Senator VAN (Victoria) (13:53): I rise to speak on my first address-in-reply to the Governor-General's speech. I note it was also the first speech to this chamber of the new Governor-General, His Excellency the Hon. David Hurley. I congratulate him on his appointment. He comes with a distinguished career of military service to his country—namely, as a former chief of defence forces. Of course, he will be familiar to his current role, having been a governor of New South Wales. I wish the Governor-General and his wife, Linda, well. The coalition are the custodians entrusted by the Australian people to form government. The coalition government tested their tax plan against Labor's tax plan at the last election. The result could not have been starker. It was to tax less versus to tax more. The Australian people saw our plan and they voted for it. They saw our leader, Scott Morrison, and they voted for him. The coalition's consistent and proven ability to manage the economy was, as I see it, a key reason for not only holding onto government but being returned with an increased majority at the last federal election. But, of course, not all is economic. Good economic management is just the first step towards prosperity, and it becomes self-evident that a strong economy is the foundation upon which jobs, wages and social growth can bloom. We've maintained our AAA credit rating. This means we're saving more as we're paying less to borrow. The benefits are not just for government; it flows on through to a lower cost of borrowing for the corporate sector. We've just recorded a current account surplus for the first time since 1975. We are on track to deliver a surplus this year, the first since Peter Costello's in the financial year 2007-08. History has shown that many, if not most, Australians will be reticent to place preference on reformist agendas at the ballot box if they have faith in the government's ability to keep the cost-of-living expenses down and believe economic security will remain in their daily lives. In this election, they kept that faith. When people's jobs and finances are secure, it allows governments greater room to put forth policies around important issues of social merit without perceived risk to individuals' own wealth. It also means that we have the budget to ensure our Defence servicemen and women have the kit they require. I'm proud that our government has committed to spending two per cent of GDP on our defence budget. That means we can play our part in enforcing the rules based order that ensures our region is more stable, secure and prosperous. As part of the largest step up of our Australian military in peacetime history, there will be $200 billion of investment over the next decade. I'm pleased that this has translated to more and more Australian small and medium enterprises playing an increasing role in delivering for our Defence Force. They are the workforce behind the Defence Force. By building our sovereign industrial capability, we're using our defence dollar not only to ensure our servicemen and women have the kit they require but also to ensure we are able to create Australian jobs and drive our economy. In the time left I would like to focus particularly on the issue of the environment. As I said in my maiden speech last week, I believe in the importance of personal responsibility. I'm also conscious that we do not live in a perfect world and therefore sometimes the role of government extends to incentivising, or disincentivising, when it is for the common good. The government is integrated with our standard of living. To this end, the coalition government has a proud record of investing in and improving the environment. There are the iconic issues, such as the Great Barrier Reef, in which the government is investing some $1.2 billion. Or there's the big and complex new issue of recycling waste, a newer problem that ranges from local government level up to federal government level. Single-use plastic is an issue that, if resolved, will help the environment in real time and locally. A pragmatic solution must be found that protects our oceans and waterways and that leads to practical action that will require more than just virtue signalling. Senator McKim interjecting— Senator VAN: I'm glad that wasn't lost on you. The Minister for the Environment has said realistic targets have 100 per cent of Australia's packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Such a target is absolutely a step in the right direction. But I believe that it should be coupled with the carefully crafted program that both incentivises and pressures industry to adopt cleaner alternatives and better product stewardship by stimulating innovation where cleaner solutions are currently lacking. If products can reasonably be replaced with current alternatives— The PRESIDENT: Order, Senator Van; you'll be in continuation upon resumption. Senator Cormann.