Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We need to talk about Mr Taylor; we really need to talk about Mr Taylor. And I do know that some of those opposite will want to hear this, too. I know that some of those opposite want to talk about Mr Taylor, too. Given the leaking, and the leaking of the appeals to stop the leaking, from Mr Dutton's party room, it's pretty clear that many of those opposite want to talk about Mr Taylor. The compare-and-contrast on the alternative Treasurer, Mr Taylor, could not be more stark. Australians should not allow Mr Taylor anywhere near Australia's budget. Australians should not allow Mr Taylor anywhere near Australia's economy. Mr Taylor cannot even tell Australians how much the coalition's nuclear never-never nonsense will cost Australians. He says it will cost 44 per cent less—44 per cent less than some amount that he can't identify, despite having procured his own dodgy costings of this nuclear never-never policy.

Well, I am 100 per cent sure that Mr Taylor is about 40 per cent sure of what is actually going on in this country right now. Last night in the same interview, just moments apart, he confirmed that he would not back Labor's income tax cuts but he would cut 41,000 jobs from the Public Service. What a sell from the alternative Treasurer for the Australian people—41,000 job cuts, but no tax cuts! There would be cuts to the services that those public servants provide, but no tax cuts. There would be $340 billion in budget cuts that he won't tell you about until after the election, but no tax cuts for the Australian people. This is the Liberals' great pitch to Australians right now: job cuts, service cuts, budget cuts—but no tax cuts. Well done, Angus—well done, Mr Taylor!