George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I am sorry to say that I am aware of an alternative approach—the approach of the Australian Labor Party. Unfortunately, that approach would not support jobs or growth in our economy because the Labor Party's approach is to tax more, borrow more and spend more. Senator Paterson, as you would have noticed overnight, they cannot even get that right. They banked $19½ billion from a tobacco tax increase that simply does not exist—back to the old Rudd-Gillard habits of spending money they do not have. How embarrassing that last night Laurie Oakes, on Channel Nine, exposed a $19.5 billion black hole in the Labor Party's costings—a $19.5 billion black hole which they excuse as a 'rounding error'. A rounding error—that is what the Labor Party thinks $19.5 billion is! (Time expired)