Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I predict there will be generous permanent assistance for those. They even tried to scare us about housing prices going up $6,000. What a gross exagg­eration! But we come to the biggies. Talking about big numbers, let us talk about the $10 billion that those opposite would give the large polluting companies as their fig leaf to acting on climate change. What a clever plan: take money from the taxpayer and give it to the big polluters. Why didn't we think of that? Because it is a bad idea. But what the opposition would do goes further, so they can undermine the Australian economy. Those opposite are Inquisition monks and burners of books.

Opposition members interjecting—

Well, your leader has rubbished the economists and the scientists. Those opposite have rubbished Australian economists. Indeed, if you look at their $10 billion plan to spend taxes rewarding big polluters—why didn't we think of that idea?—no serious business leader or economist has come out and backed it. When the Leader of the Opposition jumped up over the trench with that ill-thought-out fig leaf of an economic idea, he looked around and saw no-one was behind him. But I think the fundamental issue, going back to the shadow Treasurer's proposition about economic confidence, is that those opposite would rely on threat to give them purpose.

Mr Fletcher interjecting—

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