Did any of the mnm outlets report Oakey's speech of yesterday?
Just in case they did not I shall post it in its entirety.
http://roboakeshott.com/node/1707
I rise tonight to provide clarity for those who might have questions about the 43rd Parliament and the agreements reached at the start, questions about the work of the 43rd Parliament, questions about ongoing confidence in the 43rd Parliament, and questions from anyone who might feel the need to make decisions or assumptions on my view about the future.
At the start of this 43rd Parliament, a comprehensive agreement was reached with the now commissioned Prime Minister Julia Gillard. It was an agreement that sought a commitment from her to do what she could to ensure this Parliament ran its full term, to deliver $10 billion of project funding for regional Australia, and to deliver an ETS, the NBN, and greater equity in education, particularly for regional, low socio-economic status and Aboriginal students. No-one will win a gold medal for this, but we have made it a full term in this 43rd Parliament. I make this point out of respect for our Parliament as an important institution.
Every single Australian who walked into the ballot in 2010 expected a three-year term would follow the poll. This has been delivered, despite the tight result at the time - 50.12 per cent for Labor and 49.88 per cent for the Coalition. The ballot box has been respected.
This is more than a debating point. Everything we do in politics either follows or establishes future precedent. No act occurs in isolation, or can be expunged from future records. This period, from 2010-2013, could have seen a revolving door of leadership change in our Parliament. It could have seen any number of Constitutional unchartered waters arise. I, along with colleague Tony Windsor, consciously chose to focus on this issue at the start of this Parliament, and I am pleased, for the sake of precedent, that we have made it through to a full term in this 43rd Parliament, despite both major parties doing what they could to make this a greater challenge than it needed to be. I also share with the House the fact that the vast majority of what was agreed in program funding for regional Australia, as well as the key national policy items of an ETS, NBN, and education, have been delivered or are in the process of being delivered. I, and many others in this place, campaigned on an emissions trading scheme at two elections. The framework for an ETS is now in place and Australia will move to full open-market trading in two years. And as a firm believer in the principle of equity for all Australians, I am pleased the deepest fibre infrastructure possible combined with education funding formula changes at secondary and tertiary levels, known as Gonski and Bradley, are finally tackling the intolerable disadvantage that had previously been accepted in public policy, and is now accepted no more. Australia will be much stronger as a consequence of these two policies being delivered in full.
We have made it through to a full term of the 43rd Parliament, and the programs and reforms have been delivered from the platform of a full parliamentary term. And from a full, and yes, stable Parliamentary platform, the statistics of the past three years are now compelling evidence for those interested in the facts. We have passed a record amount of legislation: more than 500 pieces of legislation, many that were unable to be passed in majority Parliaments in the past. Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that this means the Parliament has given the green light to anything and everything – as happens with majority governments - we also have had a high number of bills that were withdrawn by the Government and did not progress. We also have had Government legislation amended on the floor of Parliament, and Government ideas that just didn’t make it to the floor of the House once conversations had occurred. All of these are important indications of a Parliament that is alive and doing its job. It is also instructive that 87 per cent of all Government legislation has been bi-partisan, with both the Labor Party and Liberal-National Parties in agreement.
Importantly, this includes all three Budgets from 2010 to 2013. Committee work is now at record highs, and adoption of recommendations from Committee work is also at record highs. This is because of agreed reforms at the start of this Parliament, and these reforms – at a committee level – have proven to be successful when not abused. I hope MPs value these changes for the better, even though it has meant more work. Hard work on the detail and being busy for the nation is, after all, what voters and taxpayers expect of us. Private members business has also reached record levels. More than 300 private members bills and motions have made their way to the House.
More than 100 motions have been successful, 7 private members bills have become law, and one private members bill, the Bali Bill, was voted down in another place despite passing the House. I am honoured to have sponsored two of those eight bills. All of this backbench activity has at times been difficult for the Leader of the House and Executive Government, but I say ‘so what!’ The parliament should be a House that welcomes all ideas and does not fear debate or a vote on the most contentious of ideas. It is a dead and dull den of Executive command and control if we give up the important voice of the backbencher, and it will further separate Government from the people if this avenue of the people is lost.
The voice of the House of Representatives does matter, and does often challenge the rhetoric and spin of the day. Look at the full passage of all three Budgets from 2010-2013. Outside the Parliament, we hear of and read about a budget crisis, yet we see on the Hansard record, for future years to come, a House of Representatives which voted for all three Budgets in this tight Parliament, including Budget 2013. We hear of and read about a politicised Treasury and Finance, we see a cute game of the withholding of policies and costings because of this stated lack of trust in the figures, yet only last week, the full confidence of the House was expressed in Treasury and Finance, and full confidence was expressed in the apolitical job of Treasury forecasting, and confidence in the words of the Treasury Secretary that PEFO on budget day would have been no different in substance.
The House itself has blown the rhetoric of some, and blown the opinion commentary of others. Likewise, only a fortnight ago, the House of Representatives expressed full confidence in the science of man-made climate change, and that it is not a con or conspiracy, but is a real and known threat to Australia that deserves a policy response.
This is an important historical marker to make sure the 44th Parliament and beyond continue to focus on best policy for the nation when dealing with this very real, acknowledged science advice. To those in the community who think the September 14 ballot is somehow going to elect people who do not believe in climate change, or who don’t have a policy on climate change that costs taxpayers money, all I can say is you have been successfully fooled, or are indeed a fool. No-one in the centre of the public square denies the science, and everyone in the centre of the public square has an economics policy in response to the science.
This 43rd Parliament has made it, and has delivered more than ever before it. To those who choose not to see, those who view their politics through the emotion of a personality or leadership contest of some sort, and those who are so wedded to their party of choice that they opt to hate their Parliament if their party doesn’t control it, then frankly, I question your loyalty to your nation. Since when has disrespecting a Parliament, rather than respecting a Parliament, been an act of loyalty? Since when is disrespecting the office of Prime Minister, rather than respecting the office of Prime Minister, seen as an act of loyalty? Since when is verballing and patronising electors, that they somehow got it wrong in 2010 rather than respecting the result, seen as an act of loyalty? Of course, none of these are acts of loyalty at any level. They are the acts and views of radicals. And many, too many, have fallen into this lazy world of spit and venom at the expense of nation-building and investing respectfully in our institutions that are the foundations of our democracy.
Thankfully, now that we have made it full-term, our parliamentary democracy has shown itself to be stronger than all. Now, Speaker, we have still more rumours from those formally and informally stalking Julia Gillard as commissioned Prime Minister.
I want to address this tonight in an open statement to the Governor-General. I invite the Governor-General to assume nothing. I do not automatically support any political party. I support policy for the nation. I make decisions in this Parliament, on nothing other than the policies. Policies such as who will progress Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition in the Australian Constitution, and a clear timetable how, as agreed by both the major parties, it will occur by 2015. And who actually will complete the Pacific Highway upgrade, with a clear timetable of works, and clear agreement with the State of NSW, as was promised over and over and over again by both major parties to be delivered by 2016. Who will actually deliver a clear works schedule, in agreement with the states, on comprehensive tax reform? And who will deliver the deepest fibre possible to deal with the zettabyte of global internet traffic due in 2016. Who will continue the work on pathways and collaboration in secondary, vocational and tertiary education, particularly in progressing the use of education as a sledgehammer on disadvantage and inequity? Who will deliver a productivity agenda for Australia and how? Who will work with near neighbours in slowing the movement of people in the Asia-Pacific, working with near neighbours to slow dangerous boat arrivals, and work with all Australians to end the mandatory detention of children? Who will re-invest in the Health and Hospitals Fund and recognise the value of that fund demonstrated by work at more than 130 regional and rural hospitals in the past three years, combined with the need for ongoing health reform in the interests of greater equity in programs for regional, rural and remote Australia?
And finally, I’ll be looking for policy on who will increase the status and priority of research, investment, and promotion of all aspects of food, soil, and water within Australia, and who will in parallel recognise the multi-trillion dollar industry of ecosystem services and how Australia can globally lead in the provision of these services.
The commissioned Prime Minister has a view on all of these, and I have appreciated working with her on each of these policy areas. If anyone thinks they can do better, I invite them to put their policies on the table, and importantly, I invite them to put their views to the floor of the Parliament.
