Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This government has underspent on its infrastructure announcements by an average of $1.2 billion every year for the eight long years that it's been in office. How can Australians have any confidence it will deliver on the announcements made in this year's budget?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm so glad the Prime Minister has asked me to answer this question on his behalf and on the government's behalf. I know—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Blessed are the cheesemakers! I know that Labor haven't delivered a budget for nearly 10 years. They haven't delivered a surplus budget since 1989! That was the last time you did it.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left!

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Look at them go! Look at them go! They know. Funny that. Probably none of you were even here then! There is no underspend. This is how budgets work. This is how budgets work. It's not come in spinner. They put you up to this—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will just pause for a second. Members on my left, a lot of you have spent a lot of time wanting to get back in here. You're about to be straight out. The Deputy Prime Minister—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Out at the next election, Mr Speaker!

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

I've got to ask the Deputy Prime Minister—I didn't think it was possible—but he needs to be relevant to the question.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The federal government pays states and territories upon the completion of milestones. When a state or territory gets the allocation, gets the commitment by the Commonwealth, they do the contracting, they do the tendering, they run the project, and, when a certain amount of cement is put down, when a depth of a hole is built, when a pier is put up, we pay on milestones. So, if there's weather or if there's some other event or, indeed, if a state just can't get on and do the job required then the cheque doesn't get paid. But rest assured, Member for Ballarat, that money, as you claim might be underspent, still goes into the overall budget for infrastructure, and it does get spent upon the completion of that job. That's why we are getting on—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

I can hear the Leader of the Opposition. Yes, eight years, eight glorious years. You just thought you had it made when they gave you a small amount of money to spend. We are getting on with building the infrastructure that Australia needs, particularly regional Australia—regional Australia, which you forgot in those six sorry, dysfunctional years under Kevin Rudd, under Julia Gillard and then under Kevin Rudd again. We're getting on and we're building the infrastructure, whether it's dams, whether it's roads, whether it's the Inland Rail, and it's supporting 100,000 workers. Did I say in my previous answer—I think I did—an additional 30,000 tonight in the budget. We're getting on and we're spending the money that's required. We also do it based on state priorities—

Opposition members interjecting—

Yes, based on territory priorities. I'm happy to work with any ministers of any political colour, stripe or creed to get on and build the infrastructure that we need. That's why, when I advised them on Sunday night, gave them the heads up as a courtesy call, they all came back to me. The Labor ministers were delighted with the infrastructure spend that Josh Frydenberg is going to announce tonight.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Members on both sides.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. One in three of Australia's biggest corporations pays no tax, and, while the rest of the country was hit hard during the pandemic, Australian billionaires' wealth increased by a third, with some doubling their wealth. Prime Minister, isn't it time to make the billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share so that we can make critical investments like getting dental into Medicare? We're a wealthy country, but many people are still struggling. So, in tonight's budget, will you listen to the Greens and put in place a six per cent tax on billionaires' wealth—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Members on my right.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and a new super profits tax on big corporations making excessive profits?

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

I've got a tip for the member for Melbourne: I won't be listening to the Greens, and neither will the Treasurer or the Australian people, who value their jobs and value the strength of the economy, which is what actually pays for essential services. This seems to be something that escapes the member for Melbourne, the Greens and, I expect, many who sit on their side. It is the strong economy—businesses going out and employing people, investing, creating jobs and creating the opportunities that drive an economy—that pays for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, pays for aged care, pays for mental healthcare support and pays for all of the services. It pays for the pension. It pays for disability support. A strong economy is what achieves that. That is why tonight you will see a budget that guarantees the essential services that Australians rely on, because it is a comprehensive further plan to secure the economic recovery of this country. That economic recovery, compared to what is happening around the world at the moment, is quite striking. There are few developed countries in the world that can say that there are more people employed today than there were before the pandemic hit. That is a great achievement of Australians—Australians going out there and working hard, running businesses and putting Australians in work so they can pay taxes and ensure that the government can support the essential services that Australians rely on.

We are the party of lower taxes, and I'll tell you why that is. We are the party of lower taxes because we believe that Australians should keep more of what they earn. We believe that a dollar kept in the hands of an Australian family is better than a dollar kept in the hands of the government. That's what we believe. We believe that. That's why we have put speed limits on taxation in this country, which the Labor Party has opposed at two successive elections. It is a speed limit on taxes that we apply on ourselves, because we know that higher taxes actually strike out the enterprise and initiative of Australians who are working hard for their own families in their own communities. We will remain the party of lower taxes. Those opposite are the ones that, on every occasion, know how to start spending. They never know how to stop. They're the party that said that we should keep JobKeeper in place forever. They knew it had to be introduced, but they didn't know how to end it. That was not the responsible decision that they were prepared to support. We will remain the party of responsible investment of taxpayers' money, and we will forever be the party of lower taxes. (Time expired)