Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Today, the Prime Minister has refused to give a straight answer to questions about record household debt, about record-low wage growth and about whether he tried to invite Brian Houston to the White House. Why won't the Prime Minister just give straight answers, whether it's here or in media interviews?

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

Once again, the Leader of the Opposition comes to the dispatch box and he casts a whole range of aspersions across the table without being able to back them up. The problem is, the Leader of the Opposition doesn't like the answers to the questions. He doesn't like the fact that, when it comes to our economy, we continue to be one of the strongest-growing developed economies in the world—that we're continually providing jobs for Australians, that 1.4 million Australians have been able to find work, that our AAA credit rating has been maintained, that taxes have been reduced under our government and that we continue to provide support to the farmers and rural and regional communities of this country, including protecting those very farmers from those who would seek to go and invade their farms and create even further anxiety and insult at a time when they are under greatest pressure. Even on something as simple as that, the opposition had to squiggle and squirm in coming to support these measures, whether it was the drought fund or any other measure.

The problem that the Labor Party has with this government is that it's not a Labor government. But the Australian people don't have that problem. What the Labor Party want us to do after the recent election is implement their failed policies, whether it's on the economy or on anything else—higher taxes or any number of these issues. We will implement the policies that we took to the election. That means lower taxes, reducing the cost of doing business, reforming our national skills sector, working hand in glove with our states, expanding our trade opportunities around the world, as we continue to do, and building the $100 billion worth of transport infrastructure and billions more in water infrastructure and in energy infrastructure. That's what's our government's doing.

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

Just before I call the Manager of Opposition Business, has the Prime Minister indicated he's concluded his answer?

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

Correct.