Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question—

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting—

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

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

The member for Swan will resume his seat. The member for Eden-Monaro is warned, and the member for Isaacs is warned again. Let me be very clear to the member for Isaacs. I don't want him to be confused: he interjects too often and he's too loud.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on how the coalition government's economic plan is working to deliver economic growth and create the conditions necessary to drive more and better-paid jobs? Is the Treasurer aware of any impediments to this plan?

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

I thank the member for Swan for his question. He is one of the many people on this side of the House who have successfully run small businesses and employed them. There are many on this side of the House. The government is sticking to its plan for more growth and for more and better-paid jobs, and we're getting results. Last year 1,100 jobs were created every day. On this side of the House, our plan is to make our economy bigger. Those on the other side of the House seem confused as to why this would be an objective that the government would want to pursue. But I am going to encourage them in the words of one of their own as to why it's important to focus on growing the economy and why it's important to lower company taxes in particular. This is what Prime Minister Gillard said:

If you are against cutting company tax, you are against economic growth. If you are against economic growth, then you are also against jobs. And, if you are against economic growth and jobs, then you are also against increasing wages ...

That's what Prime Minister Gillard said. That's what she said. By opposing our plan for lower taxes, the Labor Party is standing between workers and a wage rise in this country. You need to go no further than the words of their own former Prime Minister for the proof.

On top of that, Labor is for a smaller economy. We were reminded yesterday by the minister for small business that the shadow minister for small business is about making businesses smaller. He's also about making the economy smaller, because Chris Richardson reminds us today that, by opposing our enterprise tax plan, they are going to ensure that the Australian economy is $20 billion smaller every single year into the future. This is a shadow Treasurer that wants to see a smaller economy, not a larger economy, and is acting against his own stated convictions and principles of times past.

This morning I was staggered to read that he said that the principle of reform is: you've got to go out there and get a mandate. Well we got one at the last election on company taxes. You might have missed it. We got one to implement this plan. Then he says, 'You've got to stick to the plan and not run away at the first sign of grapeshot.'

This is a guy who's been for company tax, against company tax. We agreed today, again, that he's now for company tax. He says, 'Yes, all the benefits are real, just not now,' and he was hushed down by the leader's office this morning. They wouldn't let him out on the doors this morning, because he's belled the cat. He knows cutting company taxes is good for jobs; it's good for wages. This shadow Treasurer's got the wibble-wobbles. He's jelly on a plate. That's what this bloke is.