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

The government does not support this amendment, and the tell in what the shadow assistant minister said in his presentation is this: not once did he say that this money was going to be used to support the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Do you know why? Because it's not. There is no suggestion here and there is no mechanism either. These funds from raising the top rate of marginal rate of tax will not go in to the special savings account for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They will just go into another Labor slush fund to further expand wasteful spending and drive up the deficit. There is nothing in what the opposition is putting forward here that is designed to support Australians with disabilities. There is nothing in its design to guarantee funding and support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Once again I'm disappointed that the shadow Treasurer has not come in here and owned these amendments himself. He is as gutless as he is heartless in the way he has engaged with this issue. Going through the things that have been put forward, once again, under the cover of a bill that talks about the National Disability Insurance Scheme, we see the Labor Party is using this as an excuse to raise taxes. This is just a tax grab sought under the cover of a bill seeking to provide support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Labor has no intention of providing any support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme through raising these taxes. This is just another episode in Labor's class war to raise taxes on Australians who work for a living and provide a disincentive for them to do even better.

Under the Labor Party, this amendment would take the top marginal tax rate, with the measures already passed by this House already today, to 49.5 per cent. So the great reward you get for your effort is you work one day for yourself and one day for a Labor government. They're not much worth working for in the first place, but you shouldn't be charged more for the privilege; you're always charged more for the privilege of serving under a Labor government in this country. Labor is addicted to taxes for one reason only—that is, they are addicted to spending. The budget would be $14.7 billion better off right now if it weren't for the constant opposition of the Labor Party as the government has sought to repair the budget mess.

This measure won't go to reducing the deficit. Labor's deficit will be higher than the government's because the budget deficit in the last fiscal year was under two per cent. It came in at under two per cent, at 1.9 per cent, is continuing to fall and is projected to be back in balance in 2021, where that projection has been retained consistently since the end of 2015. When the deficit levy, which was a temporary levy and came off just as we promised to do, was introduced, this is what the Labor Party said about exactly what they're proposing to do here in this place today. The Leader of the Opposition said: 'It's a cheap trick of the government to sling on increasing the highest marginal rate of taxation.' The shadow Treasurer said:

We've been clear about our position on the deficit levy. We don't like it and we don't support it.

He also said:

… we don't believe that the answer of increasing the marginal tax rate is an innovative one or it's good policy …

Yet it's recommended here by the shadow Assistant Treasurer, and I have no doubt that's why the shadow Treasurer wouldn't dare show his face in this place to speak to this amendment, given the pathetic hypocrisy he is displaying in bringing this amendment forward. It's under his name, Mr Speaker. That doesn't mean much in this place when he's not prepared to come in here and speak to his own amendments. He also said, 'This is not something we would do if we were in office,' but they seem to be doing it in opposition.

We've learnt this about the Labor Party in opposition: they'll say all sorts of things—'Oh, we're going to stand against making the pension more sustainable'—and they have their petitions and go on about it day in, day out, leading people to believe they're going to do one thing, and then on the eve of the election, as we saw with countless measures, such as the schoolkids bonus and pensions, over they flip. They backflip on the eve of the election. And you know what? Even still their deficit is higher. So this is what the shadow Treasurer said. Then, on the issue, apparently everyone who earns over $180,000 is rich, according to what the shadow Assistant Treasurer has just said, but not according to the Leader of the Opposition when he was asked by Neil Mitchell, 'Is $180,000 a year rich?' and he answered, 'No, it's not.' (Time expired)

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