Private Member’s Motion

17 Apr 2013 10:04 AMMichael Hart

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (6.09 pm): I rise to offer my two cents tonight to this debate and to support the amendments moved by the Treasurer. One would have to say that to bring a bit of sense to this debate would be a good thing because those opposite clearly have no sense in bringing anything to this debate at all. Unlike the Labor Party we actually have a plan to pay down the debt and restore this state’s AAA rating. The only plan that the Labor Party had was $85.4 billion worth of debt in 2014-15. We have made a significant change to that. We have brought it down to $80.6 billion, which is a saving of $1.38 billion in interest. One only has to ask how many extra police officers, ambulance officers and firemen can that employ? As we know, this government is all about front-line staff. This government has made the tough decisions otherwise we would be looking at $5.3 billion in interest annually because we were, as we have heard before, heading very swiftly for $100 billion worth of debt had we not made the changes that this government has had the strength to make. We know it was business as usual for the Labor Party. They were heading very fast towards that $100 billion worth of debt. They continue to bury their heads in the sand while the Newman government makes the tough decisions.

This government has moved to lower taxes. We have abolished the waste levy. We have increased the payroll tax threshold. We are working to reduce the cost of living. In my electorate of Burleigh cost of living is one of the major issues that people are concerned about. Their electricity prices, water prices and their rates have been going through the roof, brought about by the previous terrible Labor government. They were incompetent and we all know they were. We are also moving to reduce red tape, which is helping small businesses in my electorate, and we are fighting against stupid things like the carbon tax—that tax that our Prime Minister promised us we would never have. ‘Not under a government that I lead will there be a carbon tax.’, she said.

We promised during the 2012 election to turn this state around. That is exactly what we intend to do. We intend to take action against cost of living. In a previous life I ran a small business. I employed 50 to 60 people at a time. You can laugh all you like, member for South Brisbane, but I ran a small business, did you? I employed people. I gave those people a wage to take home to feed their families. Unlike those opposite I know how to read a balance sheet. I know how to read a profit and loss statement. I would suggest to those opposite that they go and take some lessons because it is pretty simple when you do read a balance sheet to read what sort of state this state is in. It is no good being the best basket case in the world, is it? We need to be the best state in the world. It is no good being the best of a bad bunch, as those opposite would have people believe.

My mind goes back to a debate on the NDIS. When the member for Woodridge was asked where the money would come from for the NDIS she replied, ‘It doesn’t matter where the money comes from.’ The previous Labor government did not seem to care where the money came from. Did they care where the money came from for the failed Traveston Dam? Did they care where the money came from for the $9 billion water grid? Did they care where the money came from for the $1.36 million desalination plant on the Gold Coast? No, they did not care because it came from the bank. They never had a plan to pay that money back. Members opposite have stood up here tonight. Have any of them offered a plan in any fashion? We have not heard any plan whatsoever from those opposite. I understand that the member for South Brisbane will be next on the speaking list. She might know these words: ‘Take your best shot.’

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