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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to his answer just now. Labor's plan to keep the budget repair levy and protect low- and middle-income workers from a tax increase is fairer and raises more money. Does the Prime Minister object to Labor's plan—

Mr Falinski interjecting—

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

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The member for Mackellar will cease interjecting and is warned. The Leader of the Opposition will begin his question again.

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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's answer just now. Labor's plan to keep the budget repair levy and protect low- and middle-income workers from a tax increase is fairer and raises more money. Does the Prime Minister object to Labor's plan because it raises $4½ billion more revenue over 10 years than the government's plan? Or is it because under Labor's plan millionaires do not get a tax cut?

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

I thank the honourable member for the question. For reasons that the Treasurer will expand upon in a moment, our objection to the plan—if you can call it that—of the Leader of the Opposition is not simply that it is a reversal of every position he has taken on these issues in the past, not simply because it is dripping with hypocrisy but that, far from raising more money, it involves raising money that he has spent multiple times. You can only spend it once, as the Treasurer will explain.

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

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to add to the answer. Since when in this country is someone who is earning $87,001 a rich man or woman? Since when has that been true? Talk about out of touch. This Leader of the Opposition thinks that a hardworking Australian out there every day earning $87,001 is some sort of Google CEO. That is what the Leader of the Opposition thinks. But it is not what he thought when he spoke to Neil Mitchell last year. He was asked by Neil Mitchell last year, 'Is $180,000 a year rich?' And he said 'No, it's not.' But somehow, now, if you earn $87,001 in this country you are a rich fat cat. The only person who has come into this chamber since the budget and talked up the interest of those who earn millions and millions and millions in executive salaries is the bankers' parrot over there, the shadow Treasurer. Those opposite are the ones who come in here day after day and talk up the interest of those earners.

On this side of the House, we delivered real tax cuts for some 500,000 Australians so that they would not go up into the second-top tax bracket. That is what we have done. But the Prime Minister makes a very important point. At the last election the Leader of the Opposition took to the election the policy of the deficit levy. He has already spent all the money on all the commitments he made at the last election.

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He can't spend it twice!

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

He cannot spend it twice. As the social services minister just pointed out, you cannot spend the money twice! That is how you get the $55.7 billion black hole for the NDIS. This mob spends money twice and they tax twice, and their numbers never add up. That is why they took to the last election a $16½ billion higher deficit.

What do they think is going to pay for that if they are in government? Higher taxes! This mob is all about higher taxes, and if they think $87,000 is a rich person— (Time expired)