Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hogg for the question because it is a very important issue confronting this government and confronting the Australian people. The budget delivered by the Rudd Labor government delivers on our election commitments. It specifically delivers on the commitments we gave during the election campaign. It delivers the tax cuts we promised from 1 July. It delivers the childcare support and it delivers the education support that we promised the Australian electorate. We are trying to deliver on those promises, and we are also trying to deliver on our commitment to be fiscally conservative. We seek to maintain a budget surplus of $22 billion—a budget surplus that will help to keep downward pressure on interest rates and keep downward pressure on inflation. These are very important commitments that we made. We have been frustrated in that effort by the refusal of the opposition to cooperate in allowing us to deliver that budget. In particular, the revenue measures that underpin the surplus are being denied to us—they are being denied to the government.

Quite frankly, it is economic vandalism, because if we do not get these measures by 1 July, Australian taxpayers will be $280 million out of pocket—$280 million out of pocket because of their obstructionism. It is not just because they oppose the measures. If they had a principal issue involved, if they opposed them, if they had the courage of their convictions, you could say, ‘Well, I mightn’t agree with it, but at least it’s their view.’ But no, there is no position from the opposition; their position is delay, defer—‘We can’t make a decision; we are so internally divided as a party, as a coalition, that we put off any decision.’ They have had six weeks to come to a decision and their decision is no decision. Their decision is to defer and delay. And now we understand that in order to consider a small change in a tax measure, like the luxury car tax or the condensate measure, they need 3½ months to think about it—not six weeks, that is not good enough; they need 3½ months, and in that 3½ months $280 million will be lost to Australian taxpayers. Taxpayers will be $280 million out of pocket because the opposition cannot make a decision. They make it clear that they are not opposing these measures. They have not decided to oppose them; they have decided to defer them.

They are not only frustrating the budget bills, but they are frustrating our election commitments and they are even frustrating their election commitments—the commitment to same-sex relationships and equal treatment under superannuation, a commitment by the Labor government to deliver equal treatment to same-sex couples in terms of their superannuation. It was our election commitment. We are trying to deliver on it. Do you know who else made a commitment to it? They made a commitment to it. But not only will they not deliver on our election commitment, they will not deliver on their election commitments. They will not deliver. They need 4½ months to consider whether they ought to deliver on their election commitments. That is how ridiculous that has become. Of course, they will not allow us to deliver on the election commitment to provide transparency in electoral donations. I urge the opposition to reconsider their position. I know their leader is so undermined that they cannot come to any decision in the party room which is not seen as a push against him. (Time expired)