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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. A single parent with two children earning $55,000 a year working as a nurse will be $6,000 a year worse off as a result of the Prime Minister's unfair budget of broken promises. This $6,000 is on top of increased student debt, an increased GP tax, an increased petrol tax and the cutting of the schoolkids bonus. Why should the nurses of Australia pay the price for the government's budget of broken promises?

Mr Simpkins interjecting —

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

The member for Cowan will desist!

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

This is a budget that is about fairness to all Australian people. It is about delivering better services. It is about reducing the cost of living by getting rid of a $550 penalty on Australian families under the carbon tax. We are getting rid of a cost that is an impost on the lives of every Australian. That is a cost that has to be borne day in and day out. What is more, under Labor, that cost would continue to go up every year. Their commitment to a carbon tax is that it will be bigger next year than it is this year.

The coalition is committed to getting rid of the carbon tax. Labor wants to reintroduce it. What I can say to nurses and other Australians whose costs are going up under the carbon tax is that we will be taking away the impact of that cost and, into the future, every cost under us will be lower than it would be under Labor. Labor is committed to imposing the carbon tax again. The carbon tax adds to the cost of living. It is designed to do that.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Ms Collins interjecting—

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

There will be silence on my left, including from the member for Grayndler and the member for Franklin!

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

Labor wants to increase the cost of living. It wants to increase the burden on living costs for nurses and, indeed, all workers in the Australian workforce.

Whatever the price of goods is now, it would be higher under Labor because Labor is committed to keeping a carbon tax which is affecting the cost of living of all Australians, including our nurses. If we want to have a government and a health system that is capable of delivering the services we need, we need to have the arrangements put in place to plan for the future, to ensure that we have a strong economy that is able to meet its commitments. Whatever the cost, it would be higher under Labor because Labor wants to have a carbon tax that goes up every year.