Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election, the Minister for Education said:

Tony Abbott has said it, I've said it, Joe Hockey has said it, Julie Bishop has said it, there will be no change to the GST.

Does the Prime Minister stand by this statement by the now Minister for Education?

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

Of course I do. I absolutely stand by all of the pre-election statements that were made by me and that were made by my shadow ministers. There is no proposal—

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So, you are ruling it out?

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

The member for Isaacs will desist, or leave! The choice is his.

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

There is a proposal by me that we have a mature, national debate about reforming the federation. That is my proposal. What I believe the Australian public are yearning for is an opportunity to consider the long-term national interest and to stop playing short-term politics. I think that the Australian public are looking to this chamber for some leadership. I think the Australian public are looking to both sides of this chamber for some consideration of the long term; for some consideration of the fact that we can do better. And we must do better if our nation is to be all that it can and should be in the years and decades to come.

There is only one government—only one national government in recent times—that has actually contemplated an increase in the GST, and that is the members opposite. They actually got it modelled! I happen to know that they were peddling around the press gallery last night what purported to be Treasury modelling of scenario 3, which was a 12½ per cent GST. So I say: if members opposite are honest and if members opposite want to be fair dinkum with the Australian people then table in this parliament the modelling that they got done in government. Table in this parliament the modelling that they had done in government for a 12½ per cent GST.

And that was not the only bit of modelling they got done; that was just scenario 3. Let's have scenario 1. Let's have scenario 2. Let's have scenarios 4, 5 and 6 as well! Members opposite cannot peddle this unsubstantiated scare if they are not prepared to be honest themselves. They are not prepared to be honest themselves and the only government in recent times that has considered an increase in the GST—

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nobody believes you!

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

The member for Isaacs will leave under 94(a)!

The member for Isaacs then left the chamber.

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

to the point that it actually got modelling done are the members opposite.

So I want a mature and rational debate over the long-term future of this country. I invite members opposite to join. The best way of joining Team Australia and doing the right thing by all of us would be to start by tabling that modelling.