Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

Everybody loves an anniversary, except maybe the one today, because on this day last year, at Rooty Hill, Tony Abbott made a very big promise to Australians. He stood up there, looked people squarely in the eye, and said:

No cuts to health, no cuts to education, no cuts or changes to pensions …

We have heard a diatribe coming from the other side about making tough choices. They say they are all about caring and sharing and they will do the right thing by Australians, but they are just words. The evidence of what happens in practice is completely at odds with the words—just words, written on a bit of paper and regurgitated. But if the truth is thrown right in front of you, how can you deny it? Maybe the Prime Minister can continue to deny it but Australians are not fooled. A year later we all know that all those promises that were made 12 months ago—and the promises that continue to be made—were just lies. It just was not true. It is as simple as that—they were uncaring, calculated lies.

We have heard from members opposite that it is not about popularity. They say things like, 'I'd rather stand in front of the people,' and 'We'll march until we take the beaches,' and other types of garbage, but none of it was about tough choices

Think back to 12 months ago. It was not about making a tough, hard choice. It was just about winning votes. It is pretty simple politics—it really is. You do not need to pay someone millions of dollars to consult and give you this advice. It was just about winning votes: 'That is what the focus groups want, that is what people say they want and that is what we will say we will do.' Unfortunately, what they actually do—that is the Liberal Party and this government—is something completely different. In less than a year the Prime Minister has set a new standard of lows, a new standard for dishonesty and a new standard for breaking promises. The Prime Minister has broken, on his own record, more promises than probably any other Prime Minister in history. For example, what happened to the promise of a million new jobs? I see jobs actually going in reverse gear. We just heard the Treasurer admit that is true, but he says, 'It's somebody else's fault.' The Liberal Party promised a million new jobs and it then goes into reverse. Every time they break a promise, it is somebody else's fault. It is the media's fault. It is the ABC's fault. It is probably some of the other ministers' fault. It is always somebody else's fault—but their broken promises stand as broken promises. That is what they have to live with.

This is an unfair budget and there is no question about that. Why is it unfair? It is simple: because people right across the country are telling Labor—I am sure they are telling the Liberal and National parties too—that this is unfair. No-one remembers being promised a new GP tax. I cannot remember that promise. I cannot remember a promise of a new fuel tax. That may have been unpopular, but I would have loved to see you stand up and make those promises. No-one remembers a promise to change pensions and to cut pensions. No-one remembers a promise to cut school funding. In fact, I remember the exact opposite.

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