Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How will Labor's new tax cuts provide cost-of-living relief to members of the Australian Defence Force, to public servants in the Department of Defence and also to workers in our great Australian defence industries?

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

Order! Member for Fisher, I hadn't even called the Deputy Prime Minister and you were interjecting. That's a warning for everyone else in the chamber not to interject before a minister answers or when a question is being asked. I give the call to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his service and his commitment to Australia's Defence Force and his tireless advocacy on behalf of Australia's defence families.

Every member of the Australian Defence Force, every public servant in the Department of Defence, every person working in Australia's defence industry will receive a tax cut under Labor's tax plan. What that means is that those people who are serving our nation through their involvement in Australia's defence establishment will now be able to take home more of what they earn through a tax cut which is deeply deserved. For example, an Air Force sergeant working at RAAF Base Amberley on Australia's Super Hornets will now have a tax cut of more than $2,400. A sub-lieutenant doing antiwarfare training at HMAS Watson in Sydney will have a tax cut of more than $2,000. In the member's own electorate, a captain in 1 Brigade in Darwin will have a tax cut of $2,880. And, here, a defence civilian working at Defence's call centre at Cooma—not so far from here—will receive a tax cut of $1,463, which is more than twice the tax cut that person would have received under the policy of those opposite.

Since coming to power, we've been completely focused on cost-of-living pressures, which have been persistent. But the most important step that we can take is to fight on behalf of Australia's working families for a tax cut.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left will cease interjecting.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now, clearly, the Prime Minister has taken a difficult decision in bringing forward this tax package with the Treasurer and the finance minister. But, for all that is said by those opposite, if we judge them by what they do and not by what they say, it is clear that they agree the Prime Minister has made the right call, because, if they didn't, the only honest and credible position they could take would be to oppose this legislation in this parliament and do what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said—that is, role this package back.

The Liberals in power were a high-taxing government—

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

Order! The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat. I will hear from the member from Canning.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, Speaker: that was a Dixer in the purest sense, and there was no reference at all to the opposition. It was a question saying, 'Tell us how good you are.'

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! I'll deal with the point of order.

Government members interjecting—

Members on my right will cease interjecting immediately.

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

Take it into the monkey pod!

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

The Treasurer will cease interjecting.

Government members interjecting—

Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting or be warned. The Deputy Prime Minister was not asked about alternative approaches. He was asked about tax policy, and he was not asked about the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I'll bring him back to the question.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They are now evidently a shell of an opposition. But the government which is actually delivering real tax relief for Australians, which has delivered a budget surplus and which is supporting Australia's Defence Force and our national security—that government is the Albanese Labor government.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a tough guy!

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

Order! The member for Page is warned. How many times have I got to tell you?