Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election, this Prime Minister promised to reduce cost-of-living pressures on Australians, but tomorrow will be the very last time that 280,000 seniors, including 29,000 veterans, will receive the seniors supplement worth over $800 a year. Why should seniors and veterans pay for this Prime Minister's broken promises?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are more than 10 million households in this country and each and every one of them, on average, will receive $550 of benefit by the abolition of the carbon tax. The 10 million-plus households of Australia will each receive $550-plus by the abolition of the carbon tax.

The Leader of the Opposition has been complaining and grizzling about a $2.2 billion tax over four years. What about the $36 billion carbon tax that he loves so much that, despite having promised to terminate it again and again before the election, he votes in favour of again and again, and again and again, after the election? You cannot take this Leader of the Opposition seriously when it comes to cost-of-living pressures, because if he was fair dinkum he would not be smiling every time your power bill goes up. He would not be smiling every time your power bill goes up, but he is smiling because that is just the carbon tax doing its job.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. Madam Speaker, mindful of your earlier direction to me, I gave the Prime Minister a minute to at least say why he has broken his promises on the seniors supplement.

Why don't you just answer a question, once in your life?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. Resume your seat. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he put his questions in parts and asked about the cost of living.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think he's got irritable Bill syndrome. I think that is the problem that the Leader of the Opposition has at the moment.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence from both sides of the chamber.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are still the suppository of all wisdom!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney will withdraw that genteel comment, and the Prime Minister will also withdraw.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to withdraw.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am afraid I find that there is a little disconnect in the thinking of those members who think that the comment by the member for Sydney was amusing and object to other things. That sort of language is not really acceptable in this place.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do apologise. We should not engage in levity in this chamber. I accept that. The point this government made—over and over again—before the election is that this country could not afford cash splashes with borrowed money. What this government has done is ensure that periodic payments, occasional payments, that this country can no longer afford—such as the schoolkids bonus, such as the low-income supplement and such as the seniors supplement—are no longer being paid. I believe that the decent people of this country do understand, even those who are doing it tough, that the government cannot go on loading up our children and grandchildren with unsustainable debts.

I notice that members opposite have stopped waving around the budget, because they did not like having in their hands the solution to the problem they created.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You will put them all down.

Opposition members interjecting—

I am the one who has the authority to do that.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They do have, in their hands, the solution to the problem they created. We did not create the problem—Labor created the problem—but we will solve the problem. We will take responsibility for getting the budget back under control. And we have.