James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

The polling wasn't good, Senator Scarr, and, as Senator Smith said, politics has come into this. The stage 3 tax cuts have come in because Labor have suddenly realised there's a cost-of-living crisis in this country. This cost-of-living crisis is hurting Australian families, hurting Australian businesses and hurting Australians, but we have a prime minister who's very happy to go to concerts or the tennis and to flit around this country like a social butterfly but was not prepared to understand the impacts of this cost-of-living crisis until the Labor Party went to him with some research and said, 'Prime Minister, mate, you've got to do something about this cost-of-living crisis because we've got a by-election coming up and we are in danger of losing this by-election.' Hence, they've brought forward the changes to the stage 3 tax reforms. Hence, the Prime Minister has again broken his word to the Australian people. He will do everything and say anything to keep his feet in the Lodge.