Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

He wants us to do what his party did in government and shut down debate by ruling things out. This is a government that is committed to an open debate about these important matters which will inform us. It will inform the people and, when we come to our conclusions, they will know and we will know that we have reached the best informed conclusions we can. The honourable member should not be afraid of open discussion. He should get out from under the doona. He should engage in the open discussion. He should come out and recognise that in Australia we are entitled to have an open debate about taxation reform, an open debate about the economy. And the Labor Party is not in it. They do not want to be in it. They do not want to have that open discussion.

Let me say it again for the last time in this question time at least: there will be no changes made under our government which will be unfair to people on lower incomes. We are committed to ensuring that there is equity across the system. We will ensure that any changes that we make are ones which will promote growth, promote jobs, promote innovation, ensure that our children and our grandchildren have the chance of better jobs in the future than we have had, ensure that we are able to seize the unprecedented opportunities Australians now face and ensure that the government is backing Australians as they work, save and invest, not holding them back. That is our commitment. If the honourable member believes he has some good ideas as to how we can do that, let's see them. Forget the scare campaign; it is time to campaign on facts and good ideas.

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