house of representatives federal member for …...visa. • saved the low income super for over two...
TRANSCRIPT
Federal Member for Fairfax
CLIVE PALMER MPHouse of Representatives
visionforAUSTRALIA
Authorised by Clive Palmer, Member for Fairfax, 17 Southern Drive, Maroochydore, QLD 4558
Clive Palmer being sworn in to the 44th Parliament of Australia, representing the people of Fairfax
• StoppedtheGPCo-Payment.
• Stoppednegativechangestouniversities.
• Stopped$10billioncutstosocialsecurity.
• Freedover436childrenandfamiliesfromdetention.
• Freed1,500peopleintotalfromChristmasIsland.
• Resolvedover30,000casesindetention.
• Introducedthe(SHEV)SafeHavenEnterpriseVisa.
• SavedtheLowIncomeSuperforovertwomillionAustralians.
• KepttheSchoolkidsBonus.
• KeptLowIncomeSupport.
• Reducedelectricitypricesby10%Australia-wide.
• Made15changestoDirectActioninSenateAmendmentsthenpassedDirectAction.
• SavedtheClimateChangeAuthority.
• SavedtheCleanEnergyFinanceCorporation.
• SavedARENA(AustralianRenewableEnergyAuthority).
• SavedRET(RenewableEnergyTarget).
• Fixedpensionsforallveteransandex-servicemenandwomenover55.
• StoppedCampbellNewman.
• Setupthreeparliamentaryinquiriesinto:-
- TradeInvestmentandGrowth.
- AustraliaFund.
- QueenslandGovernment.
• AbolishedCarbonTax.
• AbolishedMiningTax.
• IntroducedthePrivateMember’sBillonForeignDeathPenalty.
• Protectedmaritimeworkers’jobs.
• ProvedthatgovernmentandcommunitydebtwasnotaproblemforAustralia.
• Cabinetadoptedourpolicytobanlobbyistsfrompartypositions.
• StoppedGrainCorpsaleandintroducedPrivateMember’sBill.
• Electoralreform-pensinsteadofpencils.
• KeptQantasAustralian-owned.
• Stoppedchangestoincometax-freethreshold.
• Stoppedfinancialincentivetosellpublicassets.
• SavedAustralianjobsinoffshoregasindustry.
• Stoppedslashingofuniversityresearchgrants.
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SinceIwaselectedastheFederalMemberforFairfaxinlate2013ourteamhasachievedsomeremarkablesuccessinparliamentforyouandallAustralians.Someofourachievementsare:
Federal Member for Fairfax
CLIVE PALMER MP
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PARLIAMENT of AUSTRALIA
HOUSE COMMITTEES: Standing Committee on Infrastructure & Communications
Standing Committee on EconomicsJoint Select Committee on Trade & Investment Growth
CONTACT USPostal: PO Box 1978, Maroochydore, QLD 4558 • Phone: (07) 5479 2800 • Fax: (07) 5443 5333 Email: [email protected] • Web: www.palmerfairfax.com.au
@CliveFPalmer www.facebook.com/ClivePalmerMP
Watch Clive Palmer’s budget speech on
YouTube via this QR code
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4 Clive Palmer’s Vision for AustraliaReal ideas to get the country moving again.
9 Australia in 2015Real data on the true state of Australia’s economy.
14 How does Australia compare? How we perform in relation to the rest of the world.
19 Maiden Speech in ParliamentClive Palmer speaks of his love for Australia and his vision for the future.
22 Higher Education BillClive Palmer speaks to the House on one of Budget 2014’s most unpopular measures.
24 Vale Rt Hon Malcolm FraserClive Palmer’s tribute to a great Australian.
26 Question TimeA comprehensive summary of Clive Palmer’s questions to the Abbott Government.
contents
Clive Palmer with former US Vice President Al Gore
MenandWomenofAustralia,
Ourcountryisknownforitsstrengthandourpeopleknownfortheirresilience.Today,wefindournationinneedofbothstrengthandresilience.
ThemainissuefacingAustraliatodayisnotjustbalancingourbudget,butwhatAustralianscandotoregainAustralia’sstatusastheluckycountry.Sadly,theLiberalandLaborpartiesaredevoidofideas.
Governmentsmayriseandfall,primeministersmaycomeandgo,butideasgoonforever.Australianswanttoknow-andAustraliansneedtoknow-howtheirlifecanbecomebetter;howlifecanbeimprovedfortheirfamilies;notin30years’time,butinourtime,now.
Domesticdemandisatanall-timelow;interestratesareatanall-timelow.It’snotbecausetheeconomyisdoingwell,it’sbecausethereisnoeconomicdemand.Becauseoureconomyisspiralingdownwardsandshrinking,andourpeopleholdtheirsavingsinfear.
PeoplearesufferingintheLatrobeValleyinVictoria,intheHunterinNewSouthWales,Elizabethin
SouthAustralia,Perth,allthroughTasmaniaandtheterritories.Australianshavelosthopeforthefuture.Wehavetore-establishconfidenceandleadthenation,nottomorrow,butnow.
Australianeedsarevolutioninthewaywethink,thewayweboostthewealthoftheeconomy,notforourselves,butforallourcitizens.Wehavetore-establishconfidence.Nottomorrow,buttoday.
InthefollowingpagesIwillexaminesomeofthethingswehavebeenabletoachieveinparliament.Iwillthensetthetruthfreeandtellyouwhattherealstateofourcountryisandhowourperformancecompareswiththeworld.
Governmentfinancesaredifferentthanthestateofoureconomy;thetruthyouseewillsetyoufree.
ThenIwilloutlinewhatwecanbecomeandwhatwecanachieveforeveryoneinthiscountry.
WeareallonStruggle Streettogether,butit’sourcountryandit’sourresponsibilitytodoallwecantomakethelivesofallourcitizensbetterthanitistoday.Itrulybelieveitcanbedone.
In May 2015 at a special function in Canberra, Clive Palmer delivered his Vision for Australia and response to the Abbott Government’s second budget. His speech picked apart the budget, just as he did in 2014 when he dismantled the debt myth peddled by the government, forcing them to eventually admit the economy was in much better shape than they would have the Australian public believe. In the following pages, Clive Palmer presents his Vision for Australia. It is full of real and current data showing you the real state of Australia’s economic affairs. But most importantly, it is rich with ideas on how we can reinstate Australia as the ‘lucky country’ once again.
Vision for Australia
Being greeted by another media pack in CanberraSpeaking at the National Press Club in Canberra. Clive Palmer has delivered speeches here on five occassions
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TogetAustraliamovingagainweneedtostimulatedemand.
Reducingcompanytaxby1.5%doesnotstimulatetheeconomy.Youhavetomakeaprofitbeforeyoupaytax.Becauseoflowdemandandlimitedmoneysupply,theproblemisthatsmallbusinessesarelosingprofitability.Youhavetocreatedemandbyincreasingthemoneysupply.Peopleneedmoneytobuygoodsandservicesforcompaniestomakeaprofitandthereforepaytax.
Projectedcompanytaxreceiptsfor2015willexceed$70billion.Insteadofcompaniespayingtaxquarterlyinadvancebasedonanestimate,weneedtoletthempayityearly.Ifwekeep$70billioninenterprises’handsfortwelvemonths,we’llboostthiseconomy;weknowtheycanspenditbetterthangovernment.Australianswillcreaterealdemandandmassivejobgrowth,andbydoingsowipeoffourdeficit,makingoureconomystronger.
If$70billionisspentbyindividualtaxpayersduringtheyear,evenonlyonce,thegovernmentgets10%GST,morerevenuebasedonmoreactivityandmorewealthcreation.
Thatwaywecanhavebetterhospitals,betterschoolsandbetterservicefromourgovernment.Whyshouldcompaniespaytheirtaxquarterlyinadvance,based
onanestimateofprofitstheymaynevermake?Whyshouldthegovernmentkeepthatmoneyinanaccount?Whyshouldn’titbeouttherecirculatingintheeconomy,creatingjobsforyou,yourfamilyandenterprises?Whyshouldn’twedothat?And,asIsaid,everytimethat$70billionisspent,thegovernmentgetsanextra$7billionGST.
Andyouknowwhat?Attheendoftheyeartheystillgetthe$70billionaswell.Ifthemoneycirculatesjustfourtimesbeforeit’spaidtogovernmentthegovernmentgetsanextra$28billion,plusmoregroupandcompanytax,andpaysoutlessforunemploymentbenefits.
Morehospitals,moreschools,arisinglivingstandard;giveAustralialeadership.IncreasingoureconomyandrevenuemeanswecanimplementchangestomakeAustralians’livesbetter.Atthecurrentinterestrateof2%,thatchangewillcostapproximately$850millionayearininterest,butgenerateover$30billionforthenationwithoutanylong-termborrowing.
Thisincreaseindemandandactivitywillboostjobs,investmentandsmallbusinessprofits.Itwillstimulatetheeconomyandcreatemorejobs.
Spendingmoneymakestheworldgoaround,createswealthandmakesthepiebiggerforallofustoshare.
“To get Australia moving we need to stimulate demand.”
At Nambour High School with some of their great students
Speaking with servicemen on Anzac Day in Maroochydore Pakistan Resolution Day in Canberra
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Thefirst$10,000paidonahomeloaneachyearshouldbetaxdeductible.Australiansneedthedreamofhomeownership.Itwillmakeourhousesaffordableagain,increaseemploymentandgiveouryoungpeopleagoaltostrivefor.
Thiswillboosttheconstructionindustry,increaseourhomeownershipandboostbuildingactivitytosatisfydemand,whichinturnwillincreaserevenueforthegovernment.Bygrowingdemandandgovernmentrevenuewecanreducepersonalincometaxby15%forallAustralians.
ThiswillmeantheaverageAustraliantaxpayerwillhave$2500extraintheirpocketeveryyear;anextra$50aweek.Thisincreaseindemandandactivitywillboostjobs,investmentandsmallbusinessprofits.
Itwillstimulatetheeconomyandcreatemorejobs.
Asthatextra$2500circulatesinoureconomy,evenifit’sjusttentimes,Iestimatethegovernmentwillgetthesameamountofrevenueastheydidfromthetaxcuts.Butmoneywilldowhatitdoesbestbycirculating,creatingjobs,lookingtothefutureandgivingourcitizenshope.
Weknowourcitizenscanspendmoneybetterthangovernment,creatingmoredemand,jobsandgovernmentrevenue.Everytimeit’sspentthegovernmentgets10%GST.
FortoolongAustralianshavelackedincentiveandconfidenceandfelttheycannothelpthemselves.Wewanttochangethat.WecanigniteAustraliaifweworktogether.
Australiansneedincentive.Withoutincentivethere’snogrowthinoureconomy.Oureconomycontinuestodecline,therevenueshrinksandthegovernmentwantstocloseourschools,privatiseourhospitalsandturnpeopleaway.ThelackofincentiveforworkersisaproblemwefaceinAustraliatoday.Industrymustprovideincentivesforallwhoserveit.
Australianworkersdon’thaveasecondjobbecauseofthehighrateoftaxation.Weneedtogivethemanincentive.
OurpensionersarepaidoneofthelowestpensionsintheOECDandtheirlivingstandardisclosetothepovertyline.Wecanchangeallthatifwestimulateoureconomy.Wecanincreasetheagepensionby20%or$150perfortnight.Thisstepwillinitselfstimulatedemandandcreatejobs.
PresidentObamadiditintheUnitedStates.Europeisstimulatingitseconomynow.
WecannottolerateAustraliansdyinginthecorridorsofourhospitals.ThecostofhealthcareintheUnitedStatesis17%ofGDP,yet60millionAmericansarenotcovered.TheAustralianGovernmentspendsaround9%.
Wecannotdesertthesickandthedying.Medicalstaffareoverworkedandhospitalsinadequate.Ourmedicalstaffareatbreakingpoint.Australianeedsanadditional$80billioninfundingforhealthinthenextthreeyears.InthedaysofPrimeMinisterMenziesourdebtswerearound40%ofGDP,whichwouldstillbeonly60%ofOECDaverage.Wemustdowhateverneedstobedonetofixhealthcareonceandforall.
TheAustralianGovernmentisthemainpractitionerofbankruptcyandcompanyliquidationsacrossAustralia.Ascompaniesclose,employeeslosetheirjobs,thegovernmentlosesgrouptaxandpeopletransferfromgainfulemploymenttoCentrelink.
Our pensioners are paid one of the lowest pensions in the OECD and their living standard is close to the poverty line.
At St Ignatius’, Tony Abbott’s old school!
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Suncoast Christian College visits Parliament House in Canberra
The infamous dinner with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the Wild Duck in Canberra
Companytaxesaredestroyedandtaxestocompensatecontinuetoclimb.Servicesspiraldownineducationandhealthserviceshavetobecuttoprotecttherevenue.Let’sprotecttheAustralianpeopleandtheirjobs.Let’sprotectwhatthecountrystandsfor.
Ifgovernmentstoppeddrivingbusinesstothewall,thiswouldn’thappen.
Australianeedstorestructurethesystem;tokeeppeopleemployedproductively.TotransferpeoplefromgainfulemploymenttounemploymentjustguaranteesmiseryforallAustralians.WeneedtohaveaChapter11liketheyhaveintheUS.Whencompaniesfailthebusinesscontinuessoworkerskeeptheirjobsandtheirfamilieshaveincome.
AsgovernmentservicescontinuetobreakdownandAustraliaheadstowardsacatastrophe,wethinkwe’rehelplessandcannotdoanythingaboutit.
ButAustralianscan.
Wemustprovidemorefundingtoeducationinthiscountry.Afreenationcanrisenohigherthanthestandardofexcellencesetinitsschoolsandcolleges.
Ignorance,illiteracy,unskilledworkersandschooldropouts-thesearethefailuresofaneducational
systeminthepast;asystemthatbreedsfailuresinoursocialandeconomicsetup,suchasdelinquency,unemployment,chronicdependency,awasteofhumanresources,alossofproductivepowerandpurchasing,andanincreaseoftax-supportedbenefits.
Thelossofonlyoneyear’sincomeduetounemploymentismorethanthetotalcostoftwelveyears’educationthroughhighschool.Failuretoimproveoureducationperformanceisnotonlypoorsocialpolicy,itispooreconomicpolicy.
Atthestartofthelastcentury,only10%ofouradultshadahighschooloruniversityeducation.
Today,suchaneducationhasbecomearequirementforanincreasingnumberofjobs.
Ouraimistoinjectanextra$20billionintotheeducationsysteminourfirstthreeyearsofgovernment.It’stimetoinvestinourselves.
Ifwedon’thaveconfidenceinourselves,whowillhaveconfidenceinus?Wemusteducateourchildren,ourmostvaluableresource.
Wemustmakeitpossibleforthosewithtalenttogotouniversity,butonlyifthosewhoareeducatedcanfindajob.That’swhyourabilitytocompeteinternationallytoexpandourexportsissoimportant.
“Let’s protect the Australian people and
their jobs. Let’s protect what the country
stands for.”
Press conference with former US Vice President Al Gore in Canberra Mixing with Diggers on Anzac Day in Fairfax An ABC birthday surprise in Canberra
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WeneedtosupportregionalAustraliabyintroducingthezonaltaxationsystem.
ThiswillprovideincentivetodecentraliseAustraliaandmaximisethedeliveryofservicestoregionalAustralia.
Itwillprovideincentiveinregionalareas.Wehavetoensureregionalhospitalshavedoctors,thatregionalindustriesdevelopforthebenefitoftheircommunities,andforallAustralians.
TheAustralianGovernmentmustsupportAustralianindustriesandensureallpoliciesputAustraliafirst.
WemustencourageAustralianstobuyAustralianproducewithlabellingandpackagingchangedsoAustraliansclearlyknowwhatproduceisAustralian.
Japanhasbecometheworld’sthirdlargesteconomybyprocessingAustralianresources.Youknow,thecostofenergyismoreexpensiveinJapanandJapansuffersfromthetyrannyofdistance.Wagesarealsohigher,yetAustraliasellsitsmineralresourcesfrom$40to$100atonnetotheJapanese,theyprocessitinJapanandsellitfor$20,000atonne.
TheycreateexportsinJapan,whileAustraliansinSouthAustralia,Victoria,Tasmania,NewSouth
Wales,QueenslandandevenWesternAustralia,gowithoutajoboranyhopeforthemselves.
TheAustralianGovernmentneedsto
demonstrateleadershiponthisissueandwarrantthatAustralianresourcesareprocessedinAustraliaforthebenefitofAustralians.
AustraliamustensuremineralsfromWesternAustraliaandQueenslandarethenprocessedinNewSouthWales,Victoria,TasmaniaandSouthAustralia.Weneedarealmanufacturingindustryinareaswherewehavetheeconomicadvantage,ratherthanexportingjobstoChinaandJapan.
95%ofAustraliansagreeonwhat’sgoodforthemandtheircommunity,butLaborandLiberalspenda100%ofthetimearguingaboutthethingsthatcreatedisagreementsanddisunityinourcountry.
TheycausedivisionwhenAustralianneedsunity.Theycausedisruptioninourindustrieswhenweneedajointeffort.
Asagreatmanoncesaid,inthefinalanalysis,weareallmortal,weallliveonthisonesmallplanet,weallbreathethesameairandweallwantagoodfutureforourchildren.
WhentheAnzacswentoverseas,theydidn’tgoasmembersoftheLiberalPartyormembersoftheLaborParty;theywentasAustralians.Weneedtoputtheideaofaclasswarbehindusandunitethenation.
ThiscountryhasthestrengthandpotentialtoliveoutitsheritageandfulfilthedreamsoftheAnzacs.
ToreinstateAustraliaastheluckycountry,weneedtoreunitethecountryanddowhat’sbestforallAustralians.
Failure to improve our education performance is not only poor social policy, it is poor economic policy.
Press conference with former Liberal Leader John Hewson
Our promise... and we kept it! Listening to the concerns of Australians
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AUSTRALIA 2015Economic Resilience – real GDP growth
Overtwodecadesofuninterruptedannualeconomicgrowth,theAustralianeconomyremainedresilient,sustainedbysoundmacro-economicpolicies,stronginstitutionsandcontinueddemandforhardandsoftcommoditiesfromAsia.Australiaistheonlydevelopedeconomytohaverecordednoannualrecessionsduringthepast23years,placingitalongsidehighgrowtheconomiessuchasChinaandIndia.
AustralianGovernmentdebtisoneoftheworld’slowest.InitsOctober2014fiscalmonitor,theInternationalMonetaryFundestimatedthattheAustraliangovernment’snetdebtwouldbe16.6%ofGDPin2015,wellbelowthe74.1%forecastforadvancedeconomies.Actuallyit’sonly14%ofGDP,lessthanthe40%underBobMenzies’Government.ThelowpublicsectordebtreinforcesAustralia’shealthyfinancialpositionandsoundeconomiccredentials,andunderpinsitsstrongratings.
1992 - 2014Note: Colour circles represent the
number of years in recession.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database,
October 2014; Austrade
AU
STR
ALI
A
Can
ada
US
A
UK
Fran
ce
Sw
itzer
land
Ger
man
y
Net
herla
nds
Eur
o A
rea
Japa
n
Italy
Chi
na
Viet
nam
Indi
a
Sou
th K
orea
Indo
nesi
a
Mal
aysi
a
Taiw
an
UA
E
Hon
g K
ong
Bra
zil
Sin
gapo
re
Thai
land
IMF staff estimates and projections. Projections
are based on staff assessment of current
policies. For cross-country comparability, gross and
net debt levels reported by national statistical agencies for countries
that have adopted the 2008 System of National
Accounts (Australia, Canada and USA) are
adjusted to exclude unfunded pension liabilities
of government employees’ defined benefit pension
plans. Source: International Monetary Fund, Fiscal
Monitor October 2014, Statistical Tables 8 and 16;
Austrade.
General government net debt in 2015 (as a percentage of GDP)
Gre
ece
Japa
n
Por
tuga
l
Italy
Irela
nd
Fran
ce
Bel
gium U
K
US
A
Spa
in
Ger
man
y
Sou
th A
frica
Mex
ico
Can
ada
Net
herla
nds
Sou
th K
orea
Bra
zil
New
Zea
land
Sw
itzer
land
Turk
ey
AU
STR
ALI
A
Den
mar
k
Per
u
% o
f GD
PAv
erag
e an
nual
gro
wth
rate
%
10
Economic statistics – IMF net debt data (as a percentage of GDP)Economic Statistics – IMF Net Debt Data
General government net debt as a percentage of GDP
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database - April 2014, accessed 6 May 2014
-10.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
%
Australia IMF - Advanced economies
Source: International Monetary Fund, World
Economic Outlook Database - April 2014,
accessed 6 May 2014
Note: Circles are not to scale. Data between countries is not strictly comparable. Refers to home domiciled funds, except Hong Kong and New Zealand, which include home and foreign-domiciled funds. Funds of funds are not included, except for France, Germany, Italy and Luxembourg. In this statistical release, ‘investment fund’ refers to a publicly offered, open-end fund investing in transferable securities and money market funds. It is equivalent to ‘mutual fund’ in the US and ‘UCITS’ (Undertakings for the Collective Investment of Transferable Securities) in the European Fund and Asset Management Association’s statistics on the European investment fund industry. Australia’s investment funds in the Investment Company Institute survey only include consolidated assets of collective investment institutions.Sources: Investment Company Institute, Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets and Flows, Second Quarter 2014 (released 2 October 2014); Hong Kong’s data (Non-REIT fund management business – the sum of asset management business and fund advisory business of licensed corporations), sourced from Securities and Futures Commission, Fund Management Activities Survey 2013 (released July 2014); Singapore’s data sourced from Monetary Authority of Singapore, 2013 Singapore Asset Management.
Investment fund assets, US$ billion, June quarter, 2014Global significance of Australia’s investment fund assets pool
Theworld’slargestpooloffundsundermanagement–setforgrowth.Australia’spoolofFundsUnderManagement(FUM)isthethirdlargestintheworldandthelargestintheAsianregion,accordingtotheinvestmentcompanyinstitute’sworldwidemutualfundassetsandflowsdata.TheglobalsignificanceofAustralia’sFundsUnderManagementandthematurityofitsfundsindustryunderscoresitspotentialtofurtherdevelopasaregionalfundsmanagementcentre.
41 66 127 309 561
NewZealand
Taiwan India SouthKorea
China Japan Singapore HongKong
Australia
CurrentValue2010
2005
1990
2000
1995
AustraliaJapan Canada Brazil UK Singapore Ireland France Hong Kong Luxembourg USA
%
11
Growthinproductivityisoutpacinglabourcosts.Australiahasenjoyedasustainedperiodoflabourproductivitygrowthexceedinggrowthinrealwages.OverAustralia’s23yearsofconsecutiveeconomicgrowth,labourproductivityhasrecordedacompoundannualgrowthrateof1.8%perannum,whilerealunitlabourcostshavefallenby0.5%eachyear.Australiahasexperiencedparticularlystronglabourproductivitygrowthoverthepasttwoyears,withgrowthof1.9%in2012–13and2.6%in2013–14.Duringthissameperiod,realunitlabourcostshavebroadlyremainedstable,indicatingthattheeffectivecostoflabourhasremainedinlinewithproductivityimprovements.
Australia’s labour productivity and costs 1991–2014 (as at 30 June each year, trend terms)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Cat. No. 5206.0
– Australian National Accounts: National Income,
Expenditure and Product, Table 1. Key National
Accounts Aggregates, Time Series Workbook (released 3 September 2014); Austrade
Australiaisagloballeaderfortertiaryeducationentryrates.Australiahasoneofthehighestentryratesintotertiarytype-Aeducationintheworldat102percent,includinginternationalstudents.ThisiswellabovetheOECDaverage(58%),theUSA(71%)andtheUK(68%).Australia’stertiaryeducationentryrateisalsomuchhigherthanAsiancountriessuchasSouthKorea(69%),Japan(52%)andChina(18%).ThehighratesoftertiaryeducationunderpinAustralia’spositionasthenumberonedevelopedcountryintermsofrealGDPgrowth.
Entry rates into tertiary education 2012 Note: Entry rates represent the percentage of an age cohort that is expected to enter
a tertiary program over a lifetime. New entrants data for international students is not
specified.The entry rates for tertiary type-A programs include the entry rates for tertiary
type-B programs. Type-A refers to largely theory-based programs designed to provide
qualifications for entry to advanced research programs and professions with high skill
requirements, such as medicine, dentistry or architecture. Duration >3 years full-time
and not exclusively offered at universities. Type-B refers to shorter programs focused on practical, technical or occupational skills for
direct entry into the labour market, although some theoretical foundations may be covered.
Minimum 2 years full-time equivalent at the tertiary level.New entrants data by age is not
specified.Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2014, Table C3.1, (last updated 4 September
2014); Austrade
AU
STR
ALI
A
New
Zea
land
Nor
way
Den
mar
k
US
A
Rus
sia
Sou
th K
orea UK
Finl
and
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nds
Por
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Sw
eden
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av
Irela
nd
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Italy
Sw
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Fran
ce
Bel
gium
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mbo
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Indo
nesi
a
Chi
na
Exp
ecte
d %
of p
opul
atio
nIn
dex,
Jun
e 19
91 =
100
12
Australia’spoliciescreateanenvironmentofeconomicfreedom.Australiaranksthirdinthe2014indexofeconomicfreedom,apositionheldforthepastsixyears.Thesurveystatesthat‘openness to global trade and investment is firmly institutionalised, supported by a relatively efficient entrepreneurial framework and a well-functioning independent judiciary. Australia has a strong tradition of reliable property rights protection, and the legal system is transparent and evenly applied’.ItalsostatesthatAustraliacontinuestobenefitsignificantlyfromitstransparentandefficientbusinessenvironment,andopen-marketpolicies.
The 2014 Index of Economic Freedom covers 186 economies and measures 10 components of economic freedom (Business Freedom, Trade Freedom, Fiscal Freedom, Government Spending, Monetary Freedom, Investment Freedom, Financial Freedom, Property Rights, Freedom from Corruption and Labour Freedom).
The 10 component scores are equally weighted and averaged to get an overall economic freedom score for each economy. The number in brackets in the chart indicates the country’s world ranking. Sources: The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, 2014 Index of Economic Freedom; Austrade
Foreign-born population (As a percentage of total population – 2011 or latest available year)
Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Key statistics on migration
in OECD countries, Stocks and flows of immigrants,
2001–2011, Table A.4. Stocks of foreign-born population in OECD countries and the
Russian Federation; Austrade
AustraliaisoneofthemostculturallydiversecountriesintheOECD.Theavailabilityofmultilingual,culturallydiverseandhighlyskilledpersonnelmeansAustraliaoffersaccesstoaworkforcewellequippedwiththeculturalunderstandingandlanguagecapabilitiestoserviceinternationalbusinessesintheirownlanguages.
SwitzerlandAUSTRALIA
IsraelNew Zealand
CanadaIrelandAustria
SwedenBelgium
SpainGermany
USANorway
UKFrance
NetherlandsItaly
PortugalDenmark
RussiaGreeceFinland
HungaryChile
PolandMexico
Index of economic freedom world ranking 2014Hong Kong (1)Singapore (2)
AUSTRALIA (3)Switzerland (4)
New Zealand (5)Canada (6)
Chile (7)Mauritius (8)
Ireland (9)Denmark (10)
USA (12)UK (14)
Netherlands (15)Taiwan (17)
Germany (18)Japan (25)
UAE (28)South Korea (31)
Malaysia (37)Spain (49)
France (70)Thailand (72)
Italy (86)Philippines (89)Indonesia (100)
Brazil (114)India (120)
China (137)Russia (140)
Vietnam (147)
Economic Freedom Score80 - 100 Free70 - 79.9 Mostly Free60 - 69.9 Moderately Free50 - 59.9 Mostly Unfree0 - 49.9 Repressed
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AustraliahasthesecondlargeststockmarketintheAsianregion.WearealsohometothelargestliquidstockmarketintheAsianregionoutsideJapan.ItistheeighthlargestintheworldwithtotalcapitalexceedingUS$1.12trillioninSept2014.Australia’smarketcapitalisationoffree-floatingsharesisgreaterthanChina’sUS$1.06trillion,doubleHongKong’sUS$528billionandaroundfourtimesthemarketcapitalofSingapore’satUS$261billion.
Note: The number in brackets is the world ranking of each country or economy (out of 48). Standard & Poor’s capitalisation-weighted indices are float adjusted. Under float adjustment, the share counts used in calculating the indices reflect only those shares available to investors rather than all of a company’s outstanding
shares. Float adjustment excludes shares that are closely held by control groups, other publicly traded companies or government agencies. Source: Standard & Poor’s, S&P Dow Jones Indices World-By-Numbers: September 2014; Austrade
Australia’s projected superannuation assets 2012 - 2033
Long-termpensionpoolgrowthsupportsfutureinvestmentopportunities.Australia’s$1.6trillionsuperannuationsystemisthe4thlargestintheworldandamajordriverbehindAustralia’sgloballysignificantfundsmanagementindustry.Thispoolofassetsisexpectedtogrowto$7.6trillion,or180%ofGDP,overthenexttwodecades.Wedon’tneedtotamperwiththepension.Australiansprovidefortheirlong-termretirementontheirownefforts.
Source: Deloitte Actuaries & Consultants, September 2013, Dynamics of the Australian Superannuation System: The next 20 years: 2013–2033, Austrade
Size of key stock markets in Asia 2014Market capitalisation of free-floating stocks (US$ billion, 30 Sept 2014)
USA (1) 21,717Japan (2) 3,655UK (3) 3,179Canada (4) 1,675France (5) 1,408Germany (6) 1,305Switzerland (7) 1,247Australia (8) 1,123Global 44,352
Australia(8)
China(9)
South Korea (10)
Taiwan(11)
Hong Kong (13)
India (16)
Singapore (20)
Malaysia (25)
Thailand (28)
Indonesia (29)
Philippines (34)
New Zealand (40)
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14
How does Australia compare?Spending on the elderly as percentage of GDP
Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015. Note: Australia had the 9th lowest share of GDP spent on health in 2011.
Spending on the unemployed as percentage of GDP
Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015. Note: Australia’s ranking has slipped from 12th highest share of GDP spent on unemployment in 2000 in the OECD to the 22nd highest in 2011.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Mex
ico
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Perc
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Bel
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Cze
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Den
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Slo
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Por
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Aus
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Gre
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Fran
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Italy
Per
cent
age
of G
DP
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Chile
Turk
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Pola
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15
Unemployment rate comparisons 2014
Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015. Note: Australia had the 10th lowest unemployment rate out of all OECD countries in 2014.
How does Australia compare?
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
Nor
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Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015.
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GDP growth rate comparisons in 2014
16
Health spending as a percentage of GDP
Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015. Note: public spending includes spending on old age pensions and other benefits for older people; survivors pensions and benefits; spending on people with disabilities or incapacities; family benefits and allowances; and spending on active labour market programs.
Source: OECD StatExtracts, accessed 27 April 2015. Note: Australia had the 13th lowest share of GDP spent on health in 2011.
How does Australia compare?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Perc
ent o
f GDP
2000
2014
Kor
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Est
onia
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Per
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Public spending as a percentage of GDP
17
How does Australia compare?
Social expenditure statistics - as percentage of GDP
Notes: Data for 2010 to 2013 are estimates and
are only available for aggregates.
Source: OECD Social Expenditure Statistics,
Social Expenditure, Aggregated data.
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
%
Australia
Canada
France
Germany
Japan
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
OECD - Total
.
Public social expenditure as a percentage of GDP
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
20.00
%
Public cash benefits, as a % of GDP
2009 2013
Notes:Data for 2013 an OECD Estimate.Source: OECD Social Expenditure Statistics, Social Expenditure, Aggregated data.
Social expenditure statistics - Cash benefitsPublic cash benefits as a percentage of GDP
Notes: Data for 2013 an OECD estimate. Source: OECD Social Expenditure, Social Expenditure, Aggregated data.
%
2009 2013
Aus
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18
How does Australia compare?Social expenditure statistics - public old age
Notes: Source: OECD Social Expenditure, Social Expenditure, Aggregated data.
Social expenditure statistics - health
Notes: Where 2011 data not available, earlier data used. Source: OECD Health Statistics 2013m Health at a Glance.
Total expenditure on health per capita, average annual growth rates in real terms, 2000-11
2.7
1.8
3.1 3.0
7.1
4.7
2.3
5.3
3.5
1.8 2.1 2.1
3.0
0.6
4.4
1.71.2
3.0
8.7
0.7
2.8
4.7
3.8
2.4
6.0
1.1
10.0
2.93.3 3.1
1.8
5.6
4.0
3.03.4
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
%
Notes:Where 2011 data not available, earlier data used.Source: OECD Health Statistics 2013m Health at a Glance
Aus
tralia
Aus
tria
Bel
gium
Can
ada
Chi
le
Cze
ch R
epub
lic
Den
mar
k
Est
onia
Finl
and
Fran
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man
y
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and
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5.1
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8.1
4.2
2.8
8.48.0 7.9
10.0
12.0
8.9
11.2
9.5
2.7
5.4
4.4
13.0
10.1
2.1
8.6
1.5
6.0
4.7
7.1
10.2
11.1
6.5
9.2
7.9
10.0
6.66.0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
%
Notes:Source: OECD Social Expenditure, Social Expenditure, Aggregated data.
Public old age expenditure, as a percentage of gross national income, 2009
Aus
tralia
Aus
tria
Bel
gium
Can
ada
Chi
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Cze
ch R
epub
lic
Den
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A
%
%
19
MadamSpeaker,
AustraliansknowwhoIamandwhereIcomefrom.TheyknowIlovemyfamilyandthatIloveAustralia.
In1918myfather,attheageofnine,wenttoseeasilentmovie.Bythetimehewasfourteenhewasproducingandstarringinhisownmovies.Hewentontobecometheworld’syoungestmovieproducer,ashewasknowninHollywoodatthetime,intheUnitedStates.HereturnedtoAustraliatoestablishradiostation3AKinMelbourneandradio7UVinTasmania.PrimeMinisterLyons,oftheUnitedAustraliaParty,openedradio3AKandIstillhavetherecording.
MymotherwasborninPenguin,Tasmania,andleftin1940toworkinammunitionproductioninMelbourne.Familymembershaveservedthisnationinthefirstandsecondworldwars,somegivingtheirlivesforAustralianfreedom.Mynephew,SquadronLeaderMartinBrewster,servedwithINTERFETinTimorandallofthemhavedoneforAustraliamorethanIcouldeverdo.
LikehalfofallAustralians,Ilostmyfirstpartner,Sue.Herloveandourchildren,MichaelandEmily,sustainmeeveryday.Mywife,Anna,andmylovelyfive-year-olddaughter,ormiddlefiveasshesays,Mary,remindmeeverydayofwhatlifeisallabout;loveforeachotherandthelovewewillhaveforeachotherinthefuture.Ilookforwardtothecomingweeks,whenIwillagainbecomeafather,andIhaveastrongresolvetoserveournationandastrongresolvenottoletthepeopleofFairfaxdown.
Fairfaxhasbeentakenforgrantedformanyyears.MyelectionisaremindertothemajorpartiesthattheymusttrulyserveallAustralians.Ashasbeensaid,letusnotseektheLiberalanswerortheLaboranswer,buttherightanswer.Letusnotseektofixblameforthepastbutletusacceptourownresponsibilityforthefuture.Wemeettodayinacitywhichitselfhasreconciledourpeopleatdifficulttimesinthenation’shistory-acitythatinthislastcenturyhasbeenwitnesstothetrialsandtribulationsofourpeople-atatimewhenthenationlacksdirectionandneedstosetsailonanewcourse.
HowlongcanparliamentremainindifferenttotheneedsofallAustralians?Howlongcangovernment
bedeaftotheeverydaystrugglesofallAustralians?Theymustbeontopofthenationalagenda.Onthissmallspeckintheuniverse,planetEarth,wemustdoallthatwecantohelpeachother.Ourmainconcernneedstorestwithhowwecangrowandexpandoureconomyandcreatemorewealth;notwealthforthewealthybutforall,eventheleastamongus.Asawisemanoncesaidmanyyearsago,injusticetoamananywhereisaninjusticetoallmeneverywhere.
Welivetodayinanationwheretheroadsarenolongersafe,whereambulancesremovethecarnagefromourhighways,wheretheinfantmortalityrateofourIndigenouspeopleistwicethatoftheAustraliancommunity,wherethelifeexpectancyofmanyofourpooreranddowntroddencitizensislessthanitshouldbe,wherehealthservicesaredeclining,whereourelderlyandveteransareforgotten,wherethetyrannyofdistanceseparatesthehopesandtheaspirationsofremoteAustralia,andwherethedespairofthehomelessandunemployedrobsthenationoftheproductivityofourcitizens.Tasmanians,Ifoundoutduringourelectioncampaign,feelabandonedbymainlandAustralia.TheghostsoftheAnzacscallustoaction.
Tostimulateoureconomicactivity,wemustignitethecreativityofallourcitizens.ChairmanMaosaidalongtimeagothatwomenholduphalfthesky,yetwomenreceivedtheirvotein1902butprejudicestillremains.Leadership,notcomplacency,isourneedtoday.Inparliamentandincabinet,weneedmorewomen.
Thenationneedsastrongeconomywithefficientproduction.Australiastillhasatriple-Acreditrating.ThedeclineinQueensland’screditratinghasbeenfollowedbyadeclineinservices.Ourcitizensneedtoliveacivilisedlife.Governmentisnotaboutbusiness;itisaboutcreatingtheenvironmenttoallowalloureconomytoflourish,togrowrevenuetosustainthenation,andtoprovideincomeandsecuritytoallAustralians.
Confidenceislow.Ourstandardoflivinghasdeclined.Wemustuseourresourcesbetter.Wearenotprisonerstotheworldeconomy,helplesslyadriftinaseaofdespair.OurproblemshavebeenmadebyAustraliansandcanbesolvedbyAustralians.
In his maiden speech to the House of Representatives, Clive Palmer talks about family, his love for Australia and a vision for its future. 2 December 2013.
Maiden SpeechCLIVE PALMER IN PARLIAMENT
Weshouldnotacceptdefeatbyjustcuttingandslashing,lestthereaperreapmorethanhecansow.Borrowingtoavoidtheproblemandputoffthedayisnottherealsolution.Weneedinthisplaceandatthistimetosetanationalagendaforgrowth;agoalforallofus.
Whenthedaycomes,anditmostsurelywill,whencitizenselectedbythepeopletakeproperandfullresponsibilityforthewelfareoftheirfellowcitizensandwhenwetreatotherAustraliansaswewouldwantthemtotreatus,thenwecansurelyknowthatwedoGod’swill.
Publicservicehasnorewardotherthantheserviceofothers.Itisthelegacyweleavefuturegenerations.Historyisourrealjudge.Letusworktogethernotasopponentsinthisplacebutascolleaguesjoinedbytimeandspacetoservethenationwelove.
Australianshavelosthopeinthefuture.Changeiscertain.Successreflectsourabilitytoadapttothatchange.Itisnotindividuals’personalitiesthatareimportant.Itisnotdemeaningcommentsaboutthosewhositoppositeyouthatareimportant.Afterall,allofusinthisplacehavemerelyofferedourlivestoserveandthechallengeisreallywhatwecandotomakelifebetterforourfellowAustralians.
Atthelastelection,thePalmerUnitedPartywon5.5%ofthevote,becomingAustralia’sfourthlargestparty.ThePrimeMinisteronlybecamePrimeMinisterbecausethecoalitionreceivedthePalmerpreferences.
PalmerUnitedoutpolledtheNationalParty.PalmerUnitedelectedonemember,me,totheHouseofRepresentativesandthreesenators,onlytofindourlastsenatordeniedhispositionintheSenatebytheAEClosingtheballotboxesinWesternAustralia.PalmerUnitedandthemotoristswillholdthebalanceofpowerintheSenate.
InWesternAustraliaourpollingisshowingthatwecanwintwosenatorsifanelectionisheldtoday.InFairfax,PalmerUnitedreceivedoneofthelargestswingsinthenation’shistory,of50.3%.ThatiswhyIamhere.
TheMurdochNewspollshowed‘others’asbeing12.4%recently,buttheydidnotlistPalmerUnited.Ithinkwemustbeinthe‘others’.Ourrecentpollinghasshownwearenowpollingatabout10%ofthenation,nearlytwiceasmuchasthevotewereceivedatthelastelection.ManyAustraliansbelievedthatavoteforPalmerwasawastedvote.Nowourpartyvotehassolidified.Iwanttothankallthe150candidateswhostoodineveryseatavailableintheHouseofRepresentatives,ourSenateteamsandourpartymembersineverystateandeveryterritory.
PoliticalcourageisoneoftherarestcommoditiesandinQueenslandourstateleader,DrAlexDouglas,andhisdeputy,CarlJudge,defendfreedomandtherightsofindividualsbeforeadifficultparliamentandinanimpossiblesituation.TheyareputtingtherightsofAustraliansandprinciplebeforepoliticalexpediency,alessonwecanalllearn.Theentrenchmentofthetwo-partysysteminthiscountrynotonlythreatensdemocracybutdestroysthecreativityofthenation.Itrobsfromallofusthebenefitofeachother’sideasandinnovations.
TheforwardestimatesinAugust2013projectedprovisionaltaxreceiptsfor2014wouldexceed$70billion.Insteadofmakingourcompaniesandbusinessespaythistaxquarterlyinadvancebasedonanestimate,weneedtoletthempayityearlybasedonwhattheyactuallyearn.Ifwekeep$70billioninenterprises’handsthentheycanspenditbetterthanthegovernment.Australiawillcreaterealdemand,massivejobgrowthandreducedunemployment.Wewillturbo-chargeoureconomy.If$70billionisspentbyindividualtaxpayers,thegovernmentgets10percentGST.Thegovernmentgets$7billioneverytime
20
In Coolum with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and 10 other heads of state who are now members of the World Leadershp AllianceDelivering a speech in the House
How long can government be deaf to the everyday struggles of all Australians? They must be top of the national agenda
Dinner in New York with my wife Anna and former US President Bill Clinton
itisspentbyourcitizens,andthegovernmentwillreceivethe$70billionattheendofeachyear.Morehospitalsandschools,arisingstandardoflivingandincreasedwealthandrevenuemeanwecanmakeAustralians’livesbetter.Atcurrentinterestratesitwouldcostaround$800millionayear,butitwillgeneratebillionseachyearforthenation.Wehavetostimulatedomesticdemand.
Thegovernmentisthetoppetitionerofbankruptcyandliquidations,andasaresultourbusinessesclose,ouremployeeslosetheirjobsandweloseoutasanation.Welosegrouptax,companytax,exports,GSTandjobs.Stopgovernmentdrivingbusinessestothewall.Letpeoplestayemployed.Transferringpeoplefromgainfulemploymenttounemploymentjustguaranteesmiseryforallofus.Findabetterway,suchasChapter11intheUnitedStates.TheUSGovernmentdonotpetitionbankruptcies;theystimulatetheeconomy.Thelossofoneyear’sincomeduetounemploymentismorethanitcostsforfiveyearsofeducationathighschool.Toneglecteducationperformanceisnotonlybadpolicybutbadeconomics.
OurArmy,NavyandAirForcepersonnelprotectanddefendusall.Wemustlinkallservicepensionstomaletotalaverageearningsandexpandgoldcardbenefitstopeacekeepersandtospousesofourverybraveveterans.WeneedtosupportregionalAustraliabyintroducingzonaltaxation.Regionalareasneeddoctorsandprofessionalstogrow.RegionalindustriesbenefitallofAustralia.Wehavetoendthisdiscriminationoverregionalindustriesandallowthemtocompeteininternationalmarkets.
IfAustraliansaresatisfiedthatwhattheirgovernmentisdoingnowisadequateforAustraliaandourfuture,Australianscanaccepttheirlot.Butif,asIdo,theyseeAustralia’sfutureasdoingmorethanwehavedonesofar-expandingoureconomy,notcuttingandnotborrowingbutlookingtogrowthenationthatwelove-thegovernmentshouldgiveeveryonethesupporttohaveanagendaofgrowthandenterpriseforthisnation.Thenationhasthestrengthandthepotentialtoliveoutitsheritageandtofulfilthe
dreamsoftheAnzacs,toturnAustraliaintotheluckycountry,torestoreoureconomyandtoreclaimournationalheritage.Manypeoplesaytheycarebuttheyreallydonot.Parliamentshouldbeabouttheneedsofothers,butsometimesitisnot.
InQueensland,theMulgaisdying.Droughtandfloodhavecombinedtowreakhavoconfamiliesofthatregion.Howcanwenotact?Howcanwecomplainaboutanimalwelfareoverseaswhenweletthousandsofcattledieaslowandpainfuldeath?HowcanweletAustralianfamiliessuffer?ArewesoindifferenttotheneedsofourfellowAustralians?ItisourresponsibilityinthisplacetobethelastsentryatthegatetoprotecttherightsandfreedomsofallAustralians,regardlessofthepartytheybelongto.Australianeedsarevolutioninthewaywethinkandinthewayweboostourwealthandoureconomyforthebenefitofallourcitizens.Wehavetore-establishconfidence.Weneedtobelievewecanliftoureconomytoabetterfuture.Weneedtohaveapositiveattitude.Wemaynotgetthere,butnothingissurerthanwewillfailifwedonotprojectapositiveagendaforthenationinapositivemanner.
Publicserviceandpoliticallifemustbethehighestcalling.Thecatchcryofthisplaceneedstoberespectforideas.Greatdebatedemandsitsvictimandtruthistheonlywinner.Weareallwinnerswhentruthprevailsoverinjustice.Thecontentofourindividualcharactersismoreimportantthanhowmuchmoneywehave.Weneedtopraisetheincorruptibilityofourpublicofficials,theintegrityofourmarriagesandtheworthofourpeople.Itisideasthatmatter.Governmentsmaycomeandgo,butideasgoonforever.Itisideasthatwillshapethisnation.Itisideasthatwillendurethroughtime.
Wearegoneandforgotteninhistory,incommerceandinpolitics.Itisideasthatcapturetheconscienceofthenation.Itisideasthatendurewhenallelseisgone.Letusunitetoservethenationwelove,todiscoverthefuture,toshareourtrialsandtribulations,toovercomeadversity,topulltogetherforourcommongoodundertheSouthernCrossandtoknow,asagreatmansaid,thatonthisearthGod’sworkmusttrulybeourown.
In Coolum with Roza Otunbayeva, former President of Kyrgyzstan & Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of LatviaOn the campaign trail in Tasmania Outside Parliament House, Canberra
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During the second reading of the Higher Education Bill, Clive Palmer restates his position in no uncertain terms that the Palmer United Party will maintain its position and block the unpopular legislation in the Senate. 11 February 2015.
Higher Education Bill
Icomeheretodayfullofadmirationfortheeducationministerandhisconfidenceintheeducationhehimselfhasenjoyed,whichhastakenhimandputhimonapedestalforallAustralianstolookuptointhisparliament.Ithasgivenhimtheopportunitytobringforthhisideasforustoconsideranddiscuss.
IcomeheretoowithadmirationfortheTreasurer,whohasgonetouniversity,toiledthroughhisuniversitycareerandcomeheresothenationcanenjoythebenefitsofthateducation.ButI,liketheTreasurerandtheMinisterforEducation,wasthebeneficiaryofrealreformsintheeducationsectormadebyEdwardGWhitlamwhenhewasPrimeMinisterofthiscountry.
TheTreasurerdidnotpayforhiseducation,nordidtheMinisterforEducation.Theyneverwouldhavegottothisplacewithoutauniversityeducation;theyneverwouldhavehadtheopportunity.
Thecostofoneyear’sunemploymentisfargreaterthanthecostofeducatingsomeonefromprimaryschoolthroughtohighschoolfor12years.Agoodeducationpolicyisnotonlygoodsocialpolicy,itisgoodeconomicpolicy.Thiscountrybenefitsbycapturingitsresourcesandtherearenogreaterresourcestobecapturedforthebenefitofthenationthantheintellectofitscitizens.
Intellectisnotdistributedevenlyacrosssociety.Itisnotameasureofhowmuchmoneyyoumayhaveorwhatyourprospectsmaybebutofwhatyoucancontributetothenation.NoAustralian,wherevertheymaycomefrom,shouldbehandicappedfromgoingtouniversity.Ihaveafriendwhosedaughterrecentlygraduatedfromuniversityandnowhasfouryears’debt.Shecannotbuyahome-sheisnewlymarried,
butshehastoslogawayforfouroreightyearsbeforeshecangetahousingloan.
Whenyouare23or24,thatisthemostimportanttimeofyourlifefortakingrisks,beingboldandtakinginitiatives.WehaveseenwhathashappenedintheUnitedStateswithGoogle,Apple,andFacebook- awholelotofinnovations.Dowereallywantouryoungpeopletoleaveuniversityandbesaddledwithdebt?Tobesoconservativethattheyaretoofrightenedtothink,totakerisksandtostimulateoureconomy?Becausethatiswhatthisbilldoes.Itcreatesmoreandmorecostsforstudents,thepeoplewhocanleastaffordit.
Itsapstheircreativity.Ittakesfromthemtheopportunityforthewholenationtobenefitfromtheirendeavoursatatimeintheirlifewhentheycouldmakearealdifference.ThePrimeMinisterhasrecentlysaid,inthelasttwodays,thattherehasbeenafundamentalchangeintheLiberalParty-afundamentalchangeinthegovernment.Hesaidtheyaregoingtolistentowhatishappening.
Well,theyarenotlisteningtothepeopleofAustralia.TheyarenotlisteningtotheSenate.TheyarewastingtheirtimeintheHouseofRepresentativesbecauseonlyanidiotexpectstogetadifferentoutcomewhilerepeatedlydoingthesamethingtimeaftertime.HowmanytimesdoestheSenatehavetorejectthislegislationbeforethegovernmentgetsthemessage?
Themessageis;thislegislationwillnotpasstheSenate.Thislegislationisthrough,finished,woundup.EveryoneofoursenatorsintheSenatewillvoteno.Theywillnottakeanamendment.TheywillnottakeacompromisebecausetheybelievetherighttoafairandpropereducationistheindeliblerightofallAustralians.Therightofourpeopletoenjoyabetterandrisingstandardoflivingisfundamentaltotheirwelfare,anditistothebenefitofournation.
Whatisallthisabout?Itisaboutalie.ItisaboutsayingthatAustraliahastoomuchdebt.Weknowthatourdebtisonly12percentofourGDP.WeknowthatwhenBobMenzieswasPrimeMinisterofthiscountry,ourdebtwas40percentofourGDP.WeknowthatourcountryhasthethirdlowestdebtintheOECD.Weareoneofonly13nationsthathasaAAAcreditratingyetwearesupposedtobehavinganeconomiccrisis.
CLIVE PALMER IN PARLIAMENT
With the President of French Polynesia, Mr Oscar Temaru in Coolum
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TheTreasurercomesoutthismorning.HesaystotheLiberalPartythathehastopursuehiscuts-hehastopursueausterityinthiscountry.IntheUnitedStates,PresidentObamahasstimulatedtheeconomy.Hecreatedrealgrowth.IthasbeensosuccessfulthattheEuropeanUnionhasdonethesamething.
WelookaroundtheworldandfindUzbekistanandGhana,twocountrieswithabalancedbudget.WelookattheUnitedStates’economyandseethatforthelast50yearsitonlyhad12yearswithabalancedbudget.ArewegoingtofollowtheUzbekistanimodelinoureconomyandbalanceourbudget,whateverthatmeans,orarewegoingtogoforprosperity,forgrowth,forastrongeconomyandfollowtheleadoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica?
Whatarewegoingtodo?Arewegoingtospiraldown?Itellyouwhat,ifthesecutscontinue,theywilldestroydemandinthiscountry,theywillcollapsetheeconomyandwewillnevergetthebudgetbacktosurplus,becauseitisonlythroughgrowthcreatingrealwealththatyoucanreallysupportoureconomy,supportwhatwehavegot.
So,ratherthansayingthatwearegoingtocut,let’sacceptthechallengetomakethiscountrystronger,better.Let’sbelieveinourselves,thatwecancreategreatergrowthandgreaterprosperityforAustralia.Whydoesthegovernmentgoawayfromthechallengethatpreviousgovernmentshaveaccepted-toprovideabetterstandardoflivingforAustralians?IsitthatwebelieveourmembersofthisHousedonothavethesamecapability,thesametalentasthosewhowentbeforethemtomaintainthefighttokeepAustraliagrowing?
Isitbecausewewanttogiveup?Andwhydoweneedtocontinuallyincreasetaxesandintroduceleviesandfeesthatotherpeoplepay?Can’tthisgovernmentbeasefficientasthelastandtheonebeforeitandtheonebeforethat?Arewegoingtocontinuallysinkinaholeofnon-performance,negligenceandincompetence?Thisbillwillnotbecomelaw.ItwillnotgothroughtheSenate.Itwastesthetaxpayers’moneybyhavingitconsideredinthisHouseyetagain.ItisjustasignofthepoliticalprocesswhereanarrogantattitudeisprevailinginthegovernmentandtheythinktheycanpasslegislationthroughthisHousewithoutanydiscussionorconsultation.
WehaveseeninQueenslandwhathappenstoanarrogantattitude.Thisisatimeforthegovernmenttochange,tolisten,toadjustitspoliciesforwhatisbestforallAustralians.Iftheycontinuedownthispath,theywillbedefeatedatthenextelection.Let’sfaceit,withoutourpreferences,theywouldnotbeherenow.AndtherealityofitistheydonothavethesupportoftheAustralianpeople.Weonlyhavetovisituniversitiesandtalktothestudents,discussing
withthemthedifficultiestheyhaveevencopingwiththelargelevelsofdebtthatburdenthemandwhichtakeawaytheircreativity,knowingthatthatjustwillnothappen.Whatweneedinthiscountryismorecompassionandarealunderstandingofhowtheeconomyworks,toknowhowimportanteducationisintheeconomicprocessandtoknowwhatopportunitymeansasanAustralian,tobenefitfromourassets.
Weneedtoknowthatyoucannotbuysuccessinthiscountry.Youcannotbuysuccessbyjusthavingalotofmoneyandgoingtothebestuniversityifyouhavenotgotthebrainstopassit,ifyoudonothavetheabilitytocompete.
Shouldn’tweinAustraliahopethatallAustralianscompeteonalevelfootingsowegettheverybestpeoplethroughouruniversities?IfwegotoJapan,ChinaandotherpartsofAsia,weseethewholecountrycompetesineducationperformancetogettheseplaces.Whydowewanttostiflecompetition?Whydowewanttosaythatyouhavetohaveenoughmoneytogotouniversity?
Whydowedenypeoplewhodonothaveenoughmoneytogotouniversity?Iwasthebeneficiaryofafreeeducationandafreeuniversityeducation.IhaveproducedmoremoneyforthiscountrythananymemberinthisHouse-thatisthefactofthematter-andIwouldnothavedoneitwithoutGoughWhitlam’ssupportandafreeeducationwhenIwas20,becauseIcouldnotaffordtogotouniversity.Billionsofdollarsofexportswouldhavebeenlosttothiscountry.Thatisthehardreality.
YoupeoplesithereanddenyopportunityforAustralianstocompeteinoureconomy,tobealltheycouldbe.Ithinkitisagreatdisgrace.Anditisirrelevant;thisbillisgoingnowhere.
This is a time for the government to change, to listen, to adjust its policies for what is best for all Australians
Clive Palmer defeating the Education Bill in Parliament
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BeforethelastelectionMalcolmFraserandIhadlunchinMelbourne.WhenImethimonthatcoldMelbournemorninghewasinhighspirits,eagertoengageindebateaboutimportantissuesaffectingAustralia’sfuture.
Highonhismindthatmorningandoverlunchwasthethreattotheworld,andAustralia,ofwar.Hestatedthattheworldhadbeenatwarforover50yearsindifferentpartsoftheglobeandhewonderedwhenitwouldallstop.
HewasastrongsupporterofdevelopmentandsustainablegrowthandsaidasPrimeMinister:“Developmentrequiresmodificationandtransformationoftheenvironment.Theplanet’scapacitytosupportitspeopleisirreversiblyreducedbythedestructionanddegradationofthebiosphereandtheneedtounderstandtheproblemandtakecorrectiveactionisbecomingurgent.”
Hesawthedangerstoourplanetfarbeforeothershadthoughtabouttheissue.InhistravelsaroundAustraliaasPrimeMinisterhetouchedthepeopleandtheytouchedhim.
Hevaluedourdemocracyandremindedusin1980asourPrimeMinisterthat“SecrecyiscompletelyinadequatefordemocracybuttotallyappropriateforTyranny.”
AsMalcolmFraseroncesaidwhenreferringtoNelsonMandela,“IfthereweresixNelsonMandelasaroundtoday,acoupleinEurope,oneinAmericaandinacoupleofotherplaces,therewouldn’tbeanywars.”
Thetruthis,ifthereweresixMalcolmFrasersaroundtoday,acoupleinEurope,oneinAmericaandina
coupleofotherplaces,therewouldn’tbeanywars.
LikemanyworldleadershehelpedNelsonMandelaonhislongwalktofreedom.
HesupportedtheSouthAfricanpeopleintheirstruggleforhumanrightsandself-determination.
Nogreateraccoladecanbegiventoanyman,nogreatertitleoracknowledgement,thanthatofpeacemaker.
MalcolmFraserbelievedinthereconciliationofman.Hesoughtrefugeforthestateless.Hesawinjusticeandhetriedtostopit.Hesawdivisioninthiscountryandhetriedtohealit.Hedevotedhislifetothoselessfortunatethanhimself.
Giftedinintelligence,heperceivedandsawwhatotherscouldnotsee.HesawanAustraliawhereallAustralianchildrencouldjoinhandsandtakethatlongwalktogetherintothefuture.
HesawanAustraliawhereallculturesoftheworldcouldbeunitedinonecountryvaluingtheirheritageandembracingeachotherinonenation.
Hiswordsin1981duringhisinauguraladdresstotheInstituteofMulticulturalAffairsareequallytruetoday.
“Multiculturalismspeakstousforcefullyanddirectly;itisnotanabstractoraliennotion,notablueprintholdingoututopianpromises,butasetofguidelinesforactionwhichgrowsdirectlyoutofoursociety,aspirationsandexperiences.”
Whileunderstatedandmodestinhismanner,hewasstrongoncourageandcommitment.Oneoftherarestcommoditiesinpoliticallifeiscourage.
Following the death of former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, Clive Palmer Palmer delivered a moving and insightful speech paying tribute to the life and influence of a great Australian. 25 March 2015.
Vale Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser
Listening to the concerns of Australians
Interview wtih leading businesswoman & good friend Sarina Russo at the Fairfax Festival Weekend in Coolum
Thumbs up at the National Press Club in Canberra after appearance number five
CLIVE PALMER IN PARLIAMENT
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Politicalcourage,theabilitytodowhatisrightregardlessofthecost,regardlessofadmonishment,togoforwardwhereotherswouldnotgo.
Heshowedusthewayandwemustfollowhisexampleandcherishthegiftshehasleftforusascitizensofthisgreatcountry.
Irememberbackintheearly80swhennostatewasinterestedinhostingExpo88.ItwasMalcolmFraserwhohadthepersistencetostaywithittogothecoursetocontinuetofightfortheExpotobeheldinAustraliaandthethenQueenslandPremierSirJohagreedwiththePrimeMinistertoholditinQueensland.WithoutMalcolmFraser’spersistencethepeopleofBrisbanewouldnothaveBrisbane’sSouthBanktodayandAustralianswouldnothaveenjoyedExpo88.
IrememberanothertimewhenSirJoh’sstaffflewbacktoQueenslandafteraPremiers’ConferenceandlefttheQueenslandPremiersleepingintheLakesideHotel.TheygottotheQueenslandborderwhentheyrememberedtheyhadleftthePremierinCanberra.TheycontactedthePrimeMinister’sOfficewhoneverhesitatedinofferingtheQueenslandPremierthehospitalityofTheLodge.
AsSirJohtoldme,hearrivedatTheLodgeandthePrimeMinisterevenofferedhimapairofhispyjamas.MalcolmFraserwasquiteabittallerthanSirJohandSirJohsaidthatashewalkedaroundhehadtoholduphispyjamapantssotheywouldnotfalloffandhisfeetonlywentdowntowhereMalcolm’skneeswere.
DuringthenightSirJohwenttothekitchentogetadrink,openedthefridgeandalightcameon,atwhichtimesecuritychallengedhimandhehelduphisarms.Heremarkedtomethatsecuritygotquiteasurprise.SirJohremarkedtometherewerenotmanypeoplewhowouldgivetheirownpyjamas,butMalcolmFraserwould.
ForMalcolmFraser‘lifewasn’tmeanttobeeasy’.
ButforMalcolmFraseritcouldhavebeen.Hechosehisownwayfreely.Hechosealifeofservice.Hechosethehardway;themoredifficultroad.
Heshouldnotbecomegreateratthistimethanhewasinlife.AnAustralianwhowaspreparedtogiveallfortheserviceofhiscountryandtoweatherthestormnomatterhowdifficult,nomatterhowhard,withoutcomplaint.
Hisintegritywasbeyondquestionashesaidhimself,‘Flexibilityinpursuitofthenation’sinterestsmustneverbeallowedtodegenerateintoexpediency.’
Hishumilitymovedthosewhocametoknowhiminlife.Hebelievedinourpeopleandallthepeopleoftheregionandtheworld.Hebroughtpeaceandfoughtforthosewhosufferedundertheyokeofracism.
Inmydiscussionwithhimitwasclearhehadapuremind,butmoreimportantlyhehadapureheart.Iextendmysincerecondolencestohisfamily.TheworldissomuchbetterbecauseofMalcolmFraser;acitizenoftheworldwhocared.
Asithasbeensaid,hewillstandtothoseofuswhoareleftasanincarnationofthespiritofthelandheloved.
OneofthosewithwhomIdiscussedMalcolmFraserinthelastcoupleofdayssaidhewasabigmanwithhissix-foot-plusframe.Forpeoplewhohadnevermethimbeforehewasabigman,biggerthanmanyrealised.
AllofourlivesareenrichedforhavinglivedonthisearthinthetimeofMalcolmFraser.
Ready for another day in ParliamentPress conference in the Senate GardensOn ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ with Annabel Crabb at home in Coolum
Malcolm Fraser believed in the reconciliation of man. He sought refuge for the stateless. He saw injustice and tried to stop it. He saw division in this country and tried to heal it. He devoted his life to those less fortunate
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Question to the Prime Minister on Parliament House security, 4 December 2013
“FollowingtherevelationsintheSenateinNovemberthatthedataofuptofivemembersofparliamentarebeingaccessed,areanycrossbenchmembers,includingme,havingtheirphonesandtheiremailstappedorinterceptedbyanyCommonwealthorstateagency,orisanyforeigngovernmentdoingthistogivethegovernmentplausibledenial?Areourparliamentaryofficesbugged?”
Question to the Treasurer on the United States’ economy, 26 February 2014
“TheUSeconomyleadstheworldwithitseconomicstrength,growthandexports.IunderstandthatEquatorialGuineaandUzbekistanhavethelowestdebtlevelsintheworld.IsthegovernmentseekingtofollowtheUSmodelforgrowthandjobsorareweseekingtofollowUzbekistanandEquatorialGuineatoachievetheirstandardofliving?WhenwasthelasttimetheUShadasurplus?HowmanysurpluseshastheUShadinthelast50years?IstheUSeconomy,withitsmilitaryandeconomicpre-eminence,sustainable?”
Question to the Prime Minister on taxation, 5 March 2014
“ThecarbontaxandtheminingtaxremovalarekeytotheresurgenceoftheAustralianeconomy.Whyhasthegovernmentnotremovedorproposedtheirremovalfromthedaytheywereelected?IsitnottruethatonlyPalmerUnitedcanremovethesetaxesandbreakthegridlockintheSenate?WhywouldWesternAustralianvotersvotefortheLiberalPartywhentheycannotdeliverontheirpromises?WesternAustraliansmustvoteforPalmerUnitedintheSenate,asonlyPalmerUnitedcanremovethecarbonandminingtaxes.Doyouagree,PrimeMinister?”
Question to the Treasurer on Goods & Services Tax, 24 March 2014
“TheGSTreimbursesstatesforlossesofrevenuethroughtheabolitionofstatetaxes.WhydotheAustralianandWesternAustraliangovernmentsallowGSTraisedinWesternAustraliatobespentineasternstates?Regardless,whydoesn’tWesternAustraliareceivealltheGSTraisedinWesternAustralia?Has
thelossofGSTcausedWesternAustraliatoloseitsAAArating?DotheLiberalPartyandtheLaborPartycaremoreabouttheseatsineasternstates?”
Question to the Treasurer on the Federal Budget, 14 May 2014
“WilltheTreasurersupportchangestoallparliamentarysuperschemessothatmembersofparliamentdonotreceivetheirsuperannuationpaymentsuntiltheyreachthesameageasAustralia’sentitlementfortheoldagepension?”
Question to the Treasurer on the Federal Budget, 29 May 2014
“Astheworldknows,theaveragedebtintheOECDforadvancedeconomiesis73percentofGDP.AccordingtotheOECDandtheParliamentaryLibrary,Australia’sdebtis12.1percentofGDP.Howcanthegovernmentjustifytherepressivemeasuresithasintroducedinthebudget,includingtheco-paymentfordoctorvisits,whichpensioners,youngpeopleandsinglemotherscannotaffordtopay,andtheabandonmentofyoungpeopleunder30yearsofage?Whydoesn’ttheAustraliangovernmenttellthepeoplethetruth?”
Question to the Prime Minister on carbon pricing, 16 June 2014
“DoesPresidentObamafavouranemissionstradingscheme?Ifso,why?DidyoutellPresidentObamatheincreaseinexciseindexationwasreallyacarbontax?WhyisthegovernmenttaxingAustraliansoncarbonwhenAustraliansvotedagainstit?WhydoQueenslandandWesternAustraliaweartheburdenofthenationforcarbontax?”
Question to the Prime Minister on the Federal Budget, 24 June 2014
“HasthePrimeMinisterconsideredspending$8billioncoveringblackspotsontheinternettosave$36billion,savinganother$20billionbyscrappingpaidparentalleave,savinganother$2.5billionbyscrappingDirectActionandbuyingoursubmarinesratherthandevelopingthemtosaveanother$20billion?Whydoesthegovernmentwanttopenaliseitspeople?Whydon’tyoudoyourjob?”
Clive Palmer takes every opportunity available to him during Question Time to take the government to task on their policies and direction for Australia. Below are just some of the issues he has addressed for Australians.
Question TimeCLIVE PALMER IN PARLIAMENT
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Question to the Treasurer on taxation, 16 July 2014
“WhydoesthegovernmentrequireallAustralianbusinessesandenterprisestopayprovisionaltaxbeforeanyprofitisearned?Thistaxstopsbusinessusingtheirowncashtogrow,employpeople,expandtheeconomyandexporttostimulatethenation.HowcanalowtaxationpartyliketheLiberalPartygovernmentnoteliminatetherequirementtopaytaxbeforeprofitisearned?”
Question to the Minister for Health on the Federal Budget, 1 September 2014
“AsmostAustraliansareagainsttheco-payment,PalmerUnited,theGreensandLaborhavenowformallydeclaredwaragainstit.Thereisnoprospectofitbecominglaw.WhydoesthegovernmentpersistinunderminingbusinessconfidencebynotputtingforwardproposalsthathavethesupportoftheAustralianpeopleandbyputtingforwardproposalsthatwillneverhappen?Dotheywanttofrightenpeopleorunderminebusinessconfidence?”
Question to the Treasurer on the Federal Budget, 23 September 2014
“UnderthatgreatLiberalPrimeMinisterandfounderoftheLiberalParty,SirRobertMenzies,theAustralianeconomyhadadebtlevelof40percentofGDP.Whydoesthegovernmentseektoshrinkthemoneysupplyanddomesticdemandwhenourdebtlevelisonly12percentofGDPandtheaverageOECDcountry’sdebtlevelis73percentofGDPandAustraliahasaAAAcreditrating?”
Question to the Prime Minister on Paid Parental Leave, 28 October 2014
“Ifwewantwomentofullyparticipateintheworkforceweneedtoallowthemtodoso.PaidParentalLeaveonlydealswiththeimmediateafterbirthneeds.Childcarehasthewiderresponsibilityoffreeingwomentobealltheycanbe.PalmerUnitedsenatorswillnotallowPaidParentalLeavetopasstheSenate.WillthegovernmentgivetheresourcesallocatedforPaidParentalLeavetochildcareandsetwomenfree?Whyisitthatthegovernmentseekstointroduce1950sLiberalPartypolicy?IsitGroundhogDay?”
Question to the Treasurer on government debt, 23 February 2015
“Ifprojectedgovernmentdebtcontinuesfor50years,Australia’sdebtasapercentageofGDPwillbelessthantheOECDaveragetodayandlessthantheUS,theUKandJapantoday.SowhydestroyAustralia’slivingstandardswithausterity?HastheTreasurermisledtheAustraliancommunity?Whynottellthe
truth,Treasurer,andsaveyourcolleagueswhileyoucanfromNewman’sfate?”
Question to the Prime Minister on Liberal Party financial accounts, 3 March 2015
“Wherehasthe$70millioncontributedbypublicfundsandmembersofthepublicbeenspent?WhydoesyourpresidentanddirectoroftheLiberalPartyrefusetoprovidetheparty’sfinancialaccountstothevice-presidentsofthepartyandthenationalexecutives?”
Question to the Prime Minister on preferential voting, 25 March 2015
“DoesthegovernmentplantointroduceoptionalpreferentialvotingintheSenateelections,whichwillguarantee38senatorsandeliminatemostofthecrossbench,sothegovernmentcanrequirethecrossbenchtopassallgovernmentlegislationorthreatenthemwithanearlyelection?Willthismeanthegovernment,withcrossbenchsupport,canintroduceoptionalpreferentialvotingintheHouseofRepresentatives?”
Question to the Deputy Prime Minister on corporate governance, 12 May 2015
“WhyistheCommonwealththenumberonepetitionerofbankruptcyandliquidationsinAustralia,closingbusinessesdownandmovingpeoplefromproductiveemploymenttounemployment?Whydoesn’tthegovernmentintroduceachapter11provisionsimilartotheUS,where85percentofcompaniesinchapter11emergetokeeppeopleemployed,exportsgoingandgovernmentrevenueflowing?WillthegovernmentleadandintroducesuchameasureforAustralia?”
Question to the Treasurer on the Federal Budget, 27 May 2015
“Ifcompaniesarenotmakingaprofit,howistheeconomystimulatedbytaxcutsforsmallbusiness?Ifabusinessdiesanddoesnothavethecapital,howcanitbenefitfromataxwrite-off?Shouldwenotbestimulatingdemandbyincreasingthemoneysupplyandbyreorganisinggovernment,toboostdemandsothatbusinesscanachieveaprofitandaconfidentAustralia?”
How can the government justify repressive budget measures like the GP co-payment, which pensioners, young people and single mothers cannot afford?
Authorised by Clive Palmer, Member for Fairfax, 17 Southern Drive, Maroochydore, QLD 4558
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FAIRFAX
CLIVE PALMER MP
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PARLIAMENT of AUSTRALIA
@CliveFPalmer www.facebook.com/ClivePalmerMP
• StoppedtheGPCo-Payment.
• Stoppednegativechangestouniversities.
• Stopped$10billioncutstosocialsecurity.
• Freedover436childrenandfamiliesfromdetention.
• Freed1,500peopleintotalfromChristmasIsland.
• Resolvedover30,000casesindetention.
• Introducedthe(SHEV)SafeHavenEnterpriseVisa.
• SavedtheLowIncomeSuperforovertwomillionAustralians.
• KepttheSchoolkidsBonus.
• KeptLowIncomeSupport.
• Reducedelectricitypricesby10%Australia-wide.
• Made15changestoDirectActioninSenateAmendmentsthenpassedDirectAction.
• SavedtheClimateChangeAuthority.
• SavedtheCleanEnergyFinanceCorporation.
• SavedARENA(AustralianRenewableEnergyAuthority).
• SavedRET(RenewableEnergyTarget).
• Fixedpensionsforallveteransandex-servicemenandwomenover55.
• StoppedCampbellNewman.
• Setupthreeparliamentaryinquiriesinto:-
- TradeInvestmentandGrowth.
- AustraliaFund.
- QueenslandGovernment.
• AbolishedCarbonTax.
• AbolishedMiningTax.
• IntroducedthePrivateMember’sBillonForeignDeathPenalty.
• Protectedmaritimeworkers’jobs.
• ProvedthatgovernmentandcommunitydebtwasnotaproblemforAustralia.
• Cabinetadoptedourpolicytobanlobbyistsfrompartypositions.
• StoppedGrainCorpsaleandintroducedPrivateMember’sBill.
• Electoralreform-pensinsteadofpencils.
• KeptQantasAustralian-owned.
• Stoppedchangestoincometax-freethreshold.
• Stoppedfinancialincentivetosellpublicassets.
• SavedAustralianjobsinoffshoregasindustry.
• Stoppedslashingofuniversityresearchgrants.
ACHIEVEMENTS