Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

That claim by the Grattan Institute is wrong. It featured during the campaign. It was comprehensively discredited during the campaign. In fact, it was comprehensively discredited by nothing less than the Pre-election economic and fiscal outlook 2019, which made very clear that the medium-term projections, showing a surplus all the way through, which factors in our record funding for hospitals, schools, infrastructure and all the other essential services—it said that the cost of the tax cuts is factored in to that forward trajectory based on a 'no policy change' scenario. A 'no policy change' scenario means there are no assumptions of future cuts, as you call it, and no assumptions of future savings enshrined in our budget bottom line whatsoever. This was comprehensively discredited.

The only thing missing from Senator Gallagher's question as she spoke about $95 billion from 2024-25 was the sneering, pre-election reference to 'the top end of town'. I wonder why that is. I wonder why you have dropped that. Because the core foundation of your attack on our plan to deliver income tax relief for all Australians is your attempt to perpetuate the politics of envy, class warfare, turning Australian against Australian.

Do you know what happened? Hardworking low-income Australians, working-class Australians in mortgage-belt suburbs, voted strongly in favour of our plan because they know it delivers better opportunity for them. The modern Labor Party would do well to actually reflect on why it is that their working-class base turned against them. If you want to continue to run on a high-taxing agenda and the politics of envy when Australians are fundamentally aspirational, go right ahead. Let's have this battle all the way to the next election. Go to the next election campaigning for higher taxes again. (Time expired)