Economy

This is the text of the Budget Reply speech by the Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Rudd.

Mr Speaker, I am an optimist when it comes to our country’s future. Tonight I want to outline our plan for our country’s future.

I believe budgets should not be about the next election. They should be about the next decade. They should reflect the ambition we have for our nation’s long-term future.

Mr Speaker, we are truly blessed to be Australians. We live in a stable democracy, when many in the world do not. We have enjoyed great prosperity – and have benefited from a time of unparalleled world economic growth.

And to cap this off, we have prospered from the rise of China, the rise of India and the global resources boom.

The benefits of this are washing through the economy, creating jobs, generating new businesses and boosting government revenues to an all time high.

Mr Speaker, there is nothing to hold us back as a nation and as a people – except a lack of long-term vision. We are part of a world that is changing faster than ever before.

In 2004 the world pumped out a staggering 26.6 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions into our atmosphere just from fuel combustion alone. China graduated half a million scientists and engineers. India graduated more PhDs than we can imagine. Italy will soon be laying out a broadband network for two-thirds of its population of up to 100 megabits per second.

Big changes are coming. Big challenges are waiting around the corner. They will dramatically influence almost every aspect of our lives – some for the better, others for the worse. And some will be upon us in the blink of an eye.

Mr Speaker, how we respond to these future challenges will define the security and prosperity of our nation for generations to come. The same for our communities. The same for our families.

We can either wait for these challenges to swamp us and be left behind. Or we can anticipate them and act now while there is still time. We can either seize the great opportunities that have been presented to us. Or we can squander them.

Or as a great American President once said “the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining”. The truth is the sun is shining right now on Australia. We must seize the day and get our house in order. I believe Australia faces three core challenges to secure its future:

• First, to build long-term economic prosperity, beyond the mining boom, by rebuilding productivity growth.

• Second, to deal with, rather than avoid, the great challenge of climate change and water before the cost of inaction becomes far too great.

• Third, to make sure the fair go in Australia has a future, not just a past – both within the workplace and outside the workplace as well.

And beyond these three great challenges is the underlying challenge of remaining vigilant on our national security in an increasingly uncertain and threatening world.

Which is why Budgets need to be about the next decade, not simply the next election.

ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS

Mr Speaker, the foundations upon which our long-term economic stability is built is a conservative fiscal policy and the independence of the Reserve Bank.

If elected, the government I will lead will be grounded in the discipline of not spending more than we earn. We will maintain a budget surplus on average over the economic cycle. We will also not increase taxation as a proportion of gross domestic product.

That’s why Labor has already identified $3 billion in savings over the forward estimates to help fund our future priorities. Tonight’s announcements are costed and funded.

If elected, the government I lead will maintain the absolute independence of the Reserve Bank and the Bank’s inflation target.

Both these disciplines are fundamental to keeping interest rates low. On this, there is a bipartisan consensus – as noted recently by the former Reserve Bank Governor Ian Macfarlane.

Equally we must remain committed to keeping taxes low. It’s important for working families hit hard by the cost of mortgage repayments, food prices, petrol, education and childcare.

It’s also crucially important for our businesses competing on the world stage.

The Productivity Challenge

Mr Speaker, where the paths of our two parties veer in opposite directions is on the core economic challenge of how to build long-term prosperity for Australia, once the mining boom is over.

Productivity is the measure of how efficiently we produce goods and services. The better trained we are, the greater our productivity.

· The better our use of technology in the workplace, the greater our productivity.

· The better our management in the workplace, the greater our productivity.

Productivity is a bit like getting the best performance out of your engine for the least amount of fuel.

And productivity growth is the only reliable way to bring about long-term economic growth, more jobs and higher living standards without unleashing inflation.

Australia’s recent record on productivity growth has been very poor indeed. Productivity growth was averaging 3.2 per cent in the mid-1990s before falling to 2.2 per cent at the turn of the decade. Last month the Government downgraded its estimate for the current decade to just 1.5 percent.

In fact, this year’s budget papers contain the staggering admission that productivity growth is likely to be zero. This is a sure fire recipe for slowing down economic growth for Australia – even before the ageing of the Australian population sets in.

In Australia today, this failure to improve productivity growth has been masked by the mining boom over the last four years.

Right now the economy is cruising along with a very strong tailwind called the mining boom. But sometimes the wind changes direction and there can be lots of turbulence. And the only way to get home is with powerful engines that can do the hard yards in any conditions.

The mining boom, driven entirely by factors beyond Australia’s control, has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into our national economy.

And as older Australians who’ve been around for a while will tell you – mining booms don’t last forever. The time for action is now. That’s why Labor calls now for an Education Revolution – before we lose one more day.

Education Revolution

Every country in the world knows the more you invest in the education, skills and training of your people, the more productive your economy becomes. The problem we have in Australia is that against so many of our competitor economies, we are falling behind.

It is time to put a stop to this by investing in a real Education Revolution – not just increasing investment but also raising the standards. For Labor, we actually believe in education. It’s not something we’ve cooked up over night. It’s one of our core values – and has been so for more than a century.

So what have we done about it? Since the beginning of the year we have released six chapters of our Education Revolution including:

• early childhood education

• literacy and numeracy

• boosting the teaching and studying of maths and science in schools and universities by offering a significant reduction in HECS

• establishing a national curriculum board to develop a uniform national curriculum for the core subjects of English, history, maths and science

• and a program to foster the building and sharing of new first class facilities between schools, be they government or non-government.

I am particularly proud of our $450 million policy on early childhood education providing pre-literacy and pre-numeracy play-based learning for all four year olds for 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year, with a fully trained teacher.

The earlier you invest in a child’s educational opportunities, the better the result. Good for the child. Good for the country.

But while we offer this plan for the future, at present Australia ranks last out of the 32 richest economies in the world on the amount our national government invests in early childhood education.

If we are serious about facing the future, this must change – and it must change now.

Trades Training Centres in Schools

Tonight I want to announce a further chapter in Labor’s Education Revolution. Mr Speaker, Labor sees no difference in value between a trade certificate and a university degree.

I understand that not every young person wants to go to university. If elected to government, we will implement one of the biggest reforms in vocational education and training in Australian schools in history.

It’s time to help bring trade training in schools into the 21st Century.

A Labor Government will implement a $2.5 billion Trades in Schools program over ten years to build new Trades Training Centres and upgrade existing facilities and equipment in all of Australia’s 2650 secondary schools – both government and non government.

This will mean an investment of $729 million spread over the four years to 2010-11. Each secondary school in Australia will be eligible for capital funding of between $500 thousand up to $1.5 million to build trade workshops, computer laboratories and other facilities to expand vocational education and training opportunities.

Schools can apply to build metal workshops, commercial kitchens, automotive workshops, plumbing workshops, graphic design labs as well as ICT laboratories. And they can purchase equipment including drills, grinders, wood and metal turning lathes, ovens, soldering and welding equipment and computers.

The extra recurrent costs for running the new Trade Training Centres will be negotiated between the Commonwealth and the states.

Labor will also provide $84 million over four years to ensure access to on-the-job training for 20 weeks per year for year nine to 12 vocational education and trades students.

This is part of a new national objective I am announcing tonight to lift year-12 retention rates from 75 percent to 85 percent by 2015 and to 90 percent by 2020.

There are two main reasons why we need to do this as a nation. First, we have a skills shortage, and skills have become a core economic challenge for the nation. This is particularly the case in the traditional trades. Anyone trying to build or renovate a home right now will know exactly what I am talking about.

But the tragedy is that there are so many young people of school age – or immediate post school age – who would be ideally suited to a career in the trades, who have simply dropped out all together.

This is the second core reason underpinning our Trades in Schools program – it’s not only good for the economy, it’s good for young Australians as well. In 2006, 540,000 young Australians aged 16-24 were not engaged in either full time learning or work.

Access Economics has estimated that if Australia raised its year 12 completion rates to 90 per cent from the 75 per cent it is today, we would add around $9 billion to our economy by the year 2040.

I am very proud of this new chapter of Labor’s Education Revolution. It’s our core business. On Tuesday night the Government stated that it would establish three new Australian Technical Colleges across the whole country.

Mr Speaker, if elected to government, we will make every secondary school that chooses, into a first-class provider of technical education.

High speed broadband

Labor’s Education Revolution is reinforced by our plan to invest up to $4.7 billion in partnership with the private sector to build a high speed National Broadband Network.

If you have the best trained people in the world matched with the most modern information technology in the world, you can turbo charge overall productivity growth.

In the 19th century, governments laid out railway networks as the arteries of the economy. In the 21st century, governments around the world are ensuring that high speed broadband networks are laid out – as the arteries of the new economy.

Except in Australia, where we have one of the slowest broadband networks in the western world. And for those who don’t think that this is of real concern to the Australian small business community, they need to start listening.

Labor’s plan is for a state-of-the-art fibre optic to the node national network with a speed of 12 megabits per second (capable of upscaling) to be laid out over a five year period. This is the nation building that the nation needs.

BUSINESS REGULATION

Achieving productivity growth is not just about bold visions. It also requires prudent management – in particular the streamlining of regulatory arrangements to unleash the full potential of our businesses.

The Government has already conducted two enquiries – the Bell Inquiry followed by the Banks inquiry – with little effect. So-called regulatory impact statements are widely ignored.

And the result is that business can’t get on with what they do best – spending most of their time developing new products, services and markets – as opposed to acting as compliance agents for national and state governments.

I have already announced our intention in government of adopting a simple principle: no new regulation imposed on business unless an existing regulation is withdrawn.

Tonight, I also want to outline a further set of measures to help get government off the back of business and free them up to create more jobs and more wealth for the future.

Faster Commonwealth bill paying

First, Labor will give small business the right to charge Commonwealth departments and agencies interest on bills not paid within thirty days. Late payments are a big problem for small business because of their significant impact on cash flow.

Small businesses often waste time badgering government for payment, taking them away from their business. That will now change.

A Superannuation Clearing House

Second, Labor will establish an optional Superannuation Clearing House for all businesses that want to use it. Currently under choice of superannuation legislation, businesses are required to make payments into numerous superannuation funds.

This has imposed yet more form filling and checking, cost and legal liability on business. Under Labor’s policy, businesses would simply make payments into one central clearing house at which point their legal responsibility is discharged.

A standard disclosure form for financial services products

And third, Labor will introduce a simple, standard disclosure form for financial services products.

The government’s new financial disclosure regime has resulted in consumers physically being issued with long and complex documents of up to 100 pages long. It has created an administrative nightmare for businesses and consumers. Labor’s standard disclosure form will be no more than 3-4 pages in length, containing core information.

Financial services providers would be required to have any further disclosure information on their websites.

International competitiveness

Mr Speaker, a core reason for rebuilding productivity growth is to ensure that our businesses are internationally competitive. For business it is a tough and highly competitive world out there.

Beyond the resources sector, the Budget Papers demonstrate that our export performance in the years ahead will be poor. Once again, we can’t simply allow ourselves to ride on the back of the resources boom, just as previous governments back in the fifties and sixties chose to ride on the sheep’s back.

This is short-sighted in the extreme. We have to be clear sighted about where Australia’s international competitive advantage lies for the future.

One such opportunity lies with the Australian financial services industry and with the funds management industry in particular. Since the superannuation guarantee was introduced by the previous Labor Government in 1992, funds under management have grown from $250 billion to $1 trillion.

Australia has one of the largest and most professional funds management industries in the world. But how can we turn our significant domestic funds management industry into a new export industry, given the growth in retirement incomes across East Asia?

One of the concerns the industry faces is international tax competitiveness given the 30 percent withholding tax, which currently applies on distributions from Australian managed funds, compared with other major centres.

My objective is to turn Australia into a funds management hub for Asia, building on the existing strengths of our funds management industry. This would earn extra income from Australia which in turn generates jobs and grows our economy.

So tonight I announce that Labor in government will halve the withholding tax on distributions from Australian managed funds to non-residents from 30 percent to 15 percent.

According to our advice, this tax currently generates some $30 million – but in our view halving it will provide concrete assistance to Australian funds managers competing against tax regimes applying to their competitors in Dublin, Luxembourg, New York and Singapore.

Our intention is to enable Australian businesses to take on the world and win.

Enabling business to engage with Asia

Mr Speaker, at the dawn of the Asia-Pacific century, Australia lies in a region that will generate most of this century’s economic growth. We therefore must ensure that we provide our businesses with every chance in the decades ahead to engage fully in the new business opportunities that lie ahead.

My plan is to help foster a generation of Asia-literate Australians increasingly comfortable with the languages and cultures of our region. This will help with future export opportunities.

Several years ago, the government discontinued funding for the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools Strategy. This was a cooperative program which operated with the States and Territories from 1996 to 2002, which by that time had enabled hundreds of thousands of Australian school children to start learning the major languages of our region.

Tonight I announce that Labor will re-establish an Asian languages and studies strategy for Australian schools. This will cost $65 million dollars over four years and will be done in partnership with the states and territories.

If we are going to enable our businesses to take on the best and the brightest in the region and the world we have got to make sure they have all the skills to do so.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER

Mr Speaker, preparing for Australia’s long-term economic future also means acting on climate change and on the water crisis. Without a plan to tackle climate change there can be no long-term solution to the water crisis.

The science is in. Climate change is a reality. It’s happening now. And it’s effecting our future supply of water. The core economic reality is that there is an economic cost to Australia if we fail to act on climate change.

The second core reality is that the economic cost of not acting will be far greater than the cost of taking early and responsible action. For this reason, we have already released a ten-point plan on climate change, including:

• ratifying the Kyoto Protocol

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2050

• establishing a $500 million national clean coal fund

• as well as boosting the use of renewable energy through enabling Australians to access low-interest loans to help install energy-efficient measures such as solar panels

Because of climate change we also need to adjust by using water more wisely. Our proposed loan fund can also be used to purchase rainwater tanks and other water efficiency measures at home.

We have sought to provide the Prime Minister with bipartisan support to build a national consensus around his Murray-Darling initiative. A truly national water plan must ensure water security for all Australians including those in our cities and towns.

We all know our reservoirs are dangerously low. We can do this by improving water security for local communities. That’s why we’ve committed to funding the Gold Fields Superpipe for Bendigo and Ballarat, the Geelong Shell Refinery water recycling project and other major urban water projects.

Across Australia we have about 175,000 kilometres of water mains. Leaks from these pipes remain a major impediment to future water security. According to the National Water Commission, in some towns up to 30 per cent of water is lost from leaky pipes and burst water mains. More than 155 thousand megalitres goes down the drain in our capital cities each year.

Water is too valuable and too precious to waste.

Tonight I announce that if elected, we will begin by establishing a modest national fund to start plugging the leaks in the water pipes of our towns and cities. In office, Labor will:

· work with state and local governments to identify relevant projects and take action;

· provide matching funds for practical projects that can achieve measurable water savings outcomes; and

· allocate $250 million dollars over the forward estimates to commence this program.

It is a modest, practical program – but one we believe represents an important foundation on which we can later build.

The national government cannot simply sit on its hands and do nothing about the water crisis affecting so many of our towns and cities..

THE FUTURE OF THE FAIR GO

I said earlier that our nation faces three core challenges for our future:

• building long-term prosperity beyond the mining boom

• acting on climate change and water

• and making sure the fair go has a future, not just a past.

The Government’s industrial relations laws have gone too far. They know it. The Australian people know it. That’s why four months before an election, they have pretended to change them.

If we are elected to form the next government of Australia, we intend to restore the balance – because we believe you can build long-term prosperity without throwing the fair go out the back door.

We believe we can get the balance right between fairness and flexibility. The government believes that it’s either one or the other. And we intend to prove them wrong. We want to unite Australia, not see it divided.

CONCLUSION

Mr Speaker, I conclude my remarks where I began. I am a great optimist when it comes to our country’s future. I did not come into this place tonight to outspend the Prime Minister and I have not.

Instead I came here to offer an alternative plan for Australia’s future. I believe if as a nation we rise to the great challenges I have outlined tonight, we can build a better and more secure future for our families and for our country.

Mr Speaker, so many Australians are depending on us to do so.

· Our farmers battling the drought.

· Pensioners and carers struggling to make ends meet – notwithstanding the one-off payments they have received.

· Working families under financial pressure, for whom tax cuts are always welcome, together with childcare relief.

All this, however, depends on building a strong economy into the future. All this depends on us now seizing the day on revolutionizing our approach to education.

All this depends on us seizing the day on climate change and water. And all this, Mr Speaker, still depends on ensuring that in this great country of ours, the fair go has a future, and not just a past.

This is the text of the 2007-08 Federal Budget Speech, delivered to the House of Representatives, by the Treasurer, Peter Costello.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Bill now be read a second time.

INTRODUCTION

Australia is different to the way it was 10 years ago.

Our economy is about 1½ times larger than it was back in 1996.

We have another 2 million Australians who have found jobs since then. And average
wages have increased 20 per cent in real terms.

In the decade before 1996 inflation averaged 5 per cent a year. Since then inflation has
halved, averaging the low and stable rate of 2½ per cent a year.

Ten years ago the Australian Government owed a net debt of $96 billion. The
Government was paying an interest bill of $8.5 billion a year. Today we are debt free in
net terms. And our net interest payments are zero. This is saving taxpayers $8.5 billion
a year.

Back in 1996 the Budget was in deficit. We were living beyond our means. Today we
are living within our means. For the 10th time, I am outlining a Budget that will be in
surplus.

We have come a long way and made a lot of progress. This year’s Budget has been
framed to lock in that progress:- to keep people in jobs; to keep our living standards
up. We don’t want to lose all that we have achieved over the last 10 years. We want to
lock in the gains and move forward.

The next decade will bring challenges all of its own — the ageing of the population,
health care, aged care, the emergence of climate change, the instability of our region
and the global shocks which can threaten our economy.

If we lock in the achievements of the past this will help us with the challenges of the
future. We want to meet and deal with future challenges from a position of strength.

This is a Budget which will build our economic capacity and give us that strength.

Tonight I will explain how we will invest for the future.

I will outline steps which will grow our economy.

I will introduce measures to give a helping hand to those who are struggling.

I will detail proposals to improve and conserve our natural environment — our water
and our riverways.

And this Budget will fund the national security and defence preparedness we need to
protect our country.

Two years ago I announced the Government would establish a Future Fund to invest
now for liabilities that are falling due for payment in the years which lie ahead. The
Fund is established and is well on its way. It will help pay entitlements to our soldiers,
navy and air force personnel which must be honoured after they have retired and
finished their service to the nation. The Fund operates as an accumulation fund and
reinvests its earnings. It aims to meet its target by 2020.

If you rob capital or earnings from the Future Fund, taxpayers will have to make up
the difference. You are passing our bills, our obligations, from our generation to the
next. This will limit their future. We will strongly oppose any irresponsible attempt to
raid this national investment for cheap political advantage.

HIGHER EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUND

We do not want to limit the future chances of young Australians, we want to build
them. So tonight I announce another investment in the future. For the first time ever,
the Australian Government will establish an endowment fund — the Higher
Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) — as a perpetual fund to generate earnings for
capital works and research facilities in our institutions of higher learning.

The initial investment of $5 billion out of this year’s Budget surplus will broadly
double all the existing financial investments and endowments currently held in the
total university sector.

The capital will not be spent. It will be invested. And, what is more, we will add
further capital from future Budget outcomes to this perpetual fund.

Individuals who wish to contribute to this visionary initiative will be able to make tax
deductible gifts to be managed along with the Government endowment. The
Endowment will be managed by the Guardians of the Future Fund.

The earnings generated by this investment will be dedicated to building first class
institutes of learning — first class by world standards — and put our Institutes of
Higher Learning on a secure footing for ever.

In addition to this, tonight I announce a plan to improve the education system so as to
help all young people achieve their full potential.

This $3.5 billion plan called Realising Our Potential has three components. At the school
level it means improving numeracy and literacy. At the training level it means better
vocational education and more apprenticeships. At the tertiary level it means better
universities which are more responsive to student needs.

IMPROVING SCHOOL OUTCOMES

Every parent is entitled to expect that their child will receive a high quality education
and develop the basic skills they need in later life. If children fall behind early they
find it very hard to catch up.

From 1 January next year we will help those children who do not achieve national
literacy and numeracy benchmarks in Years 3 and 5 and 7 by providing a voucher to
their parents for extra tuition outside of school. The voucher will be for $700. It can
only be used for tuition. It is designed to give those children who need it specialized,
personal, assistance.

If we want to improve literacy and numeracy we also need to recognise and reward
those teachers and those schools that do well in teaching our children.

In 2008 there will be a bonus up to $50,000 available to schools that make significant
improvements in the literacy and numeracy standards in their schools. This will
reward school excellence.

The Government will also provide $102 million from 2008 to establish Summer Schools
for teachers to undertake professional development for teaching in the areas of
Literacy and Numeracy, Australian History, Maths, Science and English. Teachers who
attend these summer schools in their own time, will receive a $5,000 bonus from the
Australian Government on completing the course.

The Government will also provide additional funding of $77 million from 2008 to get
more practical experience for those training to be teachers. We will pay Institutions to
provide a minimum 120 days experience in schools for trainee teachers who are doing
three and four-year degrees.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The Australian Government is a strong supporter of vocational education and training
(VET). The recent Skills for the Future package committed $837 million in new funding
to support skills training in the sector. We need more tradesmen and women. We need
to get more young people into apprenticeships.

That is why we will introduce a new tax exempt payment of $1,000 to first and second
year apprentices in skill-shortage trades to top up their wages. It will be for those
under 30 years of age. It will give them better wages while they are training. First and
second year apprentices in skill-shortage trades, regardless of age, will also be entitled
to a voucher of $500 which they can use to help offset course fees for their training.
This will encourage more people to take up apprenticeships at a cost of $549 million
over four years.

An additional $84 million over five years will be provided to establish three new
Australian Technical Colleges in the Brisbane, Sydney and Perth areas; to add to the 25
being established around Australia.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The Budget also includes an additional $768 million over four years to increase the
capacity of universities to respond more flexibly to student demand:- allowing them to
enrol more students in courses that students want to study and simplifying
Commonwealth funding arrangements.

We will also provide an additional 3,500 Commonwealth Learning Scholarships for
university study over four years.

These measures for primary education, for apprentices and for higher education will
boost the skills of our workforce and expand Australia’s productive capacity. More
than ever Australia needs to be smarter and more productive to keep ahead of the
pack.

INCOME TAX CUTS

Mr Speaker, if we want our economy to grow we must ensure there are strong
incentives for people to join the workforce and reward them for better skills and better
effort.

We commenced cutting personal income tax in 2000.

We have cut taxes in the last four Budgets.

Tonight I announce income tax cuts for the fifth year in a row. These tax cuts will take
effect in two stages: from 1 July 2007 and 1 July 2008.

From 1 July this year, the 30 per cent tax rate will only apply to income over $30,000:-
up from the current threshold of $25,000.

The low income tax offset will also rise from $600 to $750 and will begin to phase-out
from $30,000. This means that low income earners eligible for the offset will not pay
tax until their annual income exceeds $11,000.

For a person on average wages the tax cut I announce tonight will be around $16 a
week. For those below it can be more, for example, at $30,000 the tax cut will be $21 a
week.

These tax changes provide further incentives for those outside the workforce to enter it
and for those in part-time work to take additional hours.

Taxpayers earning $30,000 paid $6,222 in income tax in 1999. From 1 July 2007 they
will only pay $2,850 — a reduction of around 54 per cent.

From 1 July next year, we will increase the 40 per cent threshold from $75,000 to
$80,000 and the 45 per cent threshold from $150,000 to $180,000.

These income tax changes will ensure that more than 80 per cent of taxpayers face a
top marginal tax rate of 30 per cent or less across the forward estimates period. They
mean the top tax rate only applies to around 2 per cent of taxpayers. Back in 1996 the
top marginal rate — which was higher than it is today — applied from $50,000. If that
threshold had been indexed it would have stood below $68,000 on 1 July next year. In
fact it will be $180,000.

Senior Australians who are eligible for the senior Australians tax offset will now pay
no tax on their annual income up to $25,867 for singles and up to $43,360 for couples.
Our tax system exists to fund the decent services in health, education, aged care, and
other services that Australians legitimately expect and are entitled to receive. If after
we provide for those services, invest for the future, and balance our Budget, we can
reduce the tax burden, we should do so.

Tonight I am also announcing a programme to dramatically simplify income tax
returns for the next financial year commencing on 1 July 2007.

Taxpayers will be able to go online to access an income tax return prepared by the
Commissioner of Taxation, including income from salary and wages, interest,
dividends, information on private health insurance, and any benefits paid from the
Government, including the family tax benefit.

If the taxpayer is satisfied with this pre-prepared statement, they will be able to click
online and file their return without any further action. If there is additional
information to provide, this can be added to the pre-prepared return.

This will be available for the 9 million taxpayers who currently lodge their tax return
electronically, either directly or through a tax agent. There are 10 million taxpayers in
Australia.

IMPROVING CHILD CARE ARRANGEMENTS

Part of helping families to balance work and parenthood is to assist with child care.
Government assistance for child care in 2007-08 will be $3 billion, nearly three times
the level in 1996-97.

From 1 July 2007, the rates of Child Care Benefit will increase by 10 per cent, on top of
indexation. This will increase the maximum rate of Child Care Benefit from $2.96 to
$3.37 per hour, meaning that a family on maximum rate assistance with one child in
Long Day Care for 40 hours per week will be eligible for $134.80 per week. This change
will provide $728 million in extra assistance to more than 700,000 families.

The Government will also reimburse 30 per cent of the remaining out-of-pocket
expenses after the payment of the Benefit. From 1 July 2007, families will receive the
30 per cent Child Care Tax Rebate as a direct payment shortly after the financial year
in which they incur out-of-pocket child care costs. Families who incur out-of-pocket
child care costs in both 2005-06 and 2006-07 will receive two rebates in 2007-08 — one
through the tax system under existing arrangements, and the other as a direct
payment. The maximum payment will be $4,096 per child in respect of 2005-06 and
$4,211 per child for 2006-07.

This reform will help mothers who want to take part in the paid workforce to do so.

BOOSTING INVESTMENT IN LAND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr Speaker, a high quality transport network underpins our nation’s productivity,
economic growth and prosperity.

The Government has a strategic plan to develop this network called AusLink.

We have invested $15.8 billion in road and rail projects like the Pacific Highway, the
Deer Park Bypass, and the Caboolture Motorway.

Tonight I am announcing that the Government will boost its investment in road and
rail infrastructure with the second AusLink plan and total funding of $22.3 billion over
five years from 2009-10.

The National Network of road and rail is critical to our economy and provides the link
between Australia’s major population and economic centres. It is the link for our
exports to the world.

AusLink 2 will help reduce accidents on Australian roads. The Black Spot Programme
will increase to $60 million per annum over the five years from 2009-10. The Roads to
Recovery Programme constructs and maintains local roads and will be funded with
$1.8 billion. The Strategic Regional Programme supports the growth of regional
industry and will be allocated $300 million.

In order to bring forward construction of some of these strategic regional roads I am
announcing tonight an additional $250 million of supplementary funding to be paid to
local councils before June 30.

SUPPORTING RETIREMENT SAVINGS

Mr Speaker, encouraging people to save for retirement is critical to meet the challenges
posed by the ageing of the population.

In last year’s Budget I announced the most comprehensive reform of Australia’s
superannuation system ever. Taxes on benefits paid from a taxed fund to those over 60
will be abolished from 1 July 2007 — no tax on pensions, no tax on lump sums.

Another superannuation incentive for people on low to middle incomes is the
co-contribution scheme where the Government matches $1.50 for each $1.00 a person
contributes from their own money to superannuation. In order to reward this saving
further, the Government will pay an additional one-off to double the co-contribution in
respect of the 2005-06 year.

This means an eligible person who contributed $1,000 will receive a co-contribution of
$3,000 from the Government for that year.

This will boost the superannuation savings of low and middle income earners by
$1.1 billion.

REWARDING OLDER AUSTRALIANS

Mr Speaker, since this Budget will boost the take home pay of those in the workforce,
we also want to assist older Australians of retirement age.

This year the Government will provide a one-off seniors bonus payment of $500 to all
individuals of Age or Service Pension age eligible for either the Utilities Allowance or
the Seniors Concession Allowance as at 8 May 2007. This payment will also be made to
all recipients of Mature Age Allowance, Widows Allowance and Partner Allowance as
at 8 May 2007.

I also announce tonight, for the fourth consecutive year, that recipients of the Carer
Payment will receive a bonus of $1,000 and recipients of the Carer Allowance a bonus
of $600 for each eligible person in their care. These are people who look after others
with a disability and help those unable to fully care for themselves. They deserve this
support.

Both the seniors and the carers bonuses will be paid by 30 June 2007. These payments
will be tax-free and not treated as income when calculating social security payments.
These measures will cost $1.7 billion in 2006-07.

These bonuses show we can extend the benefits of a strong economy to those outside
the workforce. It recognises the contribution older Australians have made to building
our economy. It lends a helping hand to our carers.

The Government will also increase the Special Rate and Intermediate Rate Veteran
disability pensions by $50 and $25 per fortnight respectively, with effect from
July 2007.

ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

Mr Speaker, the Government is committed to ensuring Australia’s health care system
remains accessible and sustainable into the future.

In 2007-08 the Government will spend $51.8 billion on health and aged care, up from
$20 billion in 1996-97.

Our medical scientists have made Australia a world leader in health and medical
research. Building on previous Budget investment in this area, tonight I announce the
Government will provide $486 million in grants this year to construct further
world-class health and medical research facilities. Our scientists are among the best in
the world. We want to support their work to unlock treatments to deal with
debilitating and degenerative diseases.

And the Budget funds new pharmaceuticals to deal with conditions like diabetes that
affect so many Australians. By keeping our PBS competitive we can give access to new
treatments.

Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for chronic diseases including
diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This Budget provides an additional $150 million
over four years for a package of measures to improve nutrition and encourage physical
activity, including structured physical activity for children after school. This will
encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Mr Speaker, while primary responsibility for dental care lies with State and Territory
governments, the Australian Government has responsibility for funding dental
training and funding general health services through Medicare.

This Budget provides funding of $65 million over four years to establish a new
regional dental school, with 60 additional dentistry places in regional centres. The
Government will also provide $12.5 million over four years to create more
opportunities for city dental students to undertake dental training in regional settings.

And tonight I am announcing additional Medicare funding of $378 million over four
years for patients whose dental health is impacting on a chronic medical condition.

A Medicare benefit up to $2,125 per year will be available for their dental treatment in
the private sector as referred by a doctor.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Mr Speaker, one of the great challenges we have is to maintain the beautiful, diverse
and precious natural environment we have in Australia.

Our responsibility is to manage the environment for future generations. One of the
serious long term threats is global warming.

Since 1996, the Government has invested $2 billion to develop practical responses to
counter and reduce climate change.

The Government’s $500 million Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund is
already driving the development of solar and clean coal technologies that are vital in
this regard.

We want to encourage homeowners to install solar panels across Australia. The current
rebates will be doubled so that households will receive up to $8,000 for installing an
average system, which costs around $14,000, a rebate of over 50 per cent. Grants of up
to $12,000 will be available for solar panels in schools and community buildings.
Forests play a key role in reducing greenhouse gases. Tonight I announce that the costs
of establishing qualifying carbon sink forests will be tax deductible with immediate
deductibility for five years commencing 1 July 2007 and concessional depreciation
arrangements after that.

This Budget provides $197 million over five years for the Global Initiative on Forests
and Climate. This initiative will assist developing countries to manage and maintain —
rather than slash and burn — their precious tropical forests.

And this will be complemented by the establishment of partnerships with developing
countries to support water management, energy efficiency and alternative energy
initiatives.

A new Australian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation will be established. The
CSIRO will be allocated $103 million for Climate Change and Energy Research. All this
work will help Australia respond to the great challenge of global warming.

A NATIONAL PLAN FOR WATER SECURITY

Mr Speaker, water is one of Australia’s most precious resources.

The Government’s $10 billion National Plan for Water Security is intended to place
rural water use on a sustainable footing over the next decade. This plan includes
$5.9 billion to increase the efficiency of water use in irrigation and $3.1 billion to
address over-allocation of water.

Tonight I announce funding of $201 million over six years to support the installation of
water tanks and other water saving devices by schools and community organisations.
We must capture as much of this precious resource as possible and use it carefully and
wisely.

PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

The Government is further extending the Natural Heritage Trust until June 2013, with
an injection of $2 billion to support activities that improve water quality and reduce
land degradation at the local, regional and national level. The Natural Heritage Trust is
protecting wetlands, controlling salinity in the River Murray and dealing with nutrient
run-off into the Great Barrier Reef.

Farmers and other private land holders are frontline environmental managers for
around 77 per cent of Australia’s land mass. Many of our rare and significant plants
and animals are located on privately managed land.

Tonight I announce a new Environmental Stewardship Programme, an innovative long
term initiative which will engage the Australian Government in partnerships with
landowners to protect and improve environmental assets on private land.

The first of our natural assets to be targeted are the Box Gum Woodland areas that
span inland from Queensland to Victoria. There is less than 5 per cent of this
significant nationally endangered ecosystem left and much of it needs urgent work.

RURAL AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA

Mr Speaker, large parts of our country are suffering badly from a once in a century
drought which continues on with devastating effect to farmers and rural communities.

Australians believe we should give a helping hand to those who are struggling.

Combining last year and this year around $1.2 billion will be paid in exceptional
circumstances drought assistance. Funding of $688 million in assistance is expected to
be provided in 2007-08.

Our assistance to drought affected farmers includes income support and loan
assistance, counselling and support services.

Tonight I announce an additional $205 million over four years to fund professional
advice for farmers in severe difficulty, to subsidise management training and
education and to provide re-establishment grants to assist those who wish to exit the
industry.

DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Mr Speaker, the Government has no higher responsibility than the defence of Australia
and its interests.

At present, members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are serving their country
with distinction in difficult and dangerous theatres.

The Government recognises that improved recruitment and retention is necessary in
order to ensure that we maintain the current high standards of our defence force and
enable the ADF to grow to its intended strength of 57,000.

Tonight I announce additional funding of $2.1 billion over ten years for a range of
initiatives to further improve recruitment and retention, including an enhanced
Defence home ownership assistance scheme, incentives for young Australians to take
up a Defence apprenticeship in a technical trade, and an expanded cadet programme
for young people.

The Government is committed to ensuring our defence force is fully equipped to meet
new and existing challenges. This Budget provides funding of $6.6 billion over
13 years to acquire 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets to ensure Australia maintains air
superiority in our region. The purchase will ensure a smooth transition to the
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and allow for the orderly retirement of the existing F-111 fleet.

And our Government is committed to addressing emerging threats to national
security.

This Budget provides a further $702 million over four years for national security
initiatives to further safeguard against terrorism, including high-priority intelligence
needs, an integrated e-security national agenda, and further strengthening of aviation
security.

This brings to $10.4 billion the additional funding the Government has committed to
national security over the ten years to 2010-11.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Australia has now recorded the longest economic expansion in its history.

Unemployment is at a 30 year low.

I pay tribute to the enterprise of Australia’s small business people and the hard work
of employees who can share credit for this standout performance.

The orderly adjustment to the current strength in the terms of trade demonstrates the
flexibility we have now built in the Australian economy.

As a result, inflation is forecast to be 2½ per cent in 2007-08.

Overall, GDP growth is forecast to be 3¾ per cent in 2007-08, reflecting an assumed
return to average seasonal conditions in the farm sector and a partial recovery from the
drought.

Business investment has grown strongly in recent years, and is now at its highest level
as a share of GDP in 32 years. This will boost capacity in the years ahead.

This Budget — with its investment in education, skills, in road and rail, and sharper
work incentives will add to that capacity. This investment will drive further economic
growth.

We must now lock in the progress of the last decade if we want to keep our living
standards high. From this position we can step out to meet the challenges of the future
with purpose and confidence.

I commend the Bill to the House.

Full Budget Details

Listen to Peter Costello Deliver the 2007-08 Budget: