Mr HOLZBERGER (Forde) (15:48): Thank you. When I gave my first speech in the House, I said that I don't have political heroes, but I've got plenty of sporting ones. One of my greatest heroes is Dean Jones, one of the greatest batters ever to play for Australia. There were times when you were watching him, where the poor bowler was being hit all over the park. They must have been thinking, 'There is nowhere we can bowl to this person.' That's exactly what it is like watching the shadow Treasurer bowl up to the Treasurer of this country at the moment. That's exactly what it must be like when they have to come up with an MPI every time. Where can they hit the government that is so focused on the Australian people, so focused on their game, while they're divided on themselves? Where do they hit it? So today they've come up with the words 'spending spree'. Let's have a look at what is meant by a 'spending spree'. To me, a spree is something you do carelessly, throwing around money frivolously on things that don't matter. But, when the opposition say, 'Spend less,' what they really mean is, 'Invest less.' I've run a small business, and it's been an enormous privilege. You learn quickly that there are two ways to run a small business: either you invest in your plant and your people and build something sustainable, or you strip the profits out and run the business into the ground. Running a country is like running a small business: you can slash and burn, or you can build and invest in your people and your future. Let's look at what we're investing in. We are investing $8.5 million in Medicare. One of the most profoundly moving experiences that I have had in politics was this week when we were ringing around the GP clinics in Forde. We have only got to about three-quarters of them so far but already we have found out that it is going from seven bulk-billing clinics to 15 overnight. I have never in all of the time that I have been either watching or participating in politics seen a single policy with such an immediate impact as this one. It saves Australians money, improves our health, helps the economy, supports families, but it costs money. Let's look at housing. There is $43 billion invested in housing. An honourable member interjecting— Mr HOLZBERGER: That's right. That is what they are calling a spree. But in one year—and I will say it is in one year—we have built more houses in Forde than the opposition built in almost 10 years of government across the whole country. I say one year because they spent two or three years trying to hold it up because they saw it as a spree. Finally, in skills and training, we have free TAFE, which the opposition said people would not value because it is free. When I was working on farms I learned that with the right skills you can fix everything. As I am sure the member for Riverina knows, with a bit of silicon and fencing wire, you can fix just about anything. And it turns out that with the right skills you can even fix the broken skill system that we were left with after the opposition gave it to us. The thing that Australia has which is our most valuable resource is not underground but on top of the ground. It is the people of this country. With the right skills you can skill up and you can get a return on that investment and that is what all of these things are—they are a return on an investment. They are carefully calculated, methodically thought through returns on the investment that we will see for generations to come. Do you know what really costs? Doing nothing. That is the bill that you do not get until after the election. Because when governments do not invest it is Australians who are left to pick up the tab. There are just some things that it is better to do collectively, for the government to invest in. Health care is one of them; otherwise, you end up with a health system like the American system, where it is every person for themselves. Public housing is another one of them. Skills and training is another one of them. While the Australian people are sick to death of privatisation and economic rationalism, for some reason the opposition wants to continue with that failed policy. There is a role for government investing in the economy, just as there is a role in the good management of a company investing in its plan and its people. The opposition say if you do not pay for it, you do not value it. But if you cannot afford it, you are locked out, and the country suffers.