Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for North Sydney from moving the following motion forthwith:

That this House:

(1)   notes the Prime Minister's comment on 11 February 2011, that 'Every time we announce something we properly account for it and properly fund it.';

(2)   calls on the Government to explain where the funding is coming from for its $120 billion of recently announced spending, including spending on disability services, additional funding for aged care, new funding for low-paid workers, increased costs of its border protection failures, funding of new defence projects, establishment of a new dental care scheme and the provision of additional education funding;

(3)   notes that Australia’s debt continues to approach $300 billion despite the Prime Minister claiming that the Budget is in surplus; and

(4)   calls on the Treasurer to immediately rule out new increases in taxes for families and small business in order to plug their $120 billion Budget black hole.

This is a government all at sea. Their own MPs are in rebellion about their wanton spending, which is unfunded.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: is it in order for the member for North Sydney to move a suspension of standing orders—House of Representatives Practice clearly outlines the circumstances of when a suspension may be moved—so that he can give an application for Leader of the Opposition? Is it in order?

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The member for North Sydney has the call, and I do not believe there is a reason to continue to shout.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Their own MPs are in rebellion about their unfunded spending. In the ALP caucus room, Senator Doug Cameron, Tasmanian MP Geoff Lyons, MP Janelle Saffin, Kelvin Thomson—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the interests of all our hearing, I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the member be no longer heard.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. This government has a $120 billion budget black hole, and it does not know where the money is coming from. The Treasurer refused to answer questions in parliament today about where the money is coming from. He obviously refused to answer them in his own caucus this morning. He refused to tell them. Not only are the people of Australia concerned about where the new taxes are going to come from to pay for this irresponsible spate of promises, but so are the backbenchers of the Labor Party. He could not answer the backbenchers' questions today. It is time he came into the parliament and told the Australian people where the money is coming from. It is not Monopoly money; it is real money that has to be paid back.

Is it any wonder that in caucus today four backbenchers complained about his big spending announcements and the looming cuts to the public service? Labor has form on cuts to the public service—3,000 already gone in Canberra. The member for Griffith, when he was running Queensland, managed to sack 12,000—Dr Death killed 12,000 public servants. So what are Labor doing now? Preparing a new round of cuts to the public service and a new round of taxes. Some of them have belled the cat. Some of them have said what is actually going to happen. Doug Cameron came in and he is proposing—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the member be no longer heard.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time for the debate has expired.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.