Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How will the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts benefit our Australian Defence Force personnel, those at the Department of Defence and workers in the Australian defence industry? What would be the impact of alternative approaches?

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

I thank the member for her question, and I acknowledge her service and her ongoing commitment to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy and those working in Defence industry based at HMAS Albatross in her electorate.

As we all know, every member of the Defence Force, every public servant in the Department of Defence, every person working in the defence industry will receive a tax cut under Labor's tax plans, meaning that they take home more of what they earn. That includes those who are right at the start of their Defence journey, such as an Army private in the first few months of their basic training at Kapooka, in Wagga, who will receive a tax cut of $1,089. Or an able seaman in the member's own electorate working on helicopters at HMAS Albatross, who will receive a tax cut of more than $2,000. Or an Army private driving trucks at Puckapunyal, near Seymour, who will receive a tax cut of $1,722. Or, indeed, an Air Force fitter and turner at RAAF Base Williamtown, in Newcastle, who will be receiving a tax cut of $1,463 dollars, which is more than twice the tax cut that person would have received under the policy of those opposite.

It has taken courage on the part of this Prime Minister, on the part of the Treasurer and on the part of this government in bringing forward this tax package. And, as has been made abundantly clear by the tactics of those opposite in this question time, it is now clear that they agree that this Prime Minister has made the right call. If they didn't, they would be opposing the legislation in this parliament and doing as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said they would do and roll this tax package back.

But the truth is those opposite don't have a tax policy; they are all at sea when it comes to tax policy. All they have is a tax grab. And we heard that again yesterday from the shadow Treasurer, who claims that the Liberals will always be the party of lower taxes—only they are not. In modern times the government in Australia which has been the highest-taxing government is a Liberal government. In actual fact, the Liberals are now a party of deficit budgets, of big debt and of make-believe money. The government that is fighting on behalf of Australians in respect of dealing with cost-of-living pressures, the government that is prudently managing the economy, the government that is keeping Australians safe is the Albanese Labor government.