Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

So it comes passing strange for members opposite to be complaining about fuel excise indexation when it is a Labor tax. It is a Labor tax that was invented by the Labor Party and it has been restored by this government as a revenue measure. It will cost the average family some 40c a week in the coming financial year.

I accept that there have been some tough decisions in this budget. I accept that. I accept that this government has made some hard choices in this budget. We had to make tough decisions. We had to make hard choices because members opposite consistently shirked the tough decisions, the necessary decisions, that were needed to sort out the debt and deficit disaster that they themselves had created.

But I say to the member who asked the question that, if you are a single income earner on $60,000 a year with three dependents, one aged under six and two aged between six and 13, you will continue to receive $17,920 a year from the social security system.

Mr Mitchell interjecting—

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