Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When you look at the success of the government's economic performance, as detailed in the final budget outcome document that was released in September this year—the prudent financial management that is demonstrated in the outcomes of the last budget that was released in September 2017—you can see that the government is making necessary steps to save taxpayers' money. What's the right thing to do when taxpayers' money is being saved? Those savings should be returned to taxpayers and their families and to businesses themselves.

So I would have thought that this afternoon Senator McCarthy would have come into this place and said, 'Yes, media reports about personal tax cuts for Australian families and businesses next year are a good thing', because that would have been the consistent position. But that is not what we've seen this afternoon. A royal commission, which I think many in the community would agree is a necessary step, has been delivered, has been announced. But Labor senators in this place want to suggest that somehow that is something we should be embarrassed about and that it is something that is not worthy.

As we finish the year 2017, the challenge for Labor is to start to recalibrate its thinking, because 2018 is going to be about the economy. It is going to be about the economy. We know that the government already can tick off media reform; it can tick off childcare reform; it can tick off school reform; it can tick off industrial relations reform; it can tick off the issue of same-sex marriage—it can tick that issue off because, because fingers crossed the matter will be resolved in the House of Representatives before the end of the week—and then this government and the opposition should unite in making sure that economic interests and economic concerns are front and centre. Why? Because we know—Senator Macdonald and I know—that as we travel around communities, especially regional communities, people say to us, 'cost of living pressures'. That is your challenge for 2018. (Time expired)