Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How will the Albanese Labor government's new tax cuts take pressure off Australians, and what obstacles has the government overcome in delivering this relief?

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

I thank the member for Macquarie for her question. She knows that, on 1 July, as a result of Labor's cost-of-living tax cuts, every Australian taxpayer will get a tax cut. Not just some—all 13.6 million of them will, because we support the aspirations of all Australians, not just some. Our tax cuts will ensure that 84 per cent of Australians get a bigger tax cut than they were going to get before our intervention. Our No. 1 priority is easing cost of living without adding to inflation. That's the key—getting costs down for families, getting wages up for workers and getting the budget, of course, onto a stronger foundation, with the first budget surplus in 15 years delivered by this Treasurer. Whereas we want people to earn more and keep more of what they earn, those opposite want people to work longer for less. That is the great divide in Australian politics that we're seeing played out.

Our tax cuts come on the top of other measures: cheaper medicines, affordable housing, energy bill relief, higher wages, cheaper child care and historic investment in Medicare. That is the action that we are taking. Those opposite have said 'no' to every action this government has taken on cost of living. They've even stopped asking questions in this place. They never talk about cost of living. When we announced our tax cuts, their gut reaction was to oppose them, and then they said they'd roll that back, because it just didn't cross their minds to look after people who are earning under $45,000 a year and to give those people a tax cut. It didn't cross their minds that maybe average workers deserve double the tax cut, which is what we're delivering for them.

We were reminded of what their focus has been last night in the third episode of Nemesis, where Huey and Dewey down there featured quite prominently! And here's Louie!

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Riverina and the member for Gippsland! Order! Honestly, the members for Riverina and Gippsland land will cease interjecting so I can hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

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

I have a point of order on relevance. The question was commendably tightly drafted, and it did not go anywhere near the territory that once again the Prime Minister seems to be wanting to divert into.

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

There was no reference to television shows in the question, but the Prime Minister was asked about obstacles. I'm just going to ask him to make sure his answer is relevant and to include any material relating to obstacles.

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

The obstacle is an opposition that are obsessed by each other. The Manager of Opposition Business just moved a point of order saying he didn't want to talk about it. None of them were shy last night! They were queueing up at the ABC studios. They were there in Harris Street, day after day, week after week. It was a sit-in to get their noggins on the TV as part of that show, to demonstrate how much they hated each other. The Australian people didn't rate a mention last night. There was no discussion of policy and no discussion of people— (Time expired)