of dollars to what has already been wasted on failed schemes; plans that have gone absolutely, totally astray; and blatant, wanton misspending of taxpayers money with absolutely no regard whatsoever as to how the money is going to be paid back.

This is a government wallowing in red ink. Of course, the Australian Labor Party love red ink, because they have left a trail of it right across Australia at the state level where they have been ousted from power. Let us look at some examples of mismanagement and absolute wastage of money from the recent estimates hearings. Senator Furner was talking about Queensland. Perhaps he has not been to some of the places that I have been to. Let me give you an example, Senator Furner, and perhaps on your travels you might like to go and visit this place. It is in the seat of Flynn and it is a school hall that cannot be used. Do you know why it cannot be used? Because there are no toilets. So this green monstrosity just sits there, out in the back of nowhere, and it cannot be used. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been wasted because it cannot be used, because there are no toilets in this place. To me, that is a very good example of what an absolute debacle the BER was. Other examples have been eloquently exemplified and articulated by Senator Mason.

I now come to another example of waste and mismanagement which was given to us in estimates. Finally we started to see the cost of the protection racket for Mr Craig Thomson and the HSU investigation. I have of course traversed the innards of this scandalous and putrid episode in this government. Of course, now we know that Fair Work Australia has so far spent more than $1.8 million on outside legal and accounting advice for its investigation into the rorting of HSU funds: $1.3 million on external legal advice, $100,000 on external accounting advice, $430,000 on KPMG's review of the investigation, and, of course, the $1.8 million does not include the cost to taxpayers of Fair Work Australia's Federal Court action against Craig Thomson. That court action now follows Fair Work Australia findings that Mr Thomson has used HSU funds to pay for escort services and for other improper purposes.

I come to the Slipper matter and what was revealed at estimates last week. The Australian Government Solicitor admitted at estimates that there were 17 lawyers. Having been a former lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor myself and having had a 20-year association with that office, as I said at estimates, I have never seen 17 lawyers working on a case at the Australian Government Solicitor's office. I will come to why that is the case. It was clear from the evidence that was given that the instructions in relation to this matter came directly from the Attorney-General, the quota girl in chief. The Australian Government Solicitor told us that, in addition to the 17 lawyers, there were also barristers. The bill was around $730,000, all for a case which finally settled for $50,000.

The revelations in the Senate last Tuesday evening show just how Nicola Roxon has acted in this matter. I have to question, as have other people questioned, the political instincts of Minister Roxon, the Attorney-General, which need to be curbed. She has done her high office, which ought to be respected, and her reputation no favours whatsoever. I quote from the Australian editorial of 18 October which says:

Ms Roxon has done her high office and her reputation no favours by becoming mired in the messy legal fallout of Mr Slipper's ghastly text messages that fit the definition of "misogyny" in any dictionary.

Clearly, the motivation for this was purely political, because it could not have been legal. I cannot see the legal advice that may have been given for this.

Ms Roxon sought to permanently stay Mr Ashby's claims four days after she was briefed on the lurid text messages, which, by the way, they had since May this year. It is very clear, and I think she has been damaged very much in relation to this matter. It is not surprising that we read about deep divisions. The Australian Financial Reviewof 18 October said:

Deep divisions have emerged in the federal government over the handling of the sexual harassment case against former speaker …with strong internal criticism of the role of Attorney-General Nicola Roxon.

Perhaps finally people have worked it out. After the disaster that this woman left in the department of health, now she is going to create a trail of disaster in the Attorney-General's Department as well.

Let's look at other examples—

Senator Polley interjecting—

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Mr Acting Deputy President, perhaps you could ask those women cackling over there to please cease their cackling because it is really quite annoying. If they want to make a decent contribution—

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you are seeking protection of the chair, Senator Fierravanti-Wells, you will receive it. I require interjections to cease.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You always tell me and others on this side to cease. Perhaps you might tell those opposite likewise to desist.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just did that.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But I note there have been interjections from both sides. Now that Senator Fierravanti-Wells has brought that to my attention, I will not allow any interjections.

Senator Siewert interjecting—

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is right: she is not even doing it from her seat. Thank you, Senator Siewert.

In the time available, let me look at a couple of other things in relation to the costs. Defence officials confirmed at estimates that the $200 billion to $230 billion cost to buy the capabilities outlined in Labor's 2009 Defence white paper, Force 2030, is almost completely unfunded. In addition, the white paper promised three per cent real growth in funding every year to 2017-18 and 2.2 per cent real growth beyond that. Of course, these promises have fallen by the wayside, like many of the other things. Labor have siphoned off more than $25 billion from Defence, using the money to prop up their budget bottom line. Having said that, despite these cuts the Army has not been spared, because it will have to pay the carbon tax. The carbon tax is expected to cost the Army $20.3 million in increased energy costs.

I come to an item briefly in relation to the Pacific Highway. The duplication, from 2016 to 2020, will add at least $800 million to the cost of the project. The delay in the completion of the Pacific Highway will add those costs. Regarding asylum seekers, where do we start? The shambolic immigration system of this government has become an absolute policy failure. There was not just one policy failure. Who was the person who said 'one boat'? That is another policy failure. There have been thousands of policy failures by this government and the Prime Minister in this area.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yet another matter of public importance from the opposition; yet another opposition own goal. Today's MPI is particularly embarrassing for the opposition, which was left to promote its own miserable efforts at Senate estimates, because, simply put, no media outlet was interested. With four days of hearings, eight committees in session and no distractions from the other side of the building as the House of Representatives was not sitting, there was a heaven-sent opportunity for a capable opposition—that is not the one across the chamber today, of course—to make some ground. No ground was made. No political benefit was achieved and no credit should go to anyone associated with such a miserable political failure.

Hit with the cold, hard reality that the opposition had bungled their way through a rolled-gold opportunity and had failed to score any political points at all in the media, Senator Abetz panicked. He tried to remind the media that the opposition were still breathing and that the wheels of the Senate estimates process were still turning. So what did he do? He put out a press release—I even have a copy of it here. It is about the coalition's work in estimates. Then, when still no media outlet would do the right thing by the opposition and pick up on all the hard work and tough, rigorous questions that they had asked, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate tried to save the day by misusing the MPI debate here in the Senate chamber as a way of talking up the opposition's Senate estimates work. It is a pity nobody had proofread the press release and it is really a pity that no-one had fact-checked the press release in Senator Abetz's name—what a pity, anyway, that they needed such an exercise in self-promotion in the first place.

Here it is. Under the breathless Liberal Party words 'See it and read it first', we have the headline 'Senate Estimates Committees—Labor's Waste and Mismanagement'. I hope that the written Hansard will accurately reflect the monstrous assault on traditional English grammar and usage that you find throughout this document. Could I request that the Liberal Party in future use appropriate tenses, proper punctuation and upper case letters when required and even try to put some verbs in some of the sentences in their press releases. After the mangled headline of this press release, the third sentence of the release grandly claims:

Here are just some examples of Labor waste and mismanagement which was uncovered by the Coalition this week during Senate Estimates.

And it went on, embarrassment after embarrassment.

I am reminded of a column by Verona Burgess in the Australian Financial Review. This was some time ago. Ms Burgess is, of course, acknowledged on all sides of politics as the foremost public commentator on the Senate estimates process. Let me quote for the benefit of all senators Ms Burgess's words. She quotes an old hand in this article, entitled 'Bruised Libs let rancour rule', who was talking about our friends on the other side of the chamber:

"They are disorganised, with no apparent leadership, no co-ordination, too individualistic, lots of wasted effort, poor timekeeping, meaning agencies had to drop off, [and] poor impact … [They used] bad tactics. Estimates is most effective when two or three co-ordinate an attack."

Nothing has changed since those words were written in 2008. I found 2009's article, headed 'Opposition mud-throwing barely sticks', and 2010's article—and I commend these to the opposition: you read, you might learn—under the headline, 'Unruffled under estimates fire'. And so it goes on. Nothing has changed after 16 rounds of estimates. Since the Howard government lost office the opposition has simply failed to master the art of Senate estimates. The only mud the opposition has got to stick at estimates was on the Godwin Grech issue, and that mud they managed to stick on themselves. That takes some talent from the opposition—you have to give them marks for that. The only mud they managed to stick stuck all over them.

It is particularly galling, I must say, to see the opposition in their document attacking a great Labor reform like the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which I think will positively transform the disability care and support system in this country, a system that, I believe, for too long has been letting down people with disabilities, their families and their carers. That scheme will deliver a whole new approach to the way we provide immediate support to the disabled. It will continue to invest in the future for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. I am proud of that initiative and I was disappointed to see that included in this very partisan political attack from the opposition because I know many people in the community do really eagerly await the implementation of this scheme.

So it has come to this. The negativity of the opposition has plumbed new depths. They are not just opposed to taking action on climate change, Building the Education Revolution or providing high-speed broadband through the NBN. They are now against coffee machines for public servants. They are against Australia's ambassador to Rome having a place to sleep at night. They are against the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency procuring a bar fridge. We even heard them whingeing about the cost of their own policy, sending asylum seekers to Nauru.

And we now know all this thanks to the efforts of the opposition today because no media outlet would run the story for the and do the right thing by the opposition and report all this guff about their estimates achievements; we had to hear it from themselves. So even though no-one else believes it—no-one in the press gallery, no-one in the parliament, no-one in the public, no-one in the community—we now know, courtesy of today's MPI debate right here in the Senate chamber, that Senate estimates was a triumph for the Liberals. Thank you so much for informing us about that.

Let me say this. I have always said that it is a very sad indictment when politicians start to believe their own publicity. And it is an even sadder indictment when politicians start to believe their own lack of publicity.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time for consideration of the matter of public importance has expired.