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

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer to media reports today that the Treasurer is threatening to increase taxes on all Australians. Will the Treasurer be increasing the GST to 15 per cent, extending the GST to fresh food or introducing state income taxes? What taxes is the Treasurer considering, or is everything on the table again?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government has absolutely no desire whatsoever to increase taxes on the Australian people. That is why, at the last election, we laid out our fiscal plan, which saw the budget returning to balance, on projection, in 2021.

Ms Burney interjecting—

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

The member for Lindsay!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Included in that was the $13.2 billion in savings measures that still remain and are sitting before this parliament to make a decision upon. The only people who are driving the train into those savings are those who sit opposite. The preferred position of those opposite on the Australian people is to ensure that they pay higher taxes, rather than doing this: living within their means and for people to pay their own way.

Ms Burney interjecting—

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

The member for Lindsay will leave under 94(a).

The member for Lindsay then left the chamber.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What those opposite are saying are that they want government to spend more and more on welfare and they want Australians to pay more and more in tax to pay for it. That is what they are saying. That is their policy prescription.

But I note that, at the last election, despite the fact that the shadow Treasurer said that he was going to increase taxes on housing, that he was going to increase taxes more broadly and that all of these taxes that he was going to increase were going to balance the budget, well, he spent more, he taxed more and then the deficit was higher—$16½ billion more in debt. So he has the trifecta of higher taxes, higher debt and higher spending. It is no wonder that, when the Australian people heard that plan from the opposition at the last election, they rejected it—and so here we stand now.

When the opposition sat on these benches, they set fire to the budget, drove it into deficit and drove us back into debt. They now have the opportunity to mend their ways and support the savings bills to ensure that our welfare system is affordable and that Australians do not have to pay a higher tax to pay for higher spending. So I invite those opposite to mend their ways, to support the government, and ensure that the savings bills pass this parliament to ensure that the budget can return to balance, by getting expenditure under control, rather than the prescription of those opposite, which is always to just keep hitting the tax button.