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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today Labor is making a submission calling for a fair and responsible increase to the minimum wage. Can the Prime Minister advise whether the government has made a submission calling for a fair and responsible increase to the minimum wage? And, by the way, Prime Minister, do you even know what the minimum wage is?

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

It is $672.70 a week, as the honourable member would be well aware. The government's position on the minimum wage hearing is the same as governments have been taking for years: to make an informative submission that enables the independent umpire, which the honourable member used to back in again and again but does not any more, to make an independent decision. The truth of the matter is this: you cannot find one line of consistency in the Leader of the Opposition's career other than rank cynicism and self-interest. He complains about the hardships of Australian families, and what does he do about it? Nothing. Does he support the childcare reforms? No, he opposes them. He complains about companies avoiding tax. What does he do when the multinational tax avoidance bill is in the House? He votes against it. For years, he used to say that company tax cuts were needed to promote investment, productivity and jobs. I can understand why he turns away from that, because it is hard to face up to hypocrisy at this level.

Cutting the company income tax rate increases domestic productivity and domestic investment. More capital means higher productivity and economic growth and leads to more jobs and higher wages.

That was in this House in 2011, the Leader of the Opposition. That proposition is not one limited to a point in time. That is a general proposition which every economist has agreed to and every government has agreed to for years and years, Labor and Liberal.

The member for Lilley used to say this. He made that point as well. The member for McMahon wrote a book about it. The Leader of the Opposition, again and again, said the best way to support business and support workers was to cut company tax, and now it is one of the great crimes of the 21st century. The hypocrisy knows no bounds. He talks about families; he opposes our childcare reforms, which will make families better off. He talks about penalty rates and yet he has sold out one worker after another on penalty rates, again and again. He talks about leading the country like a union leader. What is that going to involve? Payments received and not disclosed? Hundreds of thousands of dollars from one company after another was paid to the Australian Workers Union at the same time as they sold their members down the river. That is the style of the Labor leader today. It is a big threat to all Australians.

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

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

The member for Lyons is now also warned. The member for Grey has the call.