Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

This week was the week that the Albanese government decided to bring down a budget they tried to frame as being for easing the cost of living for Australians, yet today what they did in this House was pass legislation to introduce a new tax on everyday Australian families. On one hand they claim they want to ease the pressure but on the other they are making everyday struggling families pay more to purchase the cars they not just need but also the cars they love, and they did so in a fashion today that went to their new modus operandi, one that has existed now for two years—that is, lacking complete transparency. They closed down debate in this chamber on the very bill they put through. So not only are they prepared to introduce new taxes for Australians in the same week that they claim they are trying to look after people's cost-of-living pressures, but they do so in a way that completely lacks any transparency. They have not produced the modelling of the impact it would have on the Australian consumer and Australian families, yet they are prepared to legislate for new taxes in the very week they claim to actually care about people's cost-of-living pressures.

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