Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

No scrutiny, Minister—with just some delegated legislation, the government can roll up to $3.98 billion out the door in an election year. It's a slush fund, plain and simple.

Australian taxpayers are already on the hook for Labor's inflation, and you know it. Labor has spent $315 billion in new spending since the election. That's how much they've spent. They've spent over $30,000 per Australian household. How is that not keeping inflation higher for longer under this irresponsible and recklessly spending government? It has fuelled inflation, and Australians ultimately pay for that. Australian families are already paying the price with 12 interest rate hikes, some of the most stubborn core inflation in the developed world and the higher taxes that come with it. You're paying 20 per cent higher taxes under this government. Australian families just should not be paying that.

Now, don't take it just from me or from others standing here on the coalition side; take it from Danielle Wood, the head of the Productivity Commission. The government's key economic adviser, appointed by the Treasurer, has said:

If we are supporting industries that don't have a long-term competitive advantage, that can be an ongoing cost.

It's baked in. That is what that means. She said further:

It diverts resources, that's workers and capital, away from other parts of the economy where they might generate high value uses.

We risk creating a class of businesses that is reliant on government subsidies, and that can be very effective in coming back for more.

She has also said:

Your infants grow up, they turn into very hungry teenagers and it's kind of hard to turn off the tap.

When asked whether Future Made in Australia contained tax reform, Ms Wood explicitly said it is 'not tax reform'. On alternative policies, including lowering the corporate tax rate, Ms Wood offered it would 'make us more internationally competitive'.

The coalition's alternative is that we must get back to economic basics. The coalition is working to ensure that Australia can play to its strengths. We'll steer our nation out of our current domestic crisis. We'll not just talk about the challenges of our time but meet them head on with action to carve out a more secure future for Australia. Most importantly, we'll make the decisions that set up our nation for success for generations to come. It requires strong economic management, not slogans or handouts, with a plan to get back on track and back to economic basics.

First we'll reign in inflationary spending, as I talked about. Second we'll wind back Labor's intervention and remove regulatory roadblocks, which are suffocating the economy and stopping businesses from getting ahead. We'll condense approval processes and cut back on Labor's red tape, which is killing mining, jobs and entrepreneurialism. Third we'll remove the complexity and hostility of Labor's IR agenda, which is putting unreasonable burdens on business. We'll revert to the former coalition government's simple definition of a casual worker and create certainty for our 2.5 million small businesses across the country, who are employers and who are being tied in knots by this government. Fourth we will provide lower, simpler and fairer taxes for all because Australians should keep more of what they earn. And that's our line, not Labor's. That's what they do; they take a line and they own it. No, we are the party for small business. That's us. We are the party for working Australians. Fifth we'll deliver competition policy which gives consumers and small businesses a fair go, not lobbyists and big corporations. And sixth we'll ensure Australians have more affordable and reliable energy.

Our economic plan, with its tried and tested principles, will restore competitiveness and rebuild economic confidence. The policies that we seek to implement are not just about the next election cycle. They're not just about that election that we're due within eight months. They are a foundation for forging a better Australia and a better future for all Australians, for small and family business in particular and for our country.

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