Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are the only government that is delivering record funding for education, year on year. We are delivering $24.5 billion in extra school funding over a decade and, more importantly, we are targeting the schools that need funding the most. This is fairness. I am yet to even mention our congestion-busting infrastructure packages. We are delivering $75 billion in infrastructure investment—$24.5 billion this year alone—which will reduce congestion, better connect out regions and improve safety and create jobs. Surely this is fairness.

In this year's budget there are five essential things we must do to strengthen the economy and guarantee those essentials that Australians rely on. We must provide tax relief to encourage and reward working Australians and reduce those cost pressures on households, including lowering electricity prices—because that is fair. We must keep backing businesses to invest and create more jobs, especially small and medium enterprises, by lowering the cost of doing business and lowering the cost of company tax. That is fair. We must guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on—like Medicare, like hospitals, like schools and, most importantly, like caring for older Australians—because that is fair.

Senator O'Neill interjecting—