Senator ABETZ (Tasmania) (15:15): It is always good of the Labor Party to move a motion to take note of specific answers because what it highlights to the Australian people is the lack of depth and lack of substance in relation to the Labor Party's approach to all issues of public policy. What it shows us is that the Australian Labor Party has no plan and no vision for our great country. What they're able to do is throw a lot of stones from the sidelines without providing any genuine answers or policy prescriptions to deal with the issues confronting our nation. And so we had this bizarre question time today—all sorts of were issues raised, but there was no theme or coherence other than throwing stones, whereas on this side of the chamber the Australian people heard questions about international security—the threat from North Korea, a matter of genuine substance and a matter of genuine concern to the Australian people. We as a government are getting on with the issue of national security. We are getting on with the issue of economic security. When we're talking of economic security, we are talking about ensuring that we are getting the budget deficit back into shape and getting it down to zero so that we can then start paying back the debt—a legacy of Labor. I note that there are schoolchildren watching this particular debate. The legacy that the Australian Labor Party has left them and all their fellow schoolchildren, right around Australia, is a legacy of deficit and debt that they will be repaying through— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Resume your seat please, Senator Abetz. Senator Polley? Senator Polley: I know there's usually some lenience, but there is nothing in Senator Abetz's contribution today that relates to the questions that I took note of. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Abetz, I do remind you that taking note is in relation to responses from Senators Brandis, Scullion and Nash. I also appreciate this is a wide-ranging debate, so please continue. Senator ABETZ: You always know you've got the Australian Labor Party on the run when they make spurious points of order to try to stop the train of thought and the flow of the conversation that we on this side are seeking to have with the Australian people. The conversation that we are seeking to have with the Australian people is to highlight and juxtapose what the Australian Labor Party spends question time on in comparison to what the government spends question time on. You do the compare and contrast, you do the juxtaposition and you see that one side is fit and proper for purpose, namely, for the service of the Australian people. Getting back to the point I was making, the young people of Australia today will be faced with paying off the deficit and debt left to them by a profligate Labor government during the 2007-13 period. This indebtedness is a result of Labor seeing a problem—immediate answer: throw money at it! Like they did with education—a huge increase in education expenditure with a huge decline in outcomes, confirming to everybody that expenditure does not necessarily relate to good outcomes. Opposition senators interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator ABETZ: We as a government are getting on with the job of bringing the budget back into shape. Similarly, we are dealing with the issue of energy costs, something which impacts every single Australian, like a pensioner hoping to be able to heat their house in winter or cooling it in summer. It's a huge issue for every single pensioner in this country. It is an issue for the household budget, where mums and dads are trying desperately to keep the household budget in shape. It is of impact to the farmer, to the small businessman and, indeed, to the large manufacturers. Every single Australian is impacted by energy policy, and we have been left with a legacy from the Australian Labor Party and an approach by the Australian Labor Party where they would make the current problems so much worse, impacting our pensioners, our families, our small businesses and our farmers and manufacturers even more than they are impacted today. The government is getting on with the task. Labor can keep on throwing rocks and getting engaged in the personal vilification, but we will not be distracted from serving the Australian people. (Time expired)