Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. During the 2022 election campaign, Mr Albanese said, 'We've said we have no intention of making any super changes'. Given Labor's track record of proposing higher taxes on retirees at the previous two elections, it is inconceivable that Labor wasn't planning its doubling of the super tax, or something very similar, when Mr Albanese made this promise at the last election. Minister, why is it that Mr Albanese deceived the Australian people before asking them to vote for him?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for the question. It gives me the opportunity to remind him and those opposite, and all, that, in fact, the changing of these tax arrangements for a very, very small proportion of Australians will not take effect until 2025, after the next election. It may be that those opposite like to forget about this and like to focus on, as always, their pathology of conflict. But the reality is: what we have inherited is a trillion dollars worth of debt. We have inherited the budget in a position that is unsustainable, and we are making sensible decisions about how to deal with that. They include changing the concessional tax treatment of super balances over $3 million.

It's important, despite the rhetoric again of those opposite and their talk about doubling, to remind us all and those of us in this chamber who are on above-average incomes that there is still tax concessionality associated with earnings on these balances above $3 million. There's still tax concessionality, which is effectively funded by the sorts of workers on the sorts of incomes that Senator Walsh was describing just before question time. I, for one, don't believe that cleaners and people on the factory line should be subsidising tax concessionality for people with superannuation balances of $3 million. It is a very small proportion of people. It affects fewer than the superannuation changes that you made, possibly when you were finance minister, I can't recall. And I know that those opposite want to run a scare campaign— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a moment Senator Birmingham. I called order at least four times there and, Senator Cash and Senator McGrath, you continued to interject. I would ask you to listen quietly. Senator Birmingham, a first supplementary?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister just made a passionate defence of her beliefs that people shouldn't be receiving this concessional treatment. Given such strongly held beliefs, Minister, why is it that you and your government and your Prime Minister weren't honest with the Australian people before the last election?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I again make the point that this is a change that affects 0.5 per cent of people and it will not take place until after the next election in 2025. I would also make the point that those opposite, and I will take the interjections—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Order! Minister, please continue.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm always happy for Senator Gallagher to take questions. She answers them brilliantly. She answers them brilliantly, as she demonstrated yesterday. I would also make the point that those opposite have really demonstrated to Australians whose side they're on. They're not on the side of people doing it tough; they're not on the side of poor people on minimum wages; they're not on the side of households who are finding it hard to make their electricity prices, voting against the packages they wanted; they're not on the side of people who need skills; they're not on the side of manufacturing jobs— (Time expired)

The P:

Senator Birmingham, a second supplementary question?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government, including Senator Wong, keep referring to their alleged small number of Australians impacted. Indeed, Senator Wong, on social media yesterday, posted about 99.5 per cent of Aussies not facing any changes. Yet Senator Gallagher yesterday made clear in this chamber that 10 per cent—one in 10 Australians—would actually be impacted. When was the government advised of this? Will they set the record straight? And will Minister Wong delete her social media posts?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'm not going to call the minister until we have silence on both sides. Minister.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does anybody know how many people in 30 years will be affected by the concessional contribution threshold change to superannuation that they made? That is 30 per cent of income earners—30 per cent. That's one in three income earners affected by the changes you made on super. So let's be clear about the long-term effect of non-indexed changes. Senator Gallagher was up-front yesterday about ours. I don't remember you ever saying, 'Oh, by the way, one in three Australians will be affected by Mr Morrison's changes.' The Australian people are onto you, and they know what you are about, and you're not about average income earners. You're not about families who are struggling to make ends meet. You are all about yourselves, and you're all about politics.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Wong still has 12 seconds on the clock.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They've finally found some people the Leader of the Opposition will fight for—not women fleeing violence, not Australian manufacturing, not businesses looking for energy security, not those looking for cheaper child care or cheaper medicine, not those looking for energy bill relief but those with $3 million—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Hume and Senator Ruston! I have no senators on their feet on a point of order. I simply have rude, disrespectful interjections across the chamber.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Withdraw!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ruston!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will withdraw. And, by way of explanation, I'll make clear that I was referencing the housing fund that you opposed, which will be accommodation, including for women fleeing violence. So, you wear it.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Ruston, I asked you three times to sit down, and I'm going to ask that you sit down. I have no idea what happened—because there was so much interjection in this chamber—except I had a bunch of unruly senators on my left and a bunch of unruly senators on my right. So I really have no idea. If someone has said something objectionable, you stand to make a point of order. You don't scream out—about seven of you—from your seats. It is disorderly and it's clearly disrespectful, and it's taken me a long time to get control of the Senate. This is not appropriate.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, I was wondering if I could seek your indulgence to have a look at the transcript, and perhaps Senator Wong might then like to reflect on whether she wishes to unconditionally withdraw her statement.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.