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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why is the Prime Minister on the one hand telling working Australians to get a better job but on the other hand blocking Labor's plan to give the 63,000 people in Longman who earn less than $125,000—and that includes aged-care workers—a tax cut of up to $928 a year? Why is the Prime Minister blocking an income tax plan which will be double the tax cut that the government is currently offering people?

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

The Labor Party may be mystified by aspiration, but nobody is mystified by the way in which the Leader of the Opposition again and again misleads the House. I said no such thing. You know that very well—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left!

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

And just because you repeat a falsehood does not make it true. Australians, whether they work in aged care, manufacturing or agriculture, are entitled to aspire to do whatever they want to do. They're entitled to aspire to better-paid jobs, to different jobs and to promotions. They're entitled to aspire, to dream. Our job as the government and, I would say, the parliament is to do everything we can to enable them to realise those aspirations.

But the Labor Party stands in the way of those aspirations. They particularly want those workers who are getting on a bit in years—yes, those 60-year-olds—to stay put. They've got to stay put, don't they? They can't aspire to anything! The patronising smugness, the slimy insinuation, about older Australians is sickening. It embarrasses the men and women who were the leaders of the Labor Party in years gone by. We don't have to doubt what Paul Keating said about Labor failing because of not being able to connect with aspirational Australians. The reason is those smug big-government salaries. The Labor Party is mystified by the way millions of Australians want to get ahead. They want to keep them in their place.

Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister update the House on the importance of the government's tax relief plan to reward aspiration to work, save and invest. Is the minister mystified by other approaches to tax relief?

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. The coalition's budget plan for immediate and sustained tax relief is consistent with the global push for lower, flatter taxes for individuals and pro-investment tax policies for business. The simple fact is that you cannot hit the Australian economy with a $200 billion tax slug, as Labor wants to do, and expect businesses and households to remain indifferent to that extra tax slug.

In fact, to encourage and reward hardworking Australians, we're making income tax lower, fairer and simpler. To encourage and reward business investment, we want to make sure that we make our tax system internationally competitive. Under our plan, Australians who aspire to work hard, take extra shifts or earn pay rises or promotions will be encouraged and rewarded. As investment minister, I welcome lower company tax and lower, flatter personal taxes for our most productive and talented workers and entrepreneurs. We'll let them keep more of the money they make, because on this side of the House we absolutely respect and reward those who want to do their best and have aspiration.

The member asked if I was mystified by alternative approaches. Absolutely, I am mystified, because we continue to see the Australian Labor Party attack the aspiration of people. The question is: why is it that Labor is so mystified by aspiration? Why is it that Labor has a war on ambition? I think it comes down to the Leader of the Opposition, because he doesn't embody aspiration and he doesn't embody ambition. In fact, the vast bulk of them don't embody those traits. But there is one among them who does embody aspiration. There is one among them who does embody a bit of ambition.

A government member: Who is it?

The question is: who could it be? Who has those traits? Who has that ambition? Who has aspiration? That's the question. Who could it be?

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

The minister knows the rules on props.

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Who, me?' The member for Grayndler can mouth the words: 'Who, me?' This was a fascinating article to read, right from the very first sentence through to the very last sentence. The first sentence is:

Anthony Albanese has misplaced his wallet.

If there's a political party to misplace their wallet, it's the Australian Labor Party. It goes all the way to the end, where, in the final sentence, the journalist says:

I pay our bill, and Albo heads off down Marrickville Road.

Isn't that just a summation of the Australian Labor Party. It's going to be every other Australian that pays that $200 billion bill that the Australian Labor Party will levy on the lot of us.