Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pity that you were not in the chair before, Mr Deputy Speaker Leigh, when members on the other side of the House strayed very far and distant from the subject as well.

In the 2011 budget, the narrative was exactly the same. Labor froze the indexation for family tax benefits A and B and supplement payments. This is a blatant attack on every Australian, as is this legislation. In the 2012 budget, Labor cut the age of eligibility for family tax benefit part A to families with children who are 18 years of age, meaning that families with children aged 19 to 21 will no longer receive assistance through the family tax benefit, even though many children of this age remain classified as dependants and still have the same, if not higher, costs for education.

While this Labor government are unwilling to assist families to educate their children, they are more than happy to take through an ever-increasing tax and levy system. The flood levy introduced by this government unashamedly relied on these families. Those earning over $100,000 pay 0.5 per cent of taxable income in excess of $50,000 and one per cent of taxable income in excess of $100,000. Labor have demonstrated that they do not care for productive, well-targeted payments that really do benefit families.

From the December quarter of 2007 to the December quarter of 2011, Labor's economic mismanagement has led to price increases which have impacted on every family. That demonstrates to this House again that this bill is impacting on the economic management of this country. Electricity prices have increased by an average of 61 per cent across Australia. Gas prices have increased by an average of 37 per cent across Australia. Water and sewerage rates have increased by an average of 58 per cent across Australia. Health costs have increased by an average of 20 per cent, education costs have increased by an average of 24 per cent, the cost of food overall has increased by 13 per cent, and the amount of rent people are paying has increased by 25 per cent across Australia. This payment will not help to curb these constantly rising costs. Childcare costs are also continuing to rise because of Labor inattentiveness.

I would like to draw the attention of the House to comments made by George Megalogenis in today's Australian newspaper. He notes that the razor-and-handout approach taken by this reckless government has taken us back us back to stimulus levels in terms of cash handouts—hardly the tough budget the Treasurer has claimed. There is no doubt that all families were better off under the coalition. The Australian article noted:

Family payments were 12.1 per cent of spending at the end of the Howard era in 2007-08 … By 2015-16, family payments will be less than 10 per cent of the budget for the first time on record.

This is not sensible spending. It is reckless spending by a desperate government, designed to make Australian people forget the toxic carbon tax which will hit everyone and increase already rising living costs. This bill is not intended to fairly assist families; it is intended to cushion a failed budget full of toxic taxes. The coalition supported the ETR but we do not support this, because this is bad policy.

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