Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election, the Prime Minister promised a $275 reduction in energy prices, no changes to super taxes, no changes to franking credits, cheaper mortgages and no changes to bipartisan tax policy. The Prime Minister has broken every one of these promises. The Prime Minister claimed his word is his bond. Isn't it now clear, Prime Minister, Australians cannot trust a word you say?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting. The Minister for Home Affairs will cease interjecting. The member for Barker will join the minister in not interjecting.

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was Shakespearean.

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

Whoever made that comment will cease. The deputy was heard in silence; the Prime Minister will be given the same courtesy.

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

I'm asked by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, of all people, about tax policy and about consistency—the person who stood up before we had even announced our new tax policy and said: 'We will fight this legislation in the parliament. We don't even know what it will look like. We'll fight them on the beaches.' It was Churchillian. They'll fight it on the beaches until the tide changes. Then their commitments just got washed away in a week. She said, 'When this legislation hits the parliament, we will fight it, we will fight it all the way. I'm digging in along with my colleagues and our leader, Peter Dutton, to fight this fight.' They weren't just fighting it; they were fighting this fight 'really, really hard'—not just hard but really, really hard.

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

The Prime Minister will pause and the minister for the environment will cease interjecting so I can hear from the manager on a point of order.

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

Mr Speaker, the question was about a promise of a $275 reduction in energy prices, no changes to super taxes and no—

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

Resume your seat. I remind the manager, who should know of all people, that, when you get the call—I know it's the second day back—you've got to state the point of order. Obviously, that was about relevance, and he was getting to that point, but you simply can't get up and restate the question. You'll get the call. Just simply state the point of order, and you can make your point. If that happens again, people will not get the call. I'm not having question time like that. The Prime Minister was asked a fairly broad question, and I'm just going to ask him to return to the question. He's entitled to make some commentary or to quote, but I can't hear what he's saying. So, if everyone can just not make as much noise, question time will go a lot smoother.

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

I was asked about tax policy and about consistency, and the Leader of the Opposition, of course, was asked on the Today show if we walked away from the principles of stage 3. Absolutely not. The deputy leader was asked, 'Will you roll back whatever changes are made?' She said, 'Well, this is our position—this is absolutely our position!' Absolutely! The same figures and the same term I used when supporting working Australians getting a dollar an hour increase.

But today, of course, we have a different position again. In spite of the fact they were really, really going to fight it—they were going to fight this fight—what we saw yesterday was a different position again. The deputy leader was asked how they were going to pay for new changes, and she said this, 'You wouldn't expect me to pull out one ingredient or one part of tax reform, so I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to play the,"Yes, this is good; no, this is bad"—the rule in, rule out. I'm not going to do that.' She actually said that! She actually said that.

What we know from Senator Hume—it pays to look at their shadow ministry—

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

The member for Barker is warned!

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

She said this:

We know that Labor did not cause the war in Ukraine, which has fed into high energy prices. We know that they didn't cause COVID, which induced the supply chain problems that we're seeing right around the world. The things that cause inflation are not of Labor's making.

That's what Senator Hume said. She then went on to say:

The Australian people look to their government to help them through a crisis.

That is what we are doing through our tax changes. (Time expired)

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

I will just remind the House that we have the members for Page, Barker and Fisher on warnings.