Mr BROADBENT (10:46 AM) —The Regional Forest Agreements Bill 1998 is a most important bill. Once again, the Labor Party seems to be dillydallying with the lives of people in regional Australia, particu larly in timber industry areas. It is a fact that, had the Labor government been re-elected in 1996, they would still be dillydallying on regional forest agreements.

What are we here for today? We have just heard an amendment moved to further muck about with the whole process of giving certainty to people, particularly those in my seat of McMillan. We are here today because we want to underpin the regional forests agreement process that this government—from the Prime Minister (Mr Howard) to Minister Anderson to Minister Hill to Michael Ronaldson, the parliamentary secretary, to Fran Bailey, Stewart McArthur and I—has had a direct interest in, driving this whole process to a point where we have a resolution for our community. That resolution is that for the first time they will be able to go to their bank and get some certainty about where their industry is going, where their future employment will be and where there can have some downstream processing. Only this government has given them the opportunity for certainty, job security and value adding.

Had we not have had the support of the Prime Minister, particularly, and the support of the communities and our ministers and backbenchers, helping to drive this whole process, we would not be here today debating a resolution of these matters. The community, through their industry, have asked us to support the regional forests agreements through legislation. Only this government has been able to deliver. It seems that only the Labor Party is now opposed to us delivering on this very important issue for regional Australia.

It is particularly important for the seat of Gippsland, Peter McGauran's seat, and certainly important for the seat of McMillan. Why is it so important to me? Gippsland has been through a most difficult time. You have heard about the drought we have experienced over the last three years in Gippsland. You have now seen the flooding rains that caused the most disastrous floods in east Gippsland. The impact of the rain on the environment on Gippsland has been catastrophic, to say the least, in an area where we normally have gentle and eloquent rainfall that makes beautiful milk.

What has been the one consistency in this debate? Out of all the problems that we have been through, what has been the one sure-fire thing that supports jobs, families, communities, small businesses and everybody else who makes up our regional communities? It has been the timber industry. In my electorate of McMillan alone, there are 8,000 people directly or indirectly affected by issues of the timber and forest industries. That includes the people who sell the fuel. That includes the people who sell the clothes. That includes all those people who work within our communities and go to our primary schools, our private schools and our public schools. It is all those people who are active in, have concerns for and make their living from the timber industry.

This government has always been about families. Families throughout Australia are no different from the families that work down in Gippsland. You may only hear about us when we have got a problem, but let me tell you that every day we are out there and we are working we are creating new opportunities in this value-adding forest industry. At the same time, this government has delivered the best reserve process for the protection of our forests. The most important thing we can do for our future and our children is to protect those forests so they can be used for the benefit not only of those who are running a business out of them but of those who want them to be the lungs of the Australian nation—and perhaps the lungs of South-East Asia with the devastation that is going on in forest industries there at this time.

The whole issue is a matter of national importance. It is not just about hugging trees but also about people. It is not just about the legislation we introduce but about people and their families and how they operate in a regional community. I want to read you something that the last government had to process. Barry Cunningham, former member for McMillan, like me, was dedicated to the timber industry but was part of another government. I read from a community re sponse in regard to Mr Cunningham from the branch newsletter of a timber industry group:

How can we afford to stop work and go to Canberra again—

this is about the logging protest—

just to do the same as we have done before? Helen told me Barry Cunningham had no choice but to call us to rally as he was not being listened to as the member for McMillan and we need to show our support.

I did not believe her so I rang Barry Cunningham and to my astonishment he spoke to me and told me to consider the exercise as an investment in our future.

In other words, he called the community of Gippsland to Canberra, to surround this building and to tell his own party how important the issue was to people in Gippsland. If the same thing had happened to me, Michael Ronaldson or Fran Bailey, I know we would have done the same thing. But it did not because the moment we arrived here there was a round table discussion about the issue which the Prime Minister chaired. We moved from precept to precept, line to line until we got to today's legislation.

It is important to so many people right across Victoria, from Ballarat through McEwen right into McMillan and out into Gippsland, that we provide the wood, the chairs, the furniture and the exports. We are providing the pulp that is used for paper. These are people who provide the pulp and work in the industries—1,000 people at Australian Paper—that this government has also supported by introducing anti-dumping legislation after the failure of the former government'

Mr Adams —Much too late.

Mr BROADBENT —The Liberal Party members worked closely with the CMFEU. The Michael Ronaldsons, the Fran Baileys and the Russell Broadbents are the ones who took up the charge on behalf of the union movement.

Mr Adams —He's got a ticket.

Mr BROADBENT —So where were you? Firstly, you were not listening; secondly, you did not care about the union movement; and, thirdly, your Prime Minister, Paul Keating, put his hand on the issue of the timber indus try and it blew his hand off. He abused the workers as he walked up here to Parliament House one morning. We all saw it on television. I was the candidate who cared at that time and I am the member who cares now. Every logging truck that goes up my road makes a difference to the people who live in my communities. They are the people I am going to support.

Mr Deputy Speaker Nehl, I know you also have an interest in forest industries. It is those forest industries that have been our one stable certainty. Those industries support the post offices. We have so many post offices because we have grown jobs in rural Australia at a time when we have suffered drought, an economic downturn and a downturn in commodity prices. There are a number of regional members from the Liberal and National parties out there who not only listen to their communities but have said to them we will deliver. But, to our shock and surprise, we now find that the Labor Party actually opposes this legislation.

Mr Stephen Smith —Not true.

Mr BROADBENT —No, you actually oppose this legislation in four or five areas. You found out that we had gone, as a matter of urgency, to our minister and told him we had to bring this legislation forward because it was very important not only that we have a regional forest agreement but also that when people go to their banks they could say, `We have a regional forest agreement and the Australian government, the Howard government, is backing us.' So it is assured. There is certainty. There is job security. We are the party that is growing jobs in regional Australia. For 13 years the Labor Party dillydallied on these issues. They did nothing for the green movement. They did nothing to support jobs. They did nothing for certainty.

Of course there was chaos by the time of the run-up to the 1996 election campaign. Of course we were going to be elected because people had had enough. Of course these blue-collar workers said, `At least Russell Broadbent is going to go in there and go to bat for us.' I know there are members on the other side of this House in the Australian Labor Party who agree with every word I am saying. They know that their own party does not want to support this legislation and they want to lie doggo until after the election campaign is over. They have said they are going to oppose it in the Senate. You have seen them dillydally by moving this spurious amendment. That is what it is all about.

When the members come in here to vote, you will be named as members who voted against job security in timber and forest industries. I say to Labor Party members today: think very carefully before you oppose this legislation because it has had a lot of time and a lot of effort put into it. My own state government has put millions of dollars into this. The federal government has put $400 million into making this process work. There are 400 people who worked up here trying to make this process work. In the Australian community as a whole—whether people are dark green, light green or mid green—there is no difference, we are all green, but we all want opportunities for our generation, the generation after that and the generation after that. And that is what we have delivered in Australia.

I believe the member for Denison (Mr Kerr) is driving this because he does not want this legislation to go through. He wants at any time to be able to walk in on any situation—if you ever happen to be in government again—and say, `We are creating a new reserve and we are wiping out the timber industry in this area.' That is exactly what Bob Carr is doing at the moment—and I dare say they are working in tandem. This is not a last hurrah for the conservation movement. The conservation movement has been involved in this whole process very closely. The real thinkers know that this Howard government has delivered on forest industry issues.

Mr Ronaldson —Hear, hear!

Mr BROADBENT —It is good to see that Michael Ronaldson has entered the chamber because he has been one of the driving supports behind what we have done. Do not think that we did not take time to give attention and to put genuine spirit into this legislation. There has not been a time when this government has not put in the energy, the effort and the hours to make the difference. I know I must finish now, but I want to repeat that this is an important issue to my community and the communities in regional Australia. I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on this and I look forward to a response from the member for Lyons (Mr Adams).