Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of her last newsletter, sent recently to her own constituents, that has promised more than 23,000 local families will receive an increase of up to $600 in their Family Tax Benefit Part A statements and that increased payments will flow from 1 July next year. Given that the Prime Minister binned that promise before it even started, why should anyone trust her to deliver on her budget promises this year when she failed to deliver on her promises from last year?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition—and indeed all members of the House—need to grapple with the facts and what the facts mean for the government's budget position and would mean for anyone who was in government at this period of time. You cannot wish away the facts, and what the facts mean is that, since the budget was last delivered, we have seen the amount of revenue tax money expected to be received by the government go down by $17 billion. In those circumstances the government is making responsible savings. As I indicated to the Australian people when I spoke about this matter a few weeks ago, these decisions are grave and weighty ones, but we are determined to take the right decisions to ensure that we have a focus on jobs and growth, that we chart a pathway to surplus and that we are making the smart investments necessary for the nation's future. That is the approach that the government has taken, and of course on election day Australians will have the opportunity to judge that approach versus the approach of the opposition to cut to the bone. I note that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition did not come to the dispatch box and spruik about the opposition's plan to rip away the Schoolkids Bonus from Australian families, to make Australian families with school children worse off and to take the money out of their purses and wallets that they are using to support the costs of getting the kids to school. I note that she did not come to the dispatch box and say that they are planning to put up tax. They want people to pay more tax, particularly working women, because, whilst we have increased the tax-free threshold so a million Australians have come out of the tax system, so that you do not pay tax now until you earn more than $18,200—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume her seat. The member for Mackellar on a point of order.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Speaker. To be directly relevant the Prime Minister has to be answering why she broke the promise that she was going to give the family tax benefits and not what opposition policy is. Accordingly, she should be brought back to the question.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The Prime Minister has the call and will refer to the question before the chair.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that it is uncomfortable for the opposition, but they should be very clear with the Australian people that they stand for increased tax, they stand for ripping off the Schoolkids Bonus and they have got $70 billion of cutbacks coming to essential services in health and education, because that is the liberal way. The government stands by the choices we have made in preparation for this budget: choices focused on jobs and growth, choices focused on getting our nation ready for the future.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table evidence of yet another broken promise: the Prime Minister's newsletter to the public.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leader of the House, is leave granted?

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

The preamble showed that she was not serious, so no.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am serious.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. The member for Wakefield has the call.