Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on how the government's policies are growing the economy, generating jobs and reducing cost-of-living pressures for households and businesses? Is the Prime Minister aware of any challenges that will damage the government's strategy?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. The honourable member knows very well that the people of her electorate are determined to see the government deliver on its commitments, and that is what we are doing. We are delivering while the opposition is seeking to obstruct the passage of legislation through this parliament consistent with our promises. Our focus has been making the 45th Parliament work. Jobs, wages, electricity and gas prices, tackling the cost of living for households, families and businesses—those are the issues that matter most to Australians and they are our focus.

The Labor Party, of course, have sought to create dysfunction, tried to create the impression of disorder— constantly standing in the way, abandoning the issues that matter to so many Australians. But you know, Mr Speaker, they have been remarkably unsuccessful. Their attempts to block us from delivering one important reform after another have failed. We have worked with the Senate crossbench and the Independents in this House to deliver on our agenda, to deliver on the promises that we made, because that is what matters to the Australian people, and I want to thank them for their continued cooperation. We have reduced the rate of company tax for millions of small and medium businesses, a measure that puts money back into the pockets of workers and will grow the economy by more than $17 billion every single year when it is fully implemented.

Labor opposed this change, although it was advocated, including by the member for Maribyrnong, when they were in government. Instead of lower taxes, Labor want to slug Australians with an extra $150 billion in higher taxes. They want higher taxes on Australians' pay packets. We have actually reduced income tax. They want higher taxes on homes, they want higher taxes on electricity, they want higher taxes on small and medium businesses and on investment. Despite talking about the need to protect workers, Labor voted against our corrupting benefits legislation and, in so doing, endorsed secret and corrupt payments between big business and big unions—payments that have been used, as we know from the Heydon royal commission, to trade away workers' pay and conditions again and again. They opposed the restoration of the rule of law to the construction sector. They opposed the Registered Organisations Commission, which will require unions to be accountable to their members. They talk endlessly—endlessly—about the importance of needs based funding for schools but they voted against the first comprehensive delivery of national, transparent, consistent needs based funding for schools, endorsed by David Gonski. They called for reform to child care and then voted against it. The Labor Party have no consistency, no integrity, no loyalty to the Australian people. (Time expired)