Page 3771 - Week 12 - Thursday, 22 November 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
checks and balances there. In fact, there will not be any checks and balances. At least at this stage there is a federal government of a different political persuasion from the state and territory governments. If there is any benefit at all, perhaps it is that the Stanhope Labor government will not need to spend so much energy trying to hide the contribution of the commonwealth to the ACT. Perhaps the government here will feel more relaxed because it will be in the good company of poor economic managers, driven by unions, with no concern for business—and in many instances out to get business—and focused on the wrong priorities.
The current federal government has seen us through some significant tough economic times for the world and for the country. It has got international recognition from financial experts for that. It has enabled Australia to weather the Asian meltdown in 1997 which saw strong economies—the Asian tigers—face all sorts of problems. The federal government got us through that without barely a hiccup. It has not been easy. It had to pay off a huge debt it inherited. It had to go through some pretty tough measures, which we also suffered in Canberra—I make no bones about that. But it has come through with a much stronger and growing Australian economy.
Young people now talk about what they want to do. They have a range of options and are keen to pursue those options, keen to pursue the various jobs that are now available to them, which they never ever would have had in 1989 or 1990 and which they did not have. As I referred to in another debate in 1992-93 when I was a candidate for Canberra during that federal election, we had 27 to 50 per cent, depending on which month it was, youth unemployment. Those things have become a thing of the past because of the competence of the federal government and what has been a very effective team of Howard and Costello in terms of economic management.
We have benefited in Canberra from extra public servants, from things like HQ defence coming here. On a national level, too, we have international standing; we punch above our weight. We have always punched above our weight in the world in most endeavours we go into, but as a nation now we are a very strong middle-ranking power, a strong nation respected throughout the world. The Howard government has certainly ensured that the country is more secure.
Defence has had about a 46 per cent increase in real terms, and with some of the equipment coming on stream it has never been in a better state for over 30 years. We have a significant defence population here in Canberra and we see the benefit that flows through from that. That is crucially important, too, because the first duty of any government is the security of its citizens and that is clearly something the Howard government has done particularly well, as well as the excellent economic management.
I dread the election of a Rudd Labor government. I fear for what will happen to the ACT and indeed to Australia. Having lived through the Whitlam years and the Paul Keating years, I cannot see it creating huge benefits for the ACT. Things will certainly not improve; things will go backwards.
I close on the point I raised to start with: why on earth when you have had such a successful, competent team running the country would you now change the coach, and indeed the composition of that team, for a team that is untried, for a coach that is untried and for a leader that is untried? Why on earth would you not tick off—
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .