The reality is that, for us to have any confidence in that, the legislation has to be in place before the outsourcing contracts are let to the private sector. Unresolved questions also exist across the board about the extent of savings that will be obtained from the outsourcing structure, the way in which employees' rights will be protected and safeguarded and the need for an industry policy for IT given the large scale of the information technology infrastructure which is being given to the private sector. The issue of industry policy will return to haunt this government at every turn. The reality is that they do not have an industry policy to protect the steel industry and they do not have an industry policy to protect the IT and communications industry. Our trade deficit in this area continues to get worse.
Science has a vital role to play in any budget deliberation.
This budget speech ignored science and technology. That a budget speech on the eve of the 21st century can fail to mention science, innovation, engineering and education is an enormous misunderstanding of the importance these areas will play in the future of Australia. Australia must invest in a sound research and technology capacity. It is a challenge which this budget fails to meet. The consequences of that failure will be felt for a generation and beyond.