Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave of the House to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that in an extraordinary interview with David Speers on Sky News this morning:

(a) the Prime Minister said that Treasury “has not identified the dollar cost” of the centrepiece of his Budget, the 10-year tax cut for big business:

(i) but a moment later, the Prime Minister said Treasury had modelled the cost; and

(ii) yet later, the Prime Minister said the cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business was outlined on page 3-11 of Budget Paper No. 1 despite the fact, that page does not mention companies or corporations or small businesses even once; and

(b) the Prime Minister said the $55 billion cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business nominated by economist Chris Richardson “may well be right”;

(2) condemns the Prime Minister for delivering a Budget which is a fraud on the Australian people by having a centrepiece without a cost attached; and

(3) calls on the Prime Minister to attend the House to finally come clean about the 10-year cost for the 10-year tax cut for big business.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for McMahon from moving the following motion forthwith:

(1) notes that in an extraordinary interview with David Speers on Sky News this morning:

(a) the Prime Minister said that Treasury “has not identified the dollar cost” of the centrepiece of his Budget, the 10-year tax cut for big business:

(i) but a moment later, the Prime Minister said Treasury had modelled the cost; and

(ii) yet later, the Prime Minister said the cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business was outlined on page 3-11 of Budget Paper No. 1 despite the fact, that page does not mention companies or corporations or small businesses even once; and

(b) the Prime Minister said the $55 billion cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business nominated by economist Chris Richardson “may well be right”;

(2) condemns the Prime Minister for delivering a Budget which is a fraud on the Australian people by having a centrepiece without a cost attached; and

(3) calls on the Prime Minister to attend the House to finally come clean about the 10-year cost for the 10-year tax cut for big business.

It takes a particular level of incompetence to bring down a budget with a centrepiece uncosted—incompetence and a fraud by this Prime Minister.

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