Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. Can the minister confirm that this week the government has up-ended 70 years of bipartisan foreign policy, supported a white supremacist slogan in the parliament, backflipped on its GST policy, risked one of Australia's key economic relationships and offended Australia's Pacific neighbours? Is this what the Prime Minister means when he says that a vote for the Liberals in Wentworth is a vote for stability?

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

The emphatic answer to all of the above is no. Let me tell you what the Australian government has done. Having inherited from the Labor Party a weakening economy, rising unemployment, a rapidly deteriorating budget position and chaos at our borders, what we have done is deliver a plan for a stronger economy and more jobs which has actually led to stronger economic growth than in any of the G7 economies in the world, stronger employment growth than was ever forecast in our previous budget, a much lower unemployment rate than had been anticipated and, indeed, a budget position that is significantly stronger than when we came into government. Today the economy is stronger. The economic growth outlook is stronger. The opportunities for Australian families to get ahead are better, and that is because more and more jobs are being created—more than a million jobs since we came into government.

What would happen under the Labor Party? The Labor Party has already announced about $200 billion worth of higher taxes on investment, on electricity, on housing and on retirees—you name it. If it moves, Labor wants to impose a higher tax on it. Of course, that would mean less investment, lower growth, fewer jobs and higher unemployment. As the unemployment goes up again, as it did under Labor before, wages would fall.

So the choice for Australians at the next election will be: do you want the country to be weaker and Australians to be poorer under Labor, or do you want the continuation of the strong economic management and strong budget management that has put the Australian economy on a stronger foundation and trajectory for the future, which is delivering better opportunities for families right around Australia to get ahead and making sure that the government funding for important public services is on a stronger, more sustainable trajectory for the future? (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McAllister, a supplementary question.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, less than three sitting weeks after Prime Minister Morrison deposed former Prime Minister Turnbull, the Deputy Prime Minister is now facing a challenge. Is this what the Prime Minister means when he says that a vote for the Liberals in Wentworth is a vote for stability?

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

I completely reject the premise of the question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McAllister, a final supplementary question.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was a very short answer. Given Prime Minister Morrison still can't tell Australians why Malcolm Turnbull is no longer Prime Minister and the Nationals are now moving on Deputy Prime Minister McCormack, isn't it clear that the government under the coalition is like the good old box of chocolates—you never know what you're going to get?

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

Here's the point: Australians actually know what they are getting under us. Under the Liberal-National Party, they're getting a stronger economy, more jobs, better opportunities to get ahead and a better budget position to fund the essential services Australian rely on. The Australian people also know what they would get under Labor. Under Labor, they would get an antibusiness, class-warfare, politics-of-envy agenda that would make Australia weaker, that would make Australians poorer. As part of Mr Shorten's deliberate business model, he seeks to turn Australian against Australian. We want to bring Australians together to make sure that all Australians have the best possible opportunity to get ahead. Mr Shorten is running an antibusiness, higher-taxing, socialist, class-warfare, politics-of-envy agenda that would leave every Australian worse off and indeed would leave the country worse off.