Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I remind the House of what the motion is, even if the Manager of Opposition Business does not understand it. In terms of the priority for the order of business of this House, here we have the opposition walking into this parliament in a shambles about one of the things that the Leader of the Opposition described as one of his most fundamental commitments during the election campaign. We now know, courtesy of the shadow minister for finance, backed by the Leader of the Opposition, that if they were elected to government they cannot promise a surplus for the first five years. That is in very stark contrast to this government, that is determined in May to bring a budget into this House that gets us a surplus in 2012-13 exactly as promised, because that is the economic step that our nation needs now.

Then of course these inconsistencies continue. We have seen the shambles across the economic frontbench of the opposition about whether or not there would be tax cuts if they were ever in government. The Leader of the Opposition goes to the National Press Club and basically says: 'You know how I promised tax cuts? Well, I am not really sure anymore. During the first term, I could not possibly say that.' Then they send out the clean-up squad, because they know he has made an error, and the clean-up squad comes out—the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, for example—to say, 'Oh, yes, we will have tax cuts during our first term in government if we are elected.' Then there is some confusion about whether there is one round of tax cuts or two. The opposition is in a shambles.

This would all just be argy-bargy in politics except we are in a situation where what is at the core of our national interest today, at the core of our national interest for the Australian people, is approaches to the economy. Whether you stand for jobs, whether you stand for car industry jobs, the reckless approach of the opposition, even though they are only in opposition, is weighing heavily on the minds of the car industry today. There is the half a billion dollar cutback, there is the lack of certainty for the future and there are 46,000 Australians worried about their jobs because of the statements of the opposition, because of the recklessness of the opposition.

Mrs Mirabella interjecting—

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