Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister: Yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to rule out increasing taxes on Australian families. With Australians facing five consecutive increases in interest rates, will the Prime Minister rule out any new or higher taxes on Australian families, businesses, or retirees by Christmas?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It pays to pay attention to what happens in question time. I thank the member for Hume for his question. I say to the member for Hume that, at half past two, you shouldn't necessarily ask the question that was decided upon whenever tactics met this morning, because we just had in this chamber an answer about taxation. We on this side of the House have legislation before the parliament right now to lower taxation. Imagine the discussion of those opposite in the party room yesterday. Some of them would have followed the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and said, 'It's not really relevant, because these electric vehicles don't exist. Electric utes don't exist.' But others would've said, 'No, we have to hold the line here. We have to try. We've blown out $1 trillion of debt. Why would we worry about these issues? Remember, if we vote for a tax reduction'—

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. He was asked if he will rule out taxes on Australian families, businesses and retirees. That's not an invitation to speculate about what occurred in the opposition party room.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was also about the cost-of-living crisis and impacts on businesses and retirees being higher.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm completely addressing taxes. On this side what we have done is introduce legislation to lower taxes for individuals but to lower taxes as well for businesses by changing the FBT provision. But those opposite have made a decision to support higher taxes, and it's not surprising, given they were all over the shop. It probably came down in the end to the key, killer point raised by one of those opposite, perhaps the member for Hume, 'We can't do this, because remember, if more people have electric vehicles, it'll end the weekend'—remember that?—'and no-one wants to do that.' That is the former government's position and quite clearly what the current opposition's position is as well. What they need to do is to recognise the fact that there has been a change. This is a government that's about efficiency, that's about delivering for Australian families, that's about delivering for Australian workers and that's about shaping the future, not being shaped by it.