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

My question is to the Prime Minister, and I refer to the government's decision to increase petrol tax without seeking the approval of parliament. I ask the Prime Minister whether he agrees with his Finance Minister that:

If it wasn't validated by the parliament within 12 months, the money would have to … go back to fuel manufacturers and to fuel importers who would essentially have a windfall gain.

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

I wanted to have a go, I really did. Of course we agree with the Minister for Finance—there is no doubt about that—because the Minister for Finance is across his facts. The Minister for Finance knows what he is talking about. The Minister for Finance tells the truth.

I was hoping I would get a question from the member for McMahon today, because he has had a pretty ordinary week so far.

Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—

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

The member for Kingsford Smith will desist.

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

The good news is we are more than half way through the week. The bad news is there is one more question time tomorrow. The fact is, only yesterday the member for McMahon said that when it came to alcopops there was bipartisan agreement, and I pointed out to him that the member for Sydney said that without our agreement it would not have gone through.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

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

The member for McMahon has asked his question.

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

On private health insurance, the member for McMahon also got it wrong. It is the same member for McMahon that said that China is on its way to floating the yen, even though the Chinese and the Japanese have not been in that sort of union for probably over 1,500 years. But now, today, the member for McMahon said on Sky:

We've had a tax review, the Henry tax review, it didn't recommend this particular change to fuel excise.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, when the relevance rule was changed to direct relevance answers as oblique as this could no longer be in order.

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

The member will resume his seat. There is no point of order. The Treasurer has the call.

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

So the member for McMahon on Sky News referring to the fuel tax said:

'We've had—

the Labor Party—

a tax review, the Henry tax review, it didn't recommend this particular change.

So I went to the Henry tax review—I found this one—and I went to recommendation 65:

Fuel tax should apply to all fuels used in road transport on the basis of energy content and be indexed to inflation.

'…and be indexed to inflation'! Hang on, so now I have to go searching for Labor Party documents. We are asking them to table all their documents. He got it wrong. But it goes one step further. The shadow minister for finance—he is a card as well—said, 'It's outrageous! Compliance costs! All those service stations will have to pay $800 more.' I went, 'Hang on, where did you get this?' because the regulatory impact statement for the bills before the House says:

… of the $5.1 million in compliance costs, $5.034 million is for the 186,000 people who are claiming back a tax refund.

'… claiming back a tax refund.' So they are actually spending their time claiming back more money from the Commonwealth, not the $800 per service station. This is the Labor Party. The Labor Party cannot get its facts right. The Labor Party cannot be trusted with money. Labor Party is just hopeless.