Malcolm Turnbull: Stop this wrecking and start building

PEOPLE are sick of political gossip and want to hear about what government can do to improve their lives, writes Malcolm Turnbull.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says people are sick of political gossip and want to hear about what the government can do to improve their lives.

DURING my regular radio interview on Melbourne’s 3AW this week, as I was batting back questions about personalities and political gossip, I put out a call for talkback to hear directly from the listeners.

I wanted to cut through the media commentary, which is mostly about the game of politics, and speak to people whose concern, I believe, is about the outcome of politics — the policies that will make their lives better.

Listeners like Dean, who delivered a blunt message.

“Do you know what I care about?” he asked. “I care about the fact that I paid $900 tax last week, I care about the fact that I’ve got to pay to drive on the roads, even though I’ve already paid for my rego. I care about the fact that I’ve got a $1200 electricity bill.”

Dean wasn’t interested in politics or personalities or gossip. He was interested in policy and how it affects his life.

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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he wants to speak to people whose concern is about the outcome of politics. Picture: Jonathan Ng

In the almost two years I’ve been Prime Minister, and the one year since the election, this has been my only focus too — the question that informs every decision my government makes.

What is going to make your life better?

Is it getting schools funding right? Is it getting energy policy right? Is it getting roads and rail built? Is it making sure that Medicare is guaranteed, supported and secured? Is it properly funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme? Is it delivering tax cuts for small and medium businesses?

In the past 12 months my government has achieved real-time results. Not just headlines or announcements, but policies that matter. These results are big, nation-building reforms. These policy breakthroughs will improve the lives of Australians. They’re not theories, or thought bubbles, or glib one-liners. They are laws, passed by the parliament and fully funded.

Take our schools reform, a $23 billion increase to funding and a fair needs-based model as recommended by David Gonski. It ensures every child in Australia is funded based on their need, not based on how bold a deal their premier could cut with the federal government.

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David Gonski speaks to the media about the national school reform package. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

This is about making our children smarter and moving them to the top of the class. That’s what this policy will deliver.

Take our energy policies, which are designed to bring power prices down, addressing one of Dean’s chief complaints. We are intervening in the gas market to restrict exports when there’s a shortage of domestic supply.

We are going to stop electricity companies from gaming the system to jack up the price they charge for their poles and wires above the levels set by the industry regulator. We are massively expanding the Snowy Mountains Scheme, with Snowy Hydro 2.0 delivering the hydro power and storage that will make renewables reliable.

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And we are making sure that as old coal-fired power stations close there will be new reliable baseload power to take its place — it could be clean coal, gas, renewables, hydro, storage — all or any of the above.

Our approach is guided by engineering and economics — not ideology and politics; that’s the old way and it has failed. Australians want clear-eyed, hard-headed, well thought out leadership. Take our tax cuts for more than three million small and medium businesses. Those businesses employ half the Australian workforce, so this vital injection will provide a massive boost to the economy.

For these small businesses, cash flow is critical. So we extended the $20,000 instant asset write-off. This measure alone is making life easier for small business owners and tradies.

Consider our effort to bolster the foundations of our health system. We are listing more medicines so they are cheaper for patients. We have set up the Medicare Guarantee Fund and we are stepping in to properly fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

I know that Australian parents need all the backing we can give them. That’s why we have overhauled childcare to make it more affordable, and more available.

These are policies that make a difference.

When I travel around the country meeting Australians, whether it’s Melbourne’s Box Hill RSL last Tuesday, or Emerald in Queensland last month, these are the things they want to talk about.

PM Malcolm Turnbull visiting Cooma in NSW. Picture: Kym Smith

They are sick of politics, and sick of personalities.

Frankly, so am I. This is a time for builders, not wreckers. For leaders who get things done and don’t just talk. For negotiators and deal-makers who trade in results, not in platitudes.

As we enter the second year of this parliamentary term, I’m more determined than ever to govern for all 24 million Australians; to listen to their concerns and address their needs. That is precisely what I have been doing and it’s precisely what I will continue to do.

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My clear message to politicians and journalists alike is don’t focus on yourselves. Focus on the people who elected us.

To Dean and the other talkback listeners around Australia, I say look at our results. I hear your concerns about the cost of living and I am acting on them. I hear your questions about roads and rail and I am funding them. I see your interest in properly funded education and I am providing it. And I see your need for a strong Medicare and reliable healthcare and I am guaranteeing them.

It is our job to serve. But more importantly, it is our job to deliver.

Malcolm Turnbull is Prime Minister of Australia

Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull: Stop this wrecking and start building