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

The guts of this question and the guts of the previous three or four questions is the claim that the Treasurer called people on PPL fraudsters and the Minister for Social Services called people on PPL rorters. That is false. Anyone who makes those claims is lying. I say to members opposite that verballing ministers is no substitute for hard work and verballing ministers is no substitute for coming up with serious alternative policies. I ask the Leader of the Opposition: whatever happened to the year of ideas? All we ever get from members opposite is smear. All we ever get from members opposite is smear based on lies.

Last night this government rose above all that nonsense—this government rose above all that muck from the Leader of the Opposition and his minions—and we delivered a budget that appeals to the best instincts of the Australian people. We delivered a budget that encourages people to be their best selves. We delivered a budget that challenges the people of Australia to grasp the opportunities that are there before us. I know that this country has it. We have it in us to be better than we are and, under the policies of this government, that is exactly what will happen.

See this speech in context