Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ghosh, for arguably the best question of the week, I think. There have been some other good questions, but that's an absolute cracker. This budget is responsible and restrained, which eases cost-of-living pressures, puts downward pressure on inflation and invests in a future made in Australia.

Tonight, of course, it is the opposition's turn to set out their plan for Australia. We've seen a lot of noes from Mr Dutton and the opposition, but Australians now want to know what he will say yes to. We know what the Albanese government is for. We're for more cost-of-living help, including energy bill relief for every household and a tax cut for every taxpayer. But where does Mr Dutton stand on that? Will he back that in tonight? It is really hard to know where Mr Dutton and the coalition stand on these issues, given the reactions of their colleagues over the last few days.

A couple of days ago on 7.30, Mr Taylor, the shadow Treasurer, was asked if he will support the government's cost-of-living relief going to Australian households. Mr Taylor said, 'Sure.' But the next morning, on ABC NewsRadio, Mr Littleproud, the temporary Leader of the Nationals, was asked about energy price relief, and he said, 'No, I think it should have been means-tested.' So we're yes one day and we're no the next. We're yes when we're a Liberal; we're no when we're a National.

But it didn't stop there. They're all over the shop when it comes to what we should do about spending. On 14 May—this week—on 7.30, Mr Taylor is asked about spending, and he says:

… most of all we would have been showing restraint.

Senator Hume, the shadow finance minister, backed him in the same day when she said:

What we want to see is restoring a standard of living, taming inflation, fiscal restraint, bringing back that fiscal discipline …

But, unfortunately, Senator Hume couldn't even last 24 hours before contradicting herself, because the next day she was on TV, saying:

Well, everybody needs $300 off their power bill. In fact, we'd like to see more.

So on Tuesday she's for less; on Wednesday she's for more. That's the kind of finance minister we'd get under the coalition.