Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This Prime Minister is forcing Australians to wait until they're 70 for the age pension. Does this arrogant and out-of-touch former investment banker of a Prime Minister seriously expect a nurse or a bricklayer to work until they're 70, at the same time that he's working with One Nation to give an $80 billion handout to big business?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question and I imagine, if there'd been more time allotted to the question, she could have run through my entire career and characterised it so favourably.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Oh, she's leaping up to do that! Good on you—that's terrific, thank you. The reality is this: we have a stronger economy. We have ensured we have that. It was in fact the honourable member for Jagajaga that once almost echoed John Howard in saying that the best form of welfare is a job. The objective, of course, is to get people into employment. We not only have record jobs growth—

Ms Macklin interjecting—

The honourable member is shaking her head—surely you want to have more people in work. We have record jobs growth and the lowest percentage of Australians of working age on welfare in 25 years. That's a matter to be celebrated. That's one of the reasons the budget is in better shape. That's what a stronger economy gives you. Here we have the Labor Party, which is only promising higher taxes. Higher taxes on business; what's that going to lead to? Less investment, fewer jobs, lower wages. Higher taxes on investment, on property; what's that going to lead to? Again, less investment, fewer jobs, lower wages. Then, most shameful of all—I don't know how the honourable member can live with that policy; I imagine she was shocked by it—raiding the savings of retirees. Honourable members opposite always tell us how they are dripping with empathy, but what about people in their 80s who are going to lose 30 per cent of their income? What about them?

Mr Sukkar interjecting—

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

The member for Deakin is warned. The member for Jagajaga on a point of order.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is on relevance. What about this Prime Minister—

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

The member for Jagajaga will resume her seat. The member for Jagajaga will resume her seat. I'm just going to make two points. I asked the member for Jagajaga to resume her seat on a number of occasions. I'm going to rule on that point of order: no way, not with the amount of character assessment in that question and the breadth of policy—I don't know what you missed in it!

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

The honourable member and her leader can accuse me of being a friend of big business as much as they like.

Honourable members interjecting—

No, they can. But you know something? I've never sold out people I represent. I've never sold out workers. I've never sold out the people who work for their penalty rates, unlike the Leader of the Opposition. Who did he sell them out to? He sold them out to big business. There has never been a better friend of big business, never a bigger sycophant, never a bigger suck-up, than the Leader of the Opposition. Big business in Melbourne know him for what he is. A grovelling— (Time expired)