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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why is the Prime Minister holding the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme hostage to his cuts to families, carers, pensioners and young people?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is hard to imagine more gall than we have got from the Leader of the Opposition. He told Peter van Onselen that the NDIS was good for votes and was good politically. That is what he said. That was his motivation. He said it was good for votes and good political stuff. Then he set it up, and we have all supported it. As Prime Minister, I have now signed up every jurisdiction. So we are all on board.

But there is little thing that the Labor Party forgot, and that is paying for it. They always overlook that. They are big on intention and their motives are so good but they just cannot pay for them.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is the old story: the problem with socialists is that eventually they run out of other people's money, and that is exactly what has happened to this bloke. He has gone out there with his bleeding heart, talking about the NDIS, and left a great big financial hole. We are doing the hard work to pay for it—that is what we are doing—because we believe that people with disabilities need the respect of having the funding in place to pay for their government's commitments. That is the difference. Labor are big on the rhetoric and big on the promises but, when it comes to paying the bill, all they do is rack up more and more debt. That is the Labor way. It is the reckless way. It underlines why you cannot trust the Labor Party and why you cannot trust this Leader of the Opposition. He sold out the NDIS before it got started when he never put in place the funding to pay for it.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Just before I call the member for Jagajaga, the members on my right will cease interjecting. The member for Ballarat is now warned, as are the members for Oxley and Hindmarsh.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the Treasury document from 2013 that shows we fully funded the NDIS.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Is leave granted? Perhaps if members on my right would stop interjecting I could get an answer to the question of whether leave is granted.

Leave not granted.

I thank the Leader of the House.