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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to his refusal to answer the previous question and the Treasurer's confirmation that oil companies stand to win a windfall gain. Prime Minister, why should Australian motorists pay oil companies because of your ambush on petrol tax?

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

There will be no such issue if members opposite act constructively and responsibly for once in this term of parliament. Let's be absolutely crystal clear what this is. This is something that we had a mandate to do—to repair the budget.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

There is a cacophony on my left that will cease!

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

There is no easy way to deal with the debt and deficit disaster that Labor created—no easy way. So we had a clear mandate to address the budget. This is not a new tax; it is the indexation of an old one. It was a measure introduced by Bob Hawke. This thing that members opposite are complaining about is a measure that was introduced by Bob Hawke, a real Labor leader.

I accept that as a result of this measure the average family will pay some 40c a week more. I accept that. No-one wants to pay more, even if it is only 40c a week. No-one wants to pay more. This is a government which understands the pressure on the families and households of Australia. That is why we got rid of the carbon tax. By getting rid of the carbon tax—

Mr Shorten interjecting—

This constant interjection from across the ministerial table from the Leader of the Opposition notwithstanding, let me simply make the point: this is a government which is reducing the burden of tax on Australian families. The Leader of the Opposition wants to save them from 40c a week, but he wants to put back $550 a year. That is what he wants to do. We will do what we were elected to do, which was to get the budget back under control, to end the debt and deficit disaster which the Leader of the Opposition helped to create.