Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to add to the answer. Since when in this country is someone who is earning $87,001 a rich man or woman? Since when has that been true? Talk about out of touch. This Leader of the Opposition thinks that a hardworking Australian out there every day earning $87,001 is some sort of Google CEO. That is what the Leader of the Opposition thinks. But it is not what he thought when he spoke to Neil Mitchell last year. He was asked by Neil Mitchell last year, 'Is $180,000 a year rich?' And he said 'No, it's not.' But somehow, now, if you earn $87,001 in this country you are a rich fat cat. The only person who has come into this chamber since the budget and talked up the interest of those who earn millions and millions and millions in executive salaries is the bankers' parrot over there, the shadow Treasurer. Those opposite are the ones who come in here day after day and talk up the interest of those earners.

On this side of the House, we delivered real tax cuts for some 500,000 Australians so that they would not go up into the second-top tax bracket. That is what we have done. But the Prime Minister makes a very important point. At the last election the Leader of the Opposition took to the election the policy of the deficit levy. He has already spent all the money on all the commitments he made at the last election.

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