Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why won't the Prime Minister be straight with the Australian people about the slowest economic growth in a decade, the fact that the OECD has slashed Australia's growth outlook by twice as much as the G20 average, declining productivity and the fact that net debt has more than doubled on his watch?

Mr McCormack interjecting—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will cease interjecting. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Australia's economic growth is the second highest compared to all the G7 nations of the world. One point four million jobs are being created under the stewardship of this government. In fact, today there are more people who are employed as a share of Australia's total population than at any other time in Australia's history. Only the Labor Party could find a problem with that. That's why we took the strong economic plan that we did to the election, and it was a complete contrast to the plan that was taken by those opposite. What we took was a plan to lower taxes, to ensure that we're cutting the costs of doing business in this country, that we're investing in the skills needs of the future of this country, that we're expanding the horizons of our economy by both supporting our traditional industries and developing new export markets and that we're investing in the infrastructure that Australia needs to grow. That's what we're doing. That's what we took to the Australian people.

Now, those opposite took a very different plan. Those opposite took a plan which was going to impose $387 billion of higher taxes on the Australian economy. How they thought that was going to actually support Australia's growth into the future was a mystery to Australians—and they, rightfully, rejected those policies at the ballot box. So there is a clear alternative; there is a clear choice, as we have continued to demonstrate, and that is the sound, stable and certain policies—not getting riled up, not getting spooked by the international conditions that we're faced with, but ensuring we protect the budget resilience that enables us to meet the challenges ahead.

The shadow Treasurer would have us blow the budget on reckless spending. The shadow Treasurer would have us blow the budget of individual Australians and their families by putting up their taxes. Who knows what the shadow Treasurer's position is on climate reduction targets! There's a climate fight club going on over there on the other side. But the thing they've forgotten about climate fight club is: you're not supposed to talk about it. But they can't help talking about it. 'We've got the for 28 position over here', from the member for Hunter. We've got the, 'Well, I'm not for 28, but I'm not sure if I'm for 45 per cent,' from the climate change spokesperson. We've got the member for Sydney who's for the 45 per cent. And now we've got the Leader of the Opposition who wants to come into this place and effectively engage in a protest and glue his hands to the dispatch box. That's his latest today, which, I note, would see the full banning of coalmining in Australia.

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

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

I was going to bring out the 'on weirdness' one, Mr Speaker, because that is just not relevant at all to the question.

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

The Prime Minister has concluded his answer.