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

My question is to the Prime Minister: Why is the Prime Minister standing in the way of Labor's plan to give 39,000 people in Braddon a tax cut of up to $928 a year, almost double the tax cut they will get from the government? Why won't this Prime Minister support lower taxes for 10 million Australians, including teachers, nurses, electricians and mechanics, instead of giving an $80 billion tax cut to big business?

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

I'm sure that question wasn't written by Bob Carr. Not even Bob Carr is that stupid! I'm sure he's nobody's puppet. I will quote the Leader of the Opposition. You may think this quote was from some time ago, maybe back when he was advocating a three-level tax rate in Australia, as was the Henry review, but this was only in September of last year. In Townsville, the leader of the Labor Party said:

I think Australians pay enough tax at the moment.

'At the moment'—I notice there is a qualifier. He said:

I don't believe that another tax is going to be what Australians need or want at this stage.

The qualifier: 'at this stage'. He said that before he ripped into retirees when he put a $10.6 billion, over two years, tax on retirees.

What we know about this Leader of the Opposition is that he is shifty—he is shifty as. He will stand there in Townsville and say, 'I think Australians pay enough tax at the moment,' when he knows full well that, if he were to become Prime Minister, over the next 10 years he will be whacking an extra tax burden of $220 billion on the Australian people.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

I note the interjection from the member for Sydney, the well-known tax genius and geography expert! She has come in here and said, 'But we're offering a bigger tax relief.'

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

The member for Sydney will cease interjecting.

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

Let me sum it up for the member for Sydney. Our package is worth $144 billion over 10 years. Yours is worth just $74 billion. $74 billion is less than $144 billion, you genius. Do I need to scribble it out for you? You've got 10 fingers—you can start with that, Member for Sydney. What we know on this side of the House is that we have delivered a tax plan that benefits all working Australians. All of them!

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

The member for Sydney.

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

Dealing with bracket creep, providing relief for low- to middle-income earners, making sure that everyone, from teachers to AFP officers, in the future does not face a marginal tax rate of more than 32.5 cents in the dollar. That's what our plan is doing. If you're sitting down there in Braddon, Longman or Mayo or anywhere else, know this: under Labor you will pay more. You will pay more in tax, you will pay more in electricity bills, you will be paying more on your private health insurance, and under the coalition you will be paying less.