Page 3488 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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We are the only ones out there supporting better indexation for Defence Force and commonwealth superannuants. I do not hear Mr Humphries talking on this matter.
The traditional short-sighted approach of the Liberal Party would not help reduce the cost of living pressures. The Greens’ policies will. Energy prices will rise significantly in the next 10 years. To fail to provide people with an alternative or a plan to offset and mitigate that cost is to do a great disservice to Australia.
Mr Seselja interjecting—
Mr Rattenbury interjecting—
MS HUNTER: Giving people options so that they do not have to own a second car, so that they can live in a house that does not cost a fortune to run—
Mr Seselja interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): Excuse me one minute, Ms Hunter.
MS HUNTER: Stop the clock.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Stop the clocks. Members of the opposition, I cannot hear Ms Hunter. You will have your chance again.
Mr Hanson: Madam Assistant Speaker, I will just point out that it is not just members of the opposition interjecting.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Ms Hunter, please continue.
MS HUNTER: Thank you. Giving people options so that they do not have to own a second car, so that they do not have to live in a house that will cost them a fortune to run and so that we have a renewable energy industry that can provide electricity at a steady price well into the future is a real solution to cost of living pressures.
The Liberal Party do not have a transport plan. They have no idea what to do to make the way we move around sustainable. Instead they want to effectively ensure that people have no option but to drive their car and pay for increasing fuel costs. Fuel in Europe is already the best part of double what it is here. It will not take long before we start paying similar prices. The alternative, of course, is a comprehensive, efficient, fast public transport network, built around light rail, so that people can easily get around. But the Liberals have no plan.
On private health, the private health insurance rebate and the impact on the public health system, the Greens believe that the $3 billion spent by the commonwealth government annually on the private health insurance rebate would be better spent on the public health system. The rebate is false—and it is notional only. In fact, in real terms, the cost of a private health insurance policy is approximately the same as it was
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