Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer remind the House why the Morrison government's proven record of keeping taxes low will always be a priority for the members of this side of the House, and is the Treasurer aware of any alternative approaches?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Herbert for his question and acknowledge his distinguished service in uniform on behalf of our country and also his support for lower taxes. These are being used by businesses in Townsville—Fair Dinkum Builds has bought a couple of scissor lifts with the benefit of our immediate expensing provisions. We on this side of the House have cut taxes for families. We on the side of the House have cut taxes for small business down to the lowest level in 50 years, and we have put in place record business investment incentives through our tax system. But we have been opposed every step of the way by a Greens-Labor coalition and by a Labor leader who has never delivered a budget and never held a Treasury portfolio and who thinks tabling his high-school essay is good enough credentials to run a $2 trillion economy.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. The question that was asked of the Treasurer essentially went to the government's own tax record. He couldn't sustain an answer on that for more than 45 seconds, which in part is because this is the second-highest taxing government in our country's history.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The deputy leader knows that there is no set time frame that a member or minister needs to talk to in the three minutes. The Treasurer did refer to government tax policy and then was dealing with alternative approaches. The Treasurer has the call.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This Leader of the Opposition can't be trusted to implement our legislated tax cuts for families, because he described them as 'tax cuts for the top end of town'. This Leader of the Opposition can't be trusted to deliver lower taxes to the Australian people because he supported a carbon tax, a mining tax, a congestion tax, a retirees tax, a housing tax, higher taxes on super, higher taxes on income earners and a family business tax. And, of course, he has supported death duties and an inheritance tax.

But it's not just the Greens who are supporting his call for an inheritance tax; it's also his comrades in the union movement. Less than six months ago the ACTU put out their tax plan. There it is, in all its glory, on page 2, calling for an inheritance tax. Why is this important? Because the Leader of the Opposition has said—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will resume his seat. I hope this is a valid point of order. The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's a requirement that members be referred to by their title. He is referring to someone who brought in death duties when he should be referring to the member for Mackellar. He is the only person who has been arguing for it!

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Once again, the level of interjections is far too high. I think the only people who can hear what is being said are those watching on television, because they have a direct feed through the microphone. The Treasurer has the call.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we know, the Greens and the Labor Party have been in coalition in the past, and the Greens today are calling for an inheritance tax. But also the unions are calling for an inheritance tax. Why is this relevant? Because this Leader of the Opposition has said 'successful Labor governments collaborate with the unions'. This is their tax policy. This is the ACTU's tax policy. That's the troika the Australian people will get. If the Labor Party ever get their chance to sit on the treasury bench, you will get Labor, the Greens and the ACTU in cahoots, promising higher taxes and death duties.