Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (19:06): I want to pick up a number of points that the member for Parkes raised. I have also experienced situations where people and small businesses have been affected in the way that has been mentioned, but there are also a lot of other businesses that operate across the economy that will be affected through their transactions with others. But we do not use that as a basis on which to cast aspersions or to effectively denigrate the value of the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (10:52): The Australian Citizenship Amendment (Defence Service Requirement) Bill 2012 seeks to amend the citizenship requirement for Australian Defence Force members. However, for a number of reasons the bill will not necessarily be as helpful as it is intended to be, and the government believes that its own legislative approach will address the issues in a far more comprehensive way. The government’s main reason for opposing this bill is that the bill’s definition of a ‘family unit’ is much more narrow …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:11): I issue a simple challenge to the member for Paterson. If you want to put a privileges claim in against the member for Charlton, I will be following up with my own, because you just misled the House, claiming 345 jobs will be gone for a price that has not even come in. So when you are ready, we will be ready to meet that challenge.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Hon. BC Scott ): Order! Member for Chifley, resume your seat. …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (11:13): I would like to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer on the budget he delivered in the House two weeks ago. This budget is astoundingly good on so many levels and will help not only the nation but also communities like the ones I represent out in Western Sydney. Despite economic conditions that have seen government revenues fall by $150 billion, the Treasurer was able to put together a budget that delivered a surplus on time, as promised. Although …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (18:55): I have long advocated in this place and elsewhere that education is the key to opportunity and opening the door to prosperity for so many people, particularly from the electorate I am proud to represent—prosperity for individuals as well as prosperity for the nation as a whole. Labor understands that skilling Australians provides a crucial boost to productivity. That is why we have invested so heavily in school education as well as vocational education.

The bill we are debating today seeks …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (21:55): Last month I announced the winners of the Chifley Young Leaders Awards at a ceremony in Mount Druitt. I initiated these awards last year to recognise the positive contribution young people made to the local community over that year. I hope the Chifley Young Leaders Awards encourage young people to start thinking about the issues that matter to them—not just within school but also outside the classroom and in the broader community. Education was a big theme among our entrants …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (18:40): Again, this is an example of politics above policy. The inference in this motion is that there is some move afoot to reduce funding to non-government schools. This is simply not the case. The motion wants to exploit the fears of some teachers and parents about how the government might respond to the Gonski review. That review was exhaustive and detailed, and provided a roadmap for where we can go in terms of future support for schools. But in the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (17:18): I am proud to voice my support for the Paid Parental Leave and Other Legislation Amendment (Dad and Partner Pay and Other Measures) Bill 2012—proud because this bill builds on the historic government funded Paid Parental Leave scheme, the first of its kind in Australia, and proud because this very important social policy reform was introduced and delivered by a Labor government.

Last year’s introduction of the scheme followed decades of debate about the merits and affordability of paying mothers to …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (13:56):  I represent 24,000 pensioners in the electorate of Chifley. As a result of some of the reforms that we have delivered, we have seen some of the biggest increases to the pension in 100 years. Over May-June those pensioners will receive a tax-free lump sum payment of up to $250 before receiving an increase to their fortnightly pension in March next year. These increases amount to $338 a year for single pensioners and $510 a year for pensioner couples.

I wish …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:25): It is always a pleasure to follow the member for Goldstein because he always delivers such nuggets. Just a few moments ago we heard ‘this government spends, borrows and taxes’ like no other government does that. What is it supposed to do? They tax, they spend and they occasionally borrow. That is the way governments all over the world operate. And now we are being lectured about budget management from those opposite.

I do not quote Paul Keating much. I should …

Photo: Sally Tsoutas < http://uws.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_and_more_news/ed_husic_mp,_federal_member_for_chifley >

“At the outset I want to clarify something:

Vice-Chancellor Professor Janice Reid has a terrific sense of humour.

Fact.

Today, as students graduate from the Schools of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, the Vice-Chancellor has asked that I, a dreaded Humanities graduate, deliver the Occasional Lecture.

I was half expecting the song “Why can’t we be friends?” to be played as I was walking to the lectern.

So here we are, the battle of the brain is joined – the struggle between left …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (15:34): I am pleased that we are discussing this matter of public importance today because it is critical for a whole range of reasons. We at this point in time are gearing up and the next time we come back here we will be discussing the federal budget. That federal budget will be delivered at a time when there is global uncertainty about the state of the economy. A few years ago, as …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (12:46): The other night it took me four minutes and 55 seconds to order the latest iPad from Apple Australia’s website. Very impressive. Easy to select options, along with the chance to customise the order and add extra items to the purchase. In the meantime, it has taken 363 days to get a written response from Apple Australia’s Managing Director asking him to let Australian consumers know the answer to the following …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:00):  You get to hear a lot of crazy things in public life and in the sweep of public affairs. Only a few days ago we heard that apparently the CIA in tandem with the environmental movement is working tirelessly to shut down our Australian coal industry.

Mr Burke:  Shame on them!

Mr HUSIC:  I thought—exactly—I had heard it all, Minister, and then I saw this MPI. This is an MPI where those opposite are calling for us to have budget transparency. I …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (22:16): Tonight I am delighted to acknowledge in this place the kids of the Rooty Hill RSL Youth Swimming Club and their impressive accomplishments recently at the New South Wales RSL State Youth Championships in Ulladulla, New South Wales. The Rooty Hill RSL Youth Club has been part of our community for 45 years and works hard to provide our youth sporting groups with the opportunity to compete.

These local organisations and sporting groups help bring together our communities and teach our …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (17:10): I wanted to start with a quote direct from Margaret Whitlam:

Sneaked in a game of golf this morning and in the afternoon carried on like a suburban housewife in old surroundings. It is a joy to put a load of washing out on a familiar clothesline, to note the growth of the mulberry tree, and to listen to all the talkback radio programs while doing it.

That is a quote taken from a trip back to Cabramatta, in May 1973. I …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:11): I would like to join with other members of this place in expressing my condolences to the Australian Coptic Orthodox community on the passing of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria. Pope Shenouda had served as Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria since 14 November 1971, an exceptional period of time, presiding over a worldwide expansion of the Coptic Orthodox Church. During his papacy, he appointed the first ever bishops to preside over the North American archdiocese—which now contains over …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (19:22): I rise to speak in favour of the Corporations Amendment (Future of Financial Advice) Bill 2011 and the Corporations Amendment (Further Future of Financial Advice Measures) Bill 2011. It is important to remember how we got here. A lot of the time, events occur out in the community—particularly in relation to people’s financial situation—and there is rightfully a call for something to be done to protect people from these problems. The problem that one encounters is that there is a …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:11): The member for Leichhardt referred to false impressions. If there is any false impression, it is being generated by those opposite. Quite frankly, it is outrageous that they suggest that it is because of the substance of the issue, that we have a problem with the way they have attempted to pass what they are proposing. On three occasions changes have been made by those opposite to this bill. All have been referred to other committees for consideration. This bill …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (19:44): Let me to say to the member for Pearce that when I first saw this motion I had to confess to feeling a degree of surprise. I did not necessarily expect it, but as with most things the member for Pearce does she applies a great deal of thought and consideration to the framing of this motion, and I certainly welcome the chance to speak. But I do not welcome the opportunity of listening to some of the hysterical rants …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (10:46):  With these things, we usually get up and say we are pleased to speak on the bill. From my perspective, I am relieved to be speaking on the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (R18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012, because it has taken 10 years to get to the point where we make a decision about the classification of video games and, as the member for Pearce indicated in her contribution, the feedback on this matter was phenomenal. There …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:12): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am so glad you have given me the call. I am going to be upfront. I love listening to the member for Dunkley. Whenever he brings these matters of public importance into the House I love it. He has that machine-gun delivery and all that energy. There he is, trying to paint a picture of horror, backing up his claims with playdough statistics, providing us with a promise that we will see a better future if …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (18:31): Regardless of our positions in this chamber, everyone would agree that it is fundamentally the right of every single person that if they leave for work safely they should return home safely. It is simply inconceivable that anyone could disagree with that proposition. However, how do we guarantee that—and I am mindful of some of the comments by the member for Grayndler and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport—when we are told that truck driving is the most dangerous industry in …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (09:33): I want to take the brief opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to an energetic and passionate educator in the Chifley electorate who was recently made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia. Since 1997, Christine Cawsey has been the Principal of Rooty Hill High School, but her contribution to public education goes far beyond her current tenure. Before coming to Rooty Hill Christine served as head teacher and deputy principal at St Marys Senior High …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (10:46): I thank the member for Moncrieff for his contribution, both said and otherwise. I am pleased to speak on this bill because it does have significance and reflects the fact that it is part of an ongoing process to change appropriations, governance and financial management issues. The Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1), if enacted as was indicated in the second reading speech, potentially amends four acts and will repeal two others over three portfolio areas. This is all …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (13:46): Harry Kewell, Mark Schwarzer, Brett Emerton, Brett Holman, Alex Brosque, Tim Cahill, Jason Culina and Kyah Simon—this roll-call of proud current Australian footballers has more in common than performing at the top of their chosen sport; they all hail from Greater Western Sydney, one of this country’s largest, greatest and fastest growing regions. Every weekend—across Granville, Nepean, Blacktown, Southern Districts and the Macarthur and Bankstown districts—close to 60,000 players participate in park football. That is tremendous support, and we are …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (21:35): I would like to pay tribute to work being done in the Chifley electorate by two prominent community groups. The first one is Graceades Community Cottage, which I visited last week. They are doing a lot of work and have been since 1982 in our area from their location in Bidwill. They have been providing services and resources across Mt Druitt, including compiling and assisting with the local Bidwill newsletter. What they have pre-eminently been doing is focusing on education, …

 Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:20): The member for Aston is normally rather mild and reserved, but the member for Mayo has him all riled up and he has decided that he is going to go out there with both fists swinging on this idea. Amazingly, I think we will find that a number of us have views about whether a sovereign wealth fund should be should be established. I am always happy to examine ideas but in moving down that path I also want to …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:47): I rise to speak in favour of the motion moved by my colleague the member for Makin—not, obviously, as a South Australian MP but recognising that we share an interest, as a number of us do on this side, in the future of manufacturing in this country. The electorate of Chifley relies more on the manufacturing sector to provide jobs for local residents than many other electorates around Australia, and just as many as my colleagues here. The latest available …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:26): It gives me great pleasure to speak in relation to the appropriations bills because when you look at what we have been able to achieve in terms of our economic performance and where we are headed, particularly relative to overseas economies, we have a fantastic story to tell. In relation to net debt and its peaks in 2011-12, we see it is 8.9 per cent of GDP—less than a 10th of average major advanced economies. If you look at any …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (12:17): One of the difficult things for me in any debate about energy is that we have to cast any discussion about this matter as though we are either entirely for existing forms of energy or we are entirely for newer forms—that there cannot be in some way, shape or form an intelligent use of alternative sources of energy that complement each other. It is simply a fact of life that, given coal reserves in this country, we will be dependent …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (18:20): I too want to acknowledge the Ngambri and Ngunawal people and pay my respects to elders, past and present, and also acknowledge the huge pride I feel when I walk with and learn from the Darug people who are part of the Chifley electorate. Too often the vision of our nation’s parliament that is captured on nightly news, in media or elsewhere is one that focuses much on the conflict and the drama that tends to inhabit certain corners of …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (12:53): I have often said that Tony Abbott has not had an idea that John Howard did not think of first. When it comes to the economy, it is pretty clear that Tony Abbott is committed to relying upon a very faulty memory of what they perceive to be the golden years of the Howard government when reality seems to suggest otherwise. They were called out on this big-time by Malcolm Farr in recent times when he basically matched up the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:38): I have to say it was good in the past year to have a number of visitors to this country and, obviously, pre-eminently the visit of Her Majesty was certainly something to be proud of and very pleased to be associated with. She is, as has been reflected by the member for Wide Bay, a witness to great moments in history and has provided great stability over the course of her reign and her heading up of the Commonwealth.

I want …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (18:04): It gives me great pleasure to speak on the second report of the Joint Committee on the National Broadband Network. The report reviews the rollout of the National Broadband Network, the largest infrastructure project this country has seen, and details some of the milestones reached in the early days of this project. I also recommend that people read the contribution of the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in his National Press Club speech in December, in which …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (11:46): Having been elected in 2010, like my colleague the member for Kooyong, I have not had as much as others to do with the fourth estate, camped down the hallway in the press gallery. But I did get to meet a number of characters in a short space of time. Some of them can drive you to this blissful plane of distraction and albeit occasionally infrequent frustration. One bloke I had the genuine pleasure of getting to know as he …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:38): It is my intention to deal with some of the comments made by the opposition spokesperson on communication later in my contribution. I want to deal with some of the points that he raised because they should not be left unanswered. He suggested that certain things have not been done. A cursory reading of the explanatory memorandum and of the legislation shows that they have. There will be a great degree of transparency and accountability in the way that TUSMA …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (12:18): I want to take this opportunity to discuss the huge investment that has occurred in the Chifley electorate—and no doubt in electorates across the country—in the education area and in particular within primary schools. I am particularly proud—and I mentioned my support of this early on in the first speech that I made to the nation’s parliament—of Building the Education Revolution, which was a key component of the government’s economic stimulus plan. That involved 24,000 projects delivered over four years. …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (15:47): I love hearing conservatives parade their friendship of small business. I love how they pretend that they are such great friends of small business. It always reminds me of that great quote from George W Bush when he lambasted the French for not having a word for ‘entrepreneur’. They always make out they are the best mate of small business, but whenever they are called upon to make a decision in favour of small business, to do something when they …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (13:33): At the outset can I just say that I am proud to be associated with a government that, at a period of time when most of the advanced world was shedding jobs phenomenally, was able to create them. We had an economy that was stronger than most of the rest of the world and we have survived today. This is even to the extent that, when the Leader of the Opposition trawls around the country talking down the economy, the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (10:19): If will start with a startling claim: I often enjoy listening to the speeches from the member for Dunkley. I would enjoy them more if they had some connection to reality. We did have a number of spurious claims that were being made in that contribution, which started well and then just diverted into a direct lift out of ‘Conspiracy News dotcom’, making all sorts of suggestions about whether or not we had taken a position that was opposed to …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (11:48): I appreciate the opportunity in the parliament to be able to participate in a range of standing committees. They provide breadth in terms of the scope of policy that you get to look at, the types of issues that confront the general public and legislation that is being considered before the House. These are things that you would not necessarily look into, have experience in or need to investigate, but as a result of this experience you do build a …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (17:25): Before I begin my contribution, I do need to pick up on some of the comments made by the member for Bradfield. The issue he exhorted us to consider is that he did not wish to be verballed, but I think he did a pretty good job on verballing the minister and the government. Whereas those opposite have placed enormous emphasis on the benefit of wireless in the delivery of broadband in this country, we have sought moderation. By that …

I wanted to take the opportunity to provide an update on the campaign to get Australians fairer prices on the IT hardware and software they purchase.

When we’re paying up to 80 per cent more for software compared to US or UK customers, despite strengthened purchasing power that flows from a historically high Aussie dollar, you know something doesn’t add up.

And as I’ve also said before, I’m especially concerned about the impact that has on small businesses here – they are being asked to shoulder an …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (20:30): I want to commend the member for Fisher for those words. Much is made of the level of debate and dispute in this place. However, despite this many of us would not hesitate to agree vigorously that we would prefer vigorous debate with words and ideas. We welcome the fact that the sharpest thing to inject itself into our deliberations might be a smart reference to the standing orders as opposed to the wrong end of a gun barrel.

In recognising …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:15): I am pleased to speak on the Defence Trade Controls Bill 2011. As the Minister for Defence Materiel indicated in his second reading speech to the House, the legislation seeks to achieve some extremely important outcomes, notably helping strengthen our alliance with the US and the relationship between our defence industries; improving interoperability of the Australian and US armed forces; helping deliver equipment to our troops faster and cheaper; providing opportunities for the defence industry to win work in the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (19:37): In this place we have discussed at great length and experienced across the country the pain that was brought as a result of the floods that swept through Queensland and also parts of New South Wales and Victoria. As a nation we responded quite quickly, both in a personal capacity but also through businesses and in particular through government, where we had to take a number of critical measures to help people meet their immediate needs and also to be …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (11:00): I am very grateful to have a chance to speak on a special program that I participated in recently. A few weeks ago, under the Learn Earn Legend! program, about 100 Indigenous students from all over Australia had an opportunity to spend a week in Canberra undertaking work experience in parliament and in other jobs related to government. Under the program, the students had an induction to the workplace and they got to see what staff work on and the …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:04): I have heard it said that half the job of writing history is hiding the truth, and we do have a great degree of that happening right now. We are being asked to embrace a suite of policies that has been advocated by the other side to deal with a critical issue that they claim their track record proves works, when the reality says otherwise.

I do love how they now refer to the idea of tow-backs. During the campaign I …

Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Government Whip) (16:11): It is special to be able to participate in this debate. Am I the only one in this place who gets a little bit nervy when I hear those opposite calling for government intervention on industrial relations? These guys have great form on intervention. We remember Patricks. We remember their other great intervention, Work Choices. If they on that side of the fence had had their chance on this, it would not be flying kangaroos; it would be flying Rottweilers. …