Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

GOVERNMENT: ELECTION COMMITMENTS
Wednesday, 1 June 2011 COUNCIL 1629
Another reason the people of Victoria simply do not
believe what they have been told by the Labor Party is
that three and a half years before the last election the
Bracks-Brumby government decided to break its initial
promise by building an interconnector from north of the
Divide to pipe water south of the Divide. Right
throughout that three-and-a-half-year period Labor’s
Minister for Water, Tim Holding, refused to detail what
would be the cost of a unit of water at the end of that
pipeline process. We wanted to know what it was going
to cost to procure, pump and deliver the water,
including the capital costs. For three and a half years
former Minister Holding refused to answer that
question. At the time we asked the government what it
would cost, and we received no answer. It did not know
or it was not going to tell us. It was none of our
business and it was irrelevant.
Now, after six months in opposition, the former
Treasurer has figures available indicating that using the
north–south pipeline would be cheaper than bringing
water in from the Thomson Dam. It is just smoke and
mirrors. It is unbelievable that in three and a half years
a government, with all the resources of the various
departments at its disposal, was unable to come clean
with the true cost of providing water via the north–
south pipeline, but that now after six months in
opposition it is furnished with costings of the water that
is coming out of the dams.
The former Treasurer was attacking members of the
government who were saying that they were going to
do their best to keep down price pressures and the cost
of living. However, when you compare what we are
doing to what the previous government did, you see
that is exactly what we are doing. The policies we are
introducing are going to help keep down the costs of
living.
Over my eight years in opposition in this Parliament I
watched the former Treasurer stand in this place and
implore those on the opposition benches to ring their
mates in Canberra to make sure that Victoria got a fair
deal through the GST and grants commission process.
For eight years it was okay for the former Treasurer to
lecture coalition members about how we needed to get
in touch with our coalition colleagues in Canberra and
work as hard as we possibly could in opposition and in
cahoots with our federal coalition colleagues to ensure
that we got the very best deal for Victoria.
Hon. P. R. Hall — ‘Pick up the phone’, they said.
Mr DRUM — We were told to pick up the phone to
our mates; pick up the phone to Peter Costello; pick up
the phone to the transport minister and the education
minister. The besotted former Treasurer spent so much
time speaking in this house about Julie Bishop that we
thought there was something going on. I do not know
what the truth was behind that.
Mrs Kronberg interjected.
Mr DRUM — I hear you loud and clear,
Mrs Kronberg. The besotted former Treasurer always
had that lady’s name on his mind. He never let a day go
by in Parliament without mentioning the wonderful
work of Julie Bishop. However, when he had to
relinquish the education portfolio, he decided he had
better let it slip. Quite simply we need to acknowledge
the truth that with the Labor Party now in government
at the federal level, we in coalition find ourselves an
additional $500 million per annum out of pocket. The
grants commission has made its decision; so be it.
However, if it is good enough for the former Treasurer
to take that line of abuse for eight years, then I think it
is fair that the former Treasurer stands in his place now
on the opposition benches and acknowledges that we
are $500 million a year worse off because of a decision
by the grants commission in regard to the forward
years. In effect, for another four years we will be
$2 billion worse off.
As it was in opposition, so it should now be in
government for us. Can we get that sort of recognition
or acknowledgement from the former Treasurer? No,
we cannot. It is deceitful, it is wrong and it is his way of
manipulating figures and being selective with them.
Hon. M. P. Pakula — Same way you are! GST
revenue is up.
Mr DRUM — I say to Mr Pakula that it is the
former Treasurer’s way of saying one thing in
government and exactly the opposite in opposition. We
understand now that what members of the Labor Party
really want is to make sure they celebrate every job loss
in this state. The Labor Party wants to celebrate every
bit of bad news. It wants to make sure that we do not
have enough money to try to do the projects that are
going to benefit Victorians.
Members opposite would take great pleasure in that.
You can tell by their questioning, their speeches and
their sheer demeanour that they are all about trying to
inflict as much pain on this state as they possibly can,
because that will give them the platform to stand up and
run off to the media. That is what they are all about. We
understand it. It is quite clear. They have made
themselves blatantly clear. The former Treasurer was
one thing in government and is totally the other in
opposition. As a former minister he should know better.