Page 3804 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 2011
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Mr Hanson: Don’t forget the $20 million for the arboretum.
MR SMYTH: And the $20 million for the arboretum. The problem here is that when Ms Porter makes some reference to 11 years of federal Liberal neglect, she forgets the list: National Museum of Australia, Liberal achievement; National Portrait Gallery, Liberal achievement; ANZAC Hall at the War Memorial, Liberal achievement; new entrance to the National Gallery, Liberal achievement; refurbishment of the Mint, Liberal achievement; Magna Carta Place, Commonwealth Place, Reconciliation Place, the National Police Memorial—do you want me to go on? I will go on. The Emergency Services Memorial, Menzies Walk, Australian of the Year Walk, the upgrade to Regatta Point—do you want me to go on? I will go on. More memorials on Anzac Parade, the National Library annex, commonwealth funding for the Federal Highway upgrade and the Barton Highway upgrade. It just goes on—all of the new buildings at Russell Hill.
We had a plan; it was called the Griffin legacy. The NCA put it together. What did the federal Howard government do? It put $75 million in to back it up. What did the Rudd government do? It took the money up and then reneged on the payment for the car park at Russell. What did the Rudd government do? It dishonoured the agreement for the Beijing torch relay. It just goes on and on and on.
If you want to be fair, you should be fair. You cannot say there was 11 years of Liberal neglect when the litany of things that they did is long and important for our tourism markets. All of those things have helped foster tourism. Let us go to the funding for the airport runway upgrade so that bigger jets could get in here—paid for by the Liberal government. If that is your definition of neglect, Ms Porter, fantastic. We will hold you to that as neglect.
What does that mean for your federal Labor colleagues? Well, it means they are totally irresponsible and culpable in what they have not done in this place. Yes, there were cuts in 1996, and I do not think anyone liked the notion of the cuts. I remember the 1995 budget—4,000 cuts, but not a whimper from the Follett government. I do not recall a single protest from the Follett government or those opposite in this place to the federal Labor cuts under Keating. That is the hypocrisy of this place. Mr Seselja has done the right thing. He has stood up for what he believes in. He made the representations and will continue to make the representations, as others on this side will. But the question for you opposite is: what have you done?
It is interesting that Ms Hunter just read a script. She read her speech like Mr Seselja had not just said that he had done these things. She continued to call on him to do things he has already done. No flexibility there. You can read the script, but you have to listen and you at least have to acknowledge that the man has had the courage to stand up and do what he is here for. He has done it.
We have got Mr Barr crying crocodile tears over “reasonable cuts”. What did he say—adjust the size. Centrelink, a sensible cut. So if the Labor Party does it, somehow it is sensible. If anybody else does it, it is dreadful. The gross hypocrisy in that from the man who tried to say—
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