Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Once again it has been instructive to listen to the contribution from Labor members who continue to apparently rail against the inequities of an initiative like this while conveniently ignoring the fact that this type of measure would not be necessary if the Labor Party had not spent so recklessly over the past six years. This type of measure would not have been necessary if Labor had not run the six biggest budget deficits in Australia's history. Indeed, this type of measure would not be necessary if Labor had left Australia in a better financial position than they inherited it.

But the Australian people understand what Labor did. The Australian people, when they reflect on Labor's track record, know the truth, which is that, when Labor was elected to office, they inherited a $50 billion asset base, they inherited a budget in strong surplus and the Australian economy was performing strongly. In six short years the Labor Party ran the six biggest deficits in Australia history and put us on a debt trajectory that the Treasury forecast was going to reach $667 billion unless policy changes were made—policy changes such as the policy debate that we are having in the chamber right now.

So it is a little disingenuous, frankly, for Labor members to pop up on the opposition side and claim that they are so concerned about the impact of this bill. One of the reasons why it is particularly disingenuous is because this is coming from the same Australian Labor Party who in this debate rail against the impact of 40 or maybe 50c for the average Australian family per week for the cost of fuel yet are perfectly happy to see the continuation of the world's biggest carbon tax, which has an impost on Australian families of $550. Bear in mind that the carbon tax is set to increase, so the impact on Australian households will be even more pronounced. The government does not need hypocrisy or lectures from the Australian Labor party about how this is not an appropriate initiative to undertake. What we need from the Australian Labor Party is a little bit of common sense, a little bit of recognition that as a government we were elected to fix up the mess that the Australian Labor Party left behind.

Labor cannot have it both ways. Labor cannot claim that they are a party concerned about Australian families. Labor cannot claim that they are a party that is concerned about the impact on Australian people of a policy initiative like this. Labor cannot claim that they are a party of economic responsibility yet enable a situation or attempt to impose a situation where the Australian budget continues to face significant economic headwinds, where the Australian budget continues to be subjected to tens of billions of dollars of budget deficit. Until such time as Labor is willing to be upfront with the Australian people, Labor is not in a strong position to be critical of measures that this government undertakes not because we think they are popular but because we know that they are the right thing to do, as I have said in this debate previously. Initiatives like this are done because this is what is required to help restore Australia's economic standing. These types of policy decisions are undertaken not because we think they are going to win vast numbers of votes in the community; we do it because as a government we are committed to making sure that this nation stands more strongly in the future than it is able to as a consequence of Labor's economic stewardship and the reckless spending they engaged in.

Labor cannot have a situation where they oppose every tax increase and hey oppose every savings initiative but then say that they are concerned about equity, fairness and the impact that that will have on Australian families when as a direct consequence of Labor's policy positions we now see Labor trying to reimpose nearly $40 billion of additional spending back on the budget. That is the reason the Australian people voted in such overwhelming numbers against the Australian Labor Party. They know that Labor's recipe is a recipe for more debt and more deficit and will do nothing to make sure the next generation of Australians inherit a country that is stronger and more resilient in the future than the nation that Labor left behind.

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