2015-05-22
Senator Richard Di Natale
I said it on the day but I want to make another acknowledgement here: I'm extremely grateful to my party room colleagues for giving me this huge responsibility. It's an honour, it's a privilege, and I'm going to do my best to pay back the faith they've put in me, and to inspire it in you.
Just a few days after this big transition we had another brutal budget dumped on us all by the Abbott government. It's proved comparatively popular in the polls, but don't be fooled. This budget has locked in many of the cruel measures from last year, it's refused to take up the clear alternative of raising revenue from the big end of town, and the government is completely missing in action when it comes to any kind of inspiring vision or direction for this country.
This budget takes more money from the pockets of nurses and charity workers than it does the big miners or big banks, and it's completely the wrong way to go. To look after people and build a more caring society, we need to raise more revenue from those who can afford to pay, not cut one vital service to fund another.
Abbott's government is so obsessed with the bottom line that they've completely missed the point of a budget, which is to lay out a plan for the kind of country we want to be. The real test is not just in the numbers, but in whether the decisions that underpin it make Australia a better nation. Does it reflect and promote a more caring society and relieve pressure from those who are feeling it most? Are benefits and opportunities shared among many or an elite few? Does it recognise that a healthy economy depends on ensuring a clean environment? Does it set out a long-term vision for our country? The answer, when it comes to this budget — and the one that preceded it — is a resounding no.
I came to the Greens and the Parliament through health. I spent a few years as a GP and public health specialist working in Tennant Creek and northeast India, and it became pretty clear to me that if you want to improve people's health, you've got to start looking at the things that make them sick. You've got to have a clean environment. You've got to have clean air and clean water. You've got to make sure that people have got a roof over their heads, that they've got a decent education, meaningful work, and a social safety net if they get into trouble. Those are the ingredients for good healthcare, and I'm going to be a champion for those things. I'm also a product of the great Australian experiment called multiculturalism, which is taking a beating at the moment. The debate on terrorism and refugees means that the multiculturalism issue needs a champion and I'm going to be that champion.
There are so many other things worth campaigning for and with our grassroots network of committed individuals I think the future for us as a party is very bright.
Instead of the small-minded, visionless budget that the Liberal government handed down this week, the Greens want to see a budget that tackles climate change and protects investment and jobs in the renewable sector; one that invests in health and mental health services; one that funds public transport; a budget that helps advance the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; a budget that supports those who need it most. We need a budget that puts the interests of the community ahead of those of a privileged few.
The Abbott government tried to ram through their brutal budget measures last year and we stopped them in the Senate, so now they're trying again, with cuts to health, cuts to science and cuts to higher education. The members of that government are still protecting the profits of their mates at the big end of town by choosing to save money by being cruel to people, and by refusing to factor global warming into any of their decision-making.
Like most Australians, the Greens want a society where everyone can afford quality health care and education, where there is not a vast gulf between rich and poor, and where our natural environment is protected. But the Abbott government's new budget is built on the same foundation as the old one. It's clear that as long as they are in power, there will be no efforts to tackle inequality or protect the safe climate that our health, environment and economy depends on.
Christine Milne has been an incredible source of support for all of us and has worked tirelessly for the 25 years she has spent in political life. I want to let Christine know that there are 11 members of our party room, and a thriving movement behind us in the community, who will be doing everything we can to ensure this country once again starts to do what is our moral responsibility, social responsibility, and economic duty: taking tough action on climate change.
As the new leader of the Australian Greens, I want to achieve good outcomes for people, for our kids and for our grandkids. I want good outcomes for the environment, for nature and for the land that feeds and clothes us. Where we can find common ground in the service of the Australian people, we will work with all sides to deliver those outcomes. We Greens do not subscribe to the dog-eat-dog agenda of this government. We do not want a world where it is everyone for themselves, where if you are lucky enough to be born into privilege and wealth you deserve more of it, and if not, well tough luck. There is another way and, along with my colleagues, I pledge to lead the fight for a more decent, more caring and more compassionate country.