Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Cox, you mentioned stage 3 tax cuts. Of course, they're stage 3 because we've already delivered stage 1 and stage 2. Stage 1 and stage 2 prioritised low- and middle-income Australians first and foremost. I know that if we have a change of government—heaven forbid!—at the next election it won't matter whether you're a low-income Australian or a high-income Australian you will end up paying higher taxes, which is evidenced from the fact that every one of Senator Cox's questions was about putting more tax on some of Australia's biggest income earners, more tax in relation to Australian property owners, more tax in relation to Australian workers. If the Greens have the ability to hold, as they will, the Labor Party—hold them to things in government—then the Australian Greens will be pushing for more taxes on Australian wages, more taxes on Australian housing, more taxes on Australian industry, and they will leave Australia far worse off.