Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I will be brief in light of the fact that the Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge) Bill 2008 relates to another bill that the House will be debating once we have dispensed with this. These bills are related, and it is a little difficult to see why the government has chosen to debate them separately tonight.

It is just another one of the outrageous measures that we have seen today which show absolute contempt for this parliament and therefore contempt for the Australian people who elect their representatives to this chamber. What we have seen is a government that is totally off message as a result of the failure to fulfil their promises to the Australian people to bring down fuel prices. I see there has been another revelation tonight on Channel 9 by veteran reporter Laurie Oakes further exposing the divisions within the government and within cabinet. Of course, what we find is that they are desperate to try to change the story, so they come into this place and decide they are just going to ram through legislation in a way we never would have done when we were in government. They have no respect for this parliament, and therefore I believe they do not respect my constituents in Stirling or the constituents of the member for Moncrieff. It is very clear that the opposition oppose measures contained within this budget in relation to the Medicare levy surcharge, but we will be outlining our reasons for that in the debate on this subsequent bill. I will therefore let the business of the House proceed and move on to that.

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