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

Yes, it is, absolutely. Funding is higher than ever. Why can we do that? Because we have a strong economy. Without that strong economy, you can't put a life-saving drug onto the PBS the way the Minister for Health does. Labor stopped doing that. They were running out of money because of a weaker economy. A stronger economy enables governments to deliver the essential services that Australians need. Not only will Labor be going to the next election and asking Australians to vote for $70 billion more personal income tax to be paid by them to the government, but, because they pose such a threat to the Australian economy and such a threat to Australian jobs, they pose a threat to the essential services that are receiving increased funding under our government.

The stronger economy we promised in 2016 and the jobs and growth we promised in 2016 are being delivered. We said we would ensure that hardworking Australian families could keep more of the money they earn, and the Senate today has passed the legislation that enables them to do precisely that. That is our commitment. We're backing Australian families. We're backing their aspiration. We're not mystified by it as the Labor Party is today. We understand that Australians want to be able to realise their dreams. They want to be able to get ahead. They want to be able to aspire to higher wages, to start a business and to have their business to do better. They want to be able to realise their dreams. Labor stands in the way. It is contemptuous of the people it was founded to represent. This apparatchik class has abandoned the workers utterly.

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