Hansard debates

  Mr GUY -- The Liberal philosophy is  and always  has been  about reducing  the
taxation  burden --  reducing tax  on families, on singles, on those on  a fixed
income and on business. Victoria will not maintain a competitive position  as  a
desirable destination for  migrants, for new business, for new investment or for
those who are already  here if we continue  to trundle along as a  cool climate,
highly taxed and over-regulated economy.
Our state is facing significant long-term challenges as a desirable location for
business and migration, not just  from  our old sparring partner New South Wales
but now from Queensland and Western Australia as well. 

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One  view  is that we should  choose  not to compete  with  other states in this
commonwealth for investment, jobs and new citizens, but unfortunately some other
states do not share  this approach. I believe that as we  start to move into the
21st century, Victoria  should  be  aiming  to  be  the  lowest  taxing state in
Australia  and as such to  use  low taxation as a  key  weapon in maintaining an
economic  edge over other states  and indeed other economies in the Asia-Pacific
region.
If we were to provide future generations with just one tool for long-term social
and economic success, it would be an all-party agreement on keeping Victoria the
lowest taxing state in Australia -- an agreement that  all Victorian governments
would  whenever practicable maintain this competitive edge  for  Victoria.  This
would  provide  a  huge  incentive  for  new investment, for new jobs,  for  new
research, for new migrants  to come to Victoria and  for us to continue  to grow
our state.

I am an  average suburban boy. I was  raised in a typical three-bedroom house in
the suburbs of Melbourne. I went to the local high school, I rode my bike up and
down the hills of Montmorency and I played street cricket -- poorly  -- with the
other  kids in the court where we lived. Over the last few years some have begun
to assert  that this way of life, the life of suburban or township Australia, is
somehow dated or  totally unsustainable -- that our cities and towns are somehow
examples of indulgent excess.  I believe otherwise. In the suburbs of our cities
-- Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and  Bendigo -- and in towns across Victoria lie
hundreds of thousands of success stories:  Victorians who have found their patch
of land and built the dream on which they wish to raise their families. Suburban
life and town life is something that we should cherish. It is an endearing image
of Australia and a powerful image of why so many have come and others still want
to come to live in Australia.

Population and planning policy is  not just about drawing lines on a map or  the
arbitrary limitation of the growth of our cities and  towns.  While  all  growth
should be  appropriate  and sustainable,  I  believe that government  should  be
standing  up for the  way  of life that so  many  Australians have and  want  to
continue to have,  not seeking to limit it. There is no  doubt that locking up a
lot of land around our cities has added to the recent massive  rises in property
values. While this may be good for  some -- for young families, young couples or
other people seeking to get a start in life -- it is making the great Australian
dream unaffordable for many.
In my time  in this Parliament I hope to stand out as a staunch  defender of the
suburban or town life that so many  of us know. I hope to be able to provide new
opportunities for other Victorians to continue that style  of family life and to
ensure  that if  people want to live the great Australian  dream, they  have the
opportunity to do so.

Further, I hope to be able to contribute  to population and planning policy that
is not  just about  maps  or  numbers  but is  also about  the preservation  and
expansion of the Australian way of life and giving more Victorians the chance to
live the great Australian dream.
As  a newly  elected parliamentarian I want to state loudly and proudly  to this
chamber that I am a Christian. My faith has always been something that has given
me  personal strength and guidance, and it has always been a powerfully positive
force in my life. My newish local church, Scots Presbyterian in the city, is one
of the few places I can go and completely unwind -- and it is not just because I
can turn off my mobile  phone for an hour on Sundays. The church engages in many
activities that help those  less fortunate, preaching  tolerance and respect and
working for good in our community.

But what  has concerned me over  a number of years is  the growing acceptance of
ridicule   and  denigration  of  the   Christian  church  in   sections  of  the
entertainment industry, the media and even sections within government.
It astounds me that the desecration  of the crucifix can be considered art. I am
dumbfounded that some contemporary movies scripted with no basis of evidence and
questioning the authenticity of the  Bible  can be painted off as reasoned fact.
Christianity, and indeed  all  religions, should be  treated with reverence  and
respect. In Australia our society has prospered and succeeded with the  help  of
others  but  particularly  with the help of the church. Over many years churches
within Australia have provided  a strong community focal point. They have been a
help to people who are less fortunate or in trouble and have helped to give many
thousands  of kids a terrific upbringing through Sunday  schools. As we approach
Christmas I  would just  remind this house and all Victorians that  what we  are
taking holidays to celebrate or to recognise is the birth of Jesus Christ.

While the chance to give presents and to be around family is a wonderful gift in
itself, I hope the  teaching to our young  of  the true meaning of  Christmas is
never  lost  or  banned  by  overzealous,  politically  correct  politicians  or
bureaucrats.  I for  one will  be most  vocal against  any  moves to  lessen the
significance of the church within our society.
I hope that as a member of this Parliament I will be part of an elected group of
people who always stand up for  the three  powerful things that unite our nation
and our state: democracy, the rule of law and having respect for 

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all people. These three institutions are the principles of  a decent society and
are principles which  we should export with  pride. Australia has accepted  more
people from more parts of  the world than almost any other nation on earth, many
of them settling here in Victoria -- and we have built a successful society from
many  different peoples because  of the institutions that underpin that society.
However, in our world today no-one can deny that there are new tensions emerging
which  have  profound  ramifications,  particularly  for  settler  nations  like
Australia.
As  the son of a post-war migrant I  would  simply say to anyone coming to  this
fabulous country, and more particularly to this wonderful state, that we believe
in democracy and the  rule  of  law. Australia believes in tolerance and respect
for everyone's religion, for the total equality of both genders and for  all our
people's freedoms and liberties.

I would like to  draw  to the end of my inaugural  speech  by expressing my deep
thanks  to  the people of the new Northern Metropolitan Region. While the  sheer
size  of the  new upper  house regions  will undoubtedly  present  all of  us as
Legislative Councillors  with  some challenges,  given  each new  region  has  a
population of over  630 000  people, I  am truly grateful for the opportunity to
represent an area of Melbourne that I was  born in and still live in. Further, I
am honoured to be the first  person to  represent the  Liberal Party  in suburbs
that have never before had a local Liberal member of Parliament.
Democracy is a wonderful thing and being elected to serve as a representative of
the people is most humbling.  So to all my new constituents I say  thank you for
the chance to be one of your local members. I am also indebted to a number of my
good friends, many of whom are here tonight, for their help and advice.

While I cannot acknowledge them  all,  I would particularly like to mention Nick
McGowan, Scott  Ryan, Stuart Eaton,  Scott Pearce, Michael Brennan,  Amanda Lean
and Sally Carrick.
I  also  acknowledge  the  tireless  work done by all members  of  the  Northern
Metropolitan Region  Liberal campaign team led by Stuart McCraith, David Taylor,
Nick Bromhead and  Tony Snell,  and to  the two other Liberal candidates for the
region,  Dino De Marchi and Emilia Arnus for their hard  work. Further,  I would
like to pass on my thanks to Bill  Forwood, Peter McKenna, Wayne Phillips, Peter
McWilliam  and the  member  for  South-West Coast  in  the  other  place,  Denis
Napthine, for their many years of friendship, political advice and support.
Like  many people who have been successful in being elected  to public  office I
have done so with the very strong support of my family.

I would like to place on record my deep gratitude to my parents, Vera and Chris,
and  my  brother,  Darren,  for  the  love  and  support  they  have  shown  me,
particularly over the 16 years that I have been active  in the Liberal Party. My
parents gave my brother and me the best  gift possible: a loving, caring, stable
family home in which to grow up. For the sacrifices they made so that they could
achieve this I am  eternally grateful,  as I am for their constant love, support
and tolerance.
On 31 March next  year I will acquire another set of parents and a sister-in-law
in Steve, Lorraine and Chelsea Stoikos. I am sure there is  some residual  doubt
about their  daughter  and  sister marrying  a  politician, but they  have  been
totally supportive over a period of time, for which I am very appreciative. Like
my parents, my soon-to-be in-laws, Steve and Lorraine, have worked hard in their
lives to raise their  two  daughters  and,  again  like  my  parents,  they  are
exceptional role models in family life for me to follow.

I  would  also  like  to  mention  my  grandparents  who  have  always been very
supportive of  everything I have done in life. I would like to pass on my thanks
to my paternal grandfather, Tom Guy, and  also to my grandmother, Lola, who only
very  recently passed away. My  maternal grandparents, Ivan  and Maree Naumenko,
have  also  been wonderful to me.  They endured so much to  come to this country
with a young family, to leave their lives behind and start all over again. It is
a common but amazing story for so many Australians who came here after World War
II. While my grandfather passed  away some time ago, I know he would be proud of
the fact that one of  his grandsons has been  elected to Parliament and as  such
has the chance to be the first person to utter some brief words in an Australian
Parliament in his native tongue, Ukrainian. So with your indulgence, President:

[Ukrainian 
translation. Opens in new window]
And  in English:  I am  exceptionally proud  to be  here  as an  Australian with
Ukrainian heritage. The Ukrainian community has contributed  much to the culture
and development of Australia and today our two nations are great friends.

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Finally,  but  most  importantly,  I  would like  to  acknowledge  and thank  my
soon-to-be  wife,  Renae.  In the time  she  has known me I  have  stood for two
preselections, which I have won, and two elections, where  I have  lost one  and
won one, and throughout  these events and many others  she has been there  as an
unwavering  support and strength. I love her very  much and  cannot wait  to get
married in March next year.
I  am proud to stand here as a  Liberal member of Parliament. I am doubly  proud
that  the  Liberal Party has never shifted from its founding ideology to achieve
electoral success or community acceptance. What Liberals believe in our heads is
what we believe in our hearts.  The Liberal Party stands as a beacon  of hope to
all those Victorians  who know  that we will not succeed by being a high-taxing,
overregulated,  cool-climate economy near  the bottom of the  world, and that  a
vibrant  and  dynamic community in the 21st century will not be  sustained  with
complacency in government.

During this past  election  I believe that many Victorians saw the Liberal Party
reclaim  the title  as the  party of  ideas. We reclaimed  our vibrancy  and the
hunger for government.
If  I  may  conclude with a  quote  from a politician whom  I  regard with great
esteem, the former Quebec Premier, Rene  Levesque.  He  said to the people under
similar circumstances:
  If I understand you well, you're saying, 'Until the next time'.
Debate adjourned on motion of Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan).
Debate adjourned until next day.

  Mr GUY (Northern Metropolitan)  --  Mr  President,  I  would  like to begin by
congratulating you on your election as President of this house.

Election to  this parliamentary chamber is a great privilege  for any Victorian,
but the further  election  as  Presiding Officer of the Legislative Council is a
great honour,  one that I am sure you are most worthy of and will carry out with
great distinction.
It  is  a  tremendous  honour for  me to  stand here  tonight and  deliver  this
inaugural speech to  the Parliament of Victoria. Ever  since I was a  boy I have
loved state politics and had a deep desire to participate in it as a 

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state  parliamentarian. Indeed  it is  a tremendous honour for all of us here in
this Parliament because from almost 5.25 million Victorians, only 128 people are
elected to manage the affairs of this state.
I  believe  that  state  politics  is by far the most  representative  level  of
government in Australia and by far  the  most 'in-touch' level of government and
the most representative of our community. At the  state  political  level you do
not just talk about facilitating a project or planning a project, you can do the
lot -- plan  it, build it, open it  and run it. State politics is about the full
governance  of  communities.  It is a perfect example of how people can directly
govern  their  own affairs,  including  from tiny micro  issues  to major  macro
affairs. As I said, it is a tremendous honour for  me to be  able to be  in this
chamber tonight in this capacity.

I joined the Liberal Party in  1990 as an ordinary, suburban high school boy who
had a deep affection for his state and a great desire to better its position  in
our country and in the world. I believed then and  I believe now that Victorians
should not just  accept that, like  other  first-world, cool-climate  states  or
provinces, we are bound to eventually  be surpassed economically and  in numbers
by  sun-drenched states to our north and west. I have never believed  that being
second  best  or just near the top is good  enough for Victoria. Our state has a
proud history, and I believe it can have a dynamic future, too.
When I joined the Liberal Party in 1990 Victoria was a mess. One in eight people
were  unemployed,  and we had  government  debt of over  $30  billion. Financial
collapses in Pyramid Building Society, the State Bank of Victoria, the Victorian
Economic  Development  Corporation,  Tricontinental and  others  devastated  our
economy and left a deep scar on the psyche and reputation of Victorian business.

Thousands of Victorian families were ruined, and I for one remember wondering in
year 12 how I would ever get a job. These events spurred me on to  get active in
politics,  as it was clear  that  if our state continued  along the path it  was
going, indeed Victoria's best days would be behind us for good.
The  early  1990s had a profound political impact on many, particularly  on  me.
With  total  financial collapse of  the  state not an  unrealistic  situation it
became  obvious  that  our  state had learnt the hard  way  about  the  absolute
necessity for  good financial management.  Only through a successful economy can
government pay for better transport services,  better health care  and education
and  emergency services,  and  have the capital  to  provide improved  long-term
environmental outcomes. The responsible management of  taxpayers'  money must be
the  primary goal  of  every government.  Every  politician must  remember  that
government money is indeed taxpayers' money and  this money  does not  grow on a
magic cash tree.

I believed in 1990, and  I still believe today, that only the Liberal philosophy
truly respects that any moneys spent  by government are moneys  attained through
taxes  on a hardworking  community.  To treat  taxpayers'  money with  frivolous
disregard is  to treat Victorians with contempt. I am proud to say that my first
full-time  job  in  politics  was  with  former Premier Jeff Kennett. He and his
government worked exceptionally hard  to restore the confidence of a beaten  and
comatose economy.
Despite  the  Liberal-National  government  of  the  1990s  facing exceptionally
difficult  circumstances,  it dramatically turned around the  condition  of  our
economy  and, importantly, gave Victorians  hope that our state's best days were
not behind us.
As Victorian governments of the 21st century approach the future, I  believe the
acceptance as the norm of high taxation, both commercial and personal, must end.

A  government that prides  itself on maintaining  huge budget surpluses  without
making any real effort to reduce the taxation burden is engaging in the boast of
a thief. A simple, basic rule for  every Victorian  government should be that it
makes  every effort not to tax  the community more than  is necessary to run the
affairs of the state -- that is the Liberal way.
  Honourable members interjecting.

  Mr GUY -- The Liberal philosophy  is and  always has  been about  reducing the
taxation burden, reducing taxes on families, on singles -- --