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Legislative Assembly
 
Public Accounts and Estimates Committee: budget estimates 2016-17

29 November 2017
Statements on reports
FRANK McGUIRE  (ALP)

 


Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (10:15:08) — I want to refer to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and continue my contribution on how we get a better collaboration between the different tiers of government to deliver in the public interest. This has been something that I have pursued in a number of different contributions, and I think it is really relevant to look at how we do this for social cohesion and for national security. We have issues that we need to address in the national interest —

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Could the member for Broadmeadows identify which report he is speaking to, please?

Mr McGUIRE — It is the estimates committee, and it is the contribution by the Minister for Industry and Employment. It is 2017.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — I need the name of the report.

Mr McGUIRE — It is the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee report. To be specific, I want to refer to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee's inquiry into the budget estimates
2016–17, particularly —

An honourable member interjected.

Mr McGUIRE — As I was saying, in particular I refer to the contribution of the Minister for Industry and Employment, who referred to how working in a coordinated fashion presents an opportunity to derive strategic advantage from that collaboration. I want to continue my contribution on this important matter and address a series of different issues, particularly on what we are doing within communities and how we actually get the alignment right between the issues of national security, which of course is one of the highest priorities, if not the highest priority, and then how we address that with social cohesion.

This is incredibly important for the community that I represent, and I just want to say that we need to get, in my view, a better balance between how we actually look at what is happening within these communities and how we need to address the issues. I can put it simply: Broadmeadows is an iconic flashpoint with the defining national concerns of globalisation, the demise of local manufacturing, population growth and multiculturalism, new jobs and a fair go. These are the critical issues that are now coming through. We have had the latest report on social cohesion and that has again addressed the issue that people do not feel they are getting a fair go. So we have to be careful about this; this is an incredibly important point.

I want to emphasise that one of the best investments we can have is jobs. One of the propositions to get off welfare is to have a job, and one of the best propositions you can have to feel that you are part of the community is to have a job. How we actually get the alignment right so that you have the right educational opportunities from preschool to postgraduate, as we have done in the Hume Global Learning Centre, and how we then get the alignment right with the Australian government is incredibly important. The City of Hume have said to me that they are still struggling to deal with the different refugees from the war in Iraq and the slaughter in Syria.

The issue is how we get the coordination right. You can have a Prime Minister such as Tony Abbott who said, 'We will take in Syrian refugees'. That was done with the best of intent as a humanitarian exercise, but where does that play out? It plays out in these communities. This is why I have consistently argued that we need City Deals and a Smart Cities and Suburbs deal.

We also need to ask: what is the investment from the Australian government and why are we not getting the share we need, particularly in these areas that have been defined as postcodes of disadvantage? We know where inequality lives. It is established; we absolutely do know. This goes to the heart of the political process. They are safe Labor seats. Why does the coalition not invest? We are running out of time on this.

Ms Asher interjected.

Mr McGUIRE — I will take up the interjection. I am happy to take the member for Brighton on a tour around Broadmeadows, and we will have a look at the plaques, because they are the key performance indicators. I will show her the names on all the plaques. They are all Labor —

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! The member's time has expired.