Compare Tony Abbott's big achievements in two years as Prime Minister with Malcolm Turnbull's list on the second anniversary of his taking Abbott's job. It tells a tale:
MALCOLM TURNBULL'S OFFICIAL LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS:
An innovation and science agenda to help create the jobs of the future;
Landmark reform of Australia’s competition law – to help small to medium companies compete with big business;
The 2016 Defence White Paper which will secure Australia in the 21st century ;
A defence industry plan which backs local advanced manufacturing, particularly in regional Australia.
Taking action to address domestic violence through the $100 million Women’s Safety Package.
Overseeing the release of all children from onshore immigration detention (which compares with Labor’s record of 8,469 children in detention);
Cracking down on multinational tax avoidance to ensure companies that make money in Australia pay tax in Australia;
Legislating to implement the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement;
Signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership to deliver substantial new trade and investment opportunities for Australian businesses ;
Bringing our media laws into the digital age and ensuring local media outlets remain viable;
Establishing the $1 billion Clean Energy Innovation Fund;
Banning excessive surcharges on credit cards to protect Australian consumers;
Investing in important public transport projects, including the $95 million Gold Coast Light Rail, the Sydney Metro and the Melbourne Metro;
Senate voting reform that ensures Australians, not preference whisperers, choose their Senators; and
The abolition of Bill Shorten’s truck tribunal which was putting owner-operator truck drivers out of business.
Strangely, the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission is not mentioned.
How many of these achievements will have been noted by the public, let alone appreciated? I have marked in bold the achievements that actually just built on or rebadged work by the Abbott Government.
TONY ABBOTT'S LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS
Stopping the boats – ending over 1000 deaths at sea and over $10 billion in border protection budget blowouts under the previous government.
Finalising the big three trade deals – with China, Japan, and Korea – that had languished for a decade under previous governments.
Scrapping the carbon tax – cutting power prices by 10 per cent and saving households $500 a year on average.
Scrapping the mining tax – which was increasing costs and hurting investment but not raising any revenue!
Starting the biggest Commonwealth-funded infrastructure programme ever – to duplicate the Pacific Highway, upgrade the Bruce Highway, improve urban motorways, and build the Western Sydney Airport after 50 years of procrastination.
Starting the task of budget repair with $50 billion of savings over the forward estimates and $250 billion of savings over the decade – despite senate sabotage.
Saying “no” to big corporates demanding handouts, like Qantas and SPC.
Cutting more than $2 billion from business red tape costs and abolishing nearly 400 government bodies.
Approving more than a trillion dollars worth of stalled development.
Being so “open for business” that the economy created more than 300,000 jobs in just two years.
Starting the Centrelink debit card and making it impossible to get your own doctor to sign you onto the disability pension.
Getting the NBN back on track so that it will be completed by 2020.
Establishing the Medical Research Futures Fund to permanently boost life-saving new drugs and technologies.
Establishing the Green Army for landcare projects.
Leading the global response to the MH17 atrocity and the MH370 disaster, being the strongest contributor (after the US) to the fight against the death cult caliphate, and raising defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP.
Marking the centenary of Anzac with the new John Monash centre on the Western Front.
