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

My question is to the Prime Minister. When asked about plans to introduce a GP tax before the Griffith by-election, the Prime Minister said:

Nothing is being considered. Nothing is being proposed. Nothing is planned.

Given that after the Griffith by-election the Prime Minister tried to this hit every Australian with a $7 GP tax to visit the doctor, how can any voter in the Canning by-election believe anything that the current Prime Minister tells them?

Mr Husic interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chifley is warned.

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

This is from the Leader of the Opposition who backstabbed two Prime Ministers and then lied about it on national radio. This is a Leader of the Opposition who simply cannot be trusted. I say to the people of Canning: if the Labor leader's colleagues cannot trust him, you cannot trust him. If this is the Leader of the Opposition who Labor prime ministers could not trust, you in Canning should never trust this person. I am very proud to support our candidate for Canning, who is not only an absolutely outstanding Australian who has served our country in the Army; he now wants to serve the people of Canning in the parliament.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga will cease interjecting.

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

I am very proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with such an extraordinarily talented, able and decent human being. Our parliament would be very lucky and privileged to have such an individual to represent the people of Canning. Not only do we have an absolutely outstanding candidate for Canning; we have a very strong record of supporting the people of Western Australia: the anti-Western Australian carbon tax, gone; the anti-Western Australian mining tax, gone. We have done the things that members opposite could not do when they were in government. We have got taxes down. We are getting the deficit under control. We have stopped the boats that Labor started.

We are doing what members opposite just could not do. They had six years to negotiate a free trade agreement with China. What did they do? Nothing, and now, having done nothing for six years, they are trying to sabotage this agreement which is absolutely vital for the people of this country, and in particular the people of Western Australia, who so utterly depend upon exports. I know the people of Western Australia very, very well. They are 10 per cent of our population. They are 16 per cent of our GDP, but they are 50 per cent of our exports. That is why they want the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and they cannot understand why the only people whom the Leader of the Opposition seems to be listening to on this are the discredited thugs of the CFMEU. He should start listening to the honest workers of Western Australia and stop listening to the CFMEU, and let the China-Australia free trade agreement go through this parliament as soon as possible.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the member for Tangney, the member for Newcastle has been warned twice and continued to interject right through the answer. The member for Newcastle can leave under 94(a).

The member for Newcastle then left the chamber.