LNP State Conference
11th July, 2015
Two years ago, just prior to the 2013 election, I said to you that the Coalition had commitments that it would be taking to the 2013 election - I want to read to you what I said just on two years ago today:
"Here are the sum of the things we will do to help our country get ahead: we'll abolish the carbon tax because you don't improve the environment by damaging the economy. We'll make substantial savings in government expenditure because governments, like families and businesses, can't keep living beyond their means and because lower spending will make it possible to reduce taxes responsibly. We will restore border protection policies that have been proven to work so that people come to this country the right way. We'll re-invest in the regions and agriculture which have been gutted under Labor. We'll cut $1 billion a year in red tape and introduce a one-stop shop for environmental approvals to slash green tape. We'll scrap the mining tax because you don't improve the economy by penalising successful industries. We'll maintain education, health and aged care spendings. We'll restore jobs growth by creating 1 million new jobs over five years."
Those were the commitments that we made two years ago and I think I can faithfully say, as I stand before you this morning, we've delivered on all of those commitments.
We've delivered in full - the carbon tax is gone.
We've made substantial savings in government expenditure, reducing Labor's $48 billion budget deficit to a situation where a surplus is in sight. It's still a few years away but in sight.
We've stopped the boats.
We've re-invested in the regions and in agriculture. Our $6 billion plus Northern Australia package announced last month is a transformational commitment to the north of Australia.
Everyone talks about the potential of the north; we're about making sure that potential is achieved. There's a $6 billion-plus commitment for roads, railway lines, dams and pipelines but also a CRC for the north to provide leadership in tropical science, education and in health and agriculture. Barnaby Joyce told me yesterday about the Agriculture White Paper - there'll be more money for beef roads, new tax concessions and income tax cuts for virtually all farmers. There will be an improved farm management deposits scheme and new labour programs to bring the workers to the farms that are so much in need. Our mobile phone black spots program will deliver 500 new mobile phone towers, and the NBN is rolling out across the nation with more connections in Queensland than in any other state. We've overachieved on our $1 billion a year commitment to reduce red tape. We've done better than we promised, and we're just getting warmed up!
The mining tax is gone - but Labor seems to be talking about bringing it back at time when the industry is going through such difficulties. Not only have we maintained expenditure on health, education and aged care, it's gone up every year. Over our first two years in office, our expenditure in health and education in Queensland has increased more than three times the CPI. Our expenditure on hospitals will increase by 27 per cent over the next four years, and on schools by 29 per cent over the next four years.
So when you see Labor Party identities and union acts talking about cuts to education, just tell them - the Coalition Government has increased funding for education every year - and will put it up by 29 per cent over the next four years, and has increases health funding every year, and will put it up by 27 per cent over the next four years.
And, we're on target to create one million new jobs. In spite of the mining downturn and difficult global economic circumstances, in spite of those difficulties, we are on track to create one million jobs over five years. Helping that is our $50 billion infrastructure commitment, which has become $57 billion over recent months through the boost in expenditure to Northern Australia, and an extra billion dollars that's now going to go to councils for their local roads and streets.
That's $57 billion to build the infrastructure we need as a nation for the next century, but also creating jobs - jobs right across the nation. I'm talking about big projects in our capital cities, exciting projects like our $6.7 billion commitment to upgrade the Bruce Highway, which totals $8.5 billion if you add the state's contribution. Those of you who drive it will see projects from top to bottom. And of course the announcement made just last week that we will build the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.
But we've done more than just concentrate on building infrastructure. We've announced a $5.5 billion package to help small businesses, including income tax cuts for virtually all small businesses, lower taxes, and immediate tax deductions for purchases up to $20,000. These sorts of things are providing enormous encouragement to small business to invest and expand.
There's also the $6.8 billion for the new Jobactive scheme; $6.8 to help people into jobs, to provide subsidies for young people to get their first work, or their first work experience. We've also brought in subsidies to get older people into the workforce, those who might be a little more difficult to place and assistance for people to move to where there's jobs. We want a working country and a working economy. As we build and create the jobs, we create wealth for our nation - wealth that will be so important to meet our social and economic objectives of the future.
We've got off to a good start, and Tony Abbott will be telling you more about that a little later this morning. We've got off to a good start, but we know there's a lot more yet to be done. So we're keen, as a team, to work with you over the years ahead to ensure our country achieves its potential so we guarantee the people of this nation the good government they need to prosper and grow.
