Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Clive Palmer told him to oppose the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Bill—and it has been a bad look, going into bat for billionaires over the battlers in Australia. We on this side of the House are going in to bat for families. Payments have been made to something like 1.3 million families. We have put out something like $1.5 billion, with permanent payments to come from March.

But the most important thing is that we will have on 1 July the tripling of the tax-free threshold—a very big tax reform which is going to look after battlers, those on low incomes and retirees. This is a very big initiative for all Australians. We know what those opposite want to do; they want to claw that back. They want to claw back that tripling of the tax-free threshold to give Clive Palmer a tax cut. It is okay for Clive Palmer to put his pollution in the air for free and it is okay for Clive Palmer to pump it into the Great Barrier Reef, but it is not okay for the battlers of Australia to get a tax cut by the tripling of the tax-free threshold. This opposition leader has sold himself to Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

We on this side of the House stand for the families of Australia.

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