Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

That is in fact true. In all the cameos that the member opposite used when they were talking about cuts, they would recall all of the supplementary cuts that we had made. They reversed their position, just like they did with respect to the asset changes to the pension and just like they did with respect to the schoolkids bonus. So I am sure that people take all of the coldness of the cold comfort that is offered by the member opposite when she says that Labor stood up to these cuts. Yes, they did stand up to the cuts to the pension, until they stopped standing up to the cuts to the pension when it came to the assets test. Yes, they did stand up to the ending of the schoolkids bonus, until they decided not to stand up to the ending of the schoolkids bonus. Yes, they did stand up to ending FTB supplements until they decided to support that measure. In every instance that they said they would oppose something right up to the date of the election, they failed to do that and in the process deceived millions of Australians. In fact, they ran petitions collecting the signatures of Australians against changes to the pension assets test, at the very time that they were supporting that policy. So I thank the member opposite for her interjection because it simply offers another opportunity to point out the unbelievable barefaced hypocrisy of members opposite.

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