Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Minister, the Leader of the Greens, Mr Bandt, was quoted yesterday listing three key demands of Labor in the event of a hung parliament. Mr Bandt said, 'In the scenario of a hung parliament, we would be pushing the next government to make big corporations pay their fair share of tax, wind back those tax breaks for wealthy property investors and deliver some relief to renters and stressed mortgage holders.' Minister, will you be upfront with all Australians and categorically rule out Labor doing deals with the Greens that result in big new taxes on Australian businesses, big new taxes on Australian homeowners and big new taxes on Australian workers?

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

I mean, really? In a week where the coalition and the Greens have teamed up to stop 40,000 homes for Australians, in a week where we've seen, even today, the juvenile tactics in this chamber to avoid getting to a vote and after we've seen, on housing, the member for Griffith lead you down a path which has him in lockstep with Peter Dutton, they're arm in arm wandering down—I don't know. What is one of the streets in Brisbane? That's what they're doing.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Down the Queen Street Mall!

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

The Queen Street Mall—that's right. They're arm in arm down the Queen Street Mall, going: 'Yeah, mate. We're right. We're just going to vote no together on everything.' That's the Greens. In that week, you're going to ask me about working with the Greens? Well, have a look in the mirror.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

I'm waiting for silence. Senator Hume, first supplementary?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you had multiple opportunities yesterday to do so, but I will ask you point-blank and I'm not interested in plans. Can you make a concrete commitment that Labor will not scrap or amend negative gearing in order to secure support for a minority government with the Greens?

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

I refer you to my earlier answer, Senator. What I'd say to you is this: we all watched Senator Hume on Insiders

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The submission's already been through ERC.

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

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Senator McKenzie, if you can't listen in respectful silence, please leave the chamber. Minister Wong, please continue.

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

We all watched Insiders when Senator Hume was—

Are you alright? I don't mind a bit, but let me just have a little bit of a go before you start, alright? How about that? We all watched as Senator Hume ducked and weaved on—

See, she's doing it again!

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

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Order! Senator Hume?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on relevance. I specifically asked about negative gearing, not my performance on Insiders.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! I am having some difficulty hearing the minister because of the interjections across the chamber. So, if you wish me to rule on a point of order, you need to listen in respectful silence. I do believe the minister is being relevant, but I will continue to listen very carefully—without interjections from those senators whose names I've called. Minister Wong.

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

We watched as Senator Hume ducked and weaved on the $315 billion worth of cuts that she was very keen to say they were going to deliver, but was very keen not to say what they would cut. What we know it would mean is cuts to Medicare, cuts to pensions, cuts to payments—

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

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Senator Birmingham?

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

A point of order on direct relevance, President. With eight seconds left, perhaps the minister could at least even utter the words 'negative gearing' to turn to the question.

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

Thank you, Senator Birmingham. I will draw the minister back to Senator Hume's question. Minister Wong.

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

I started by saying that we have no plans to change negative gearing—but I'll tell you what, mate, why don't you come clean on your $315 billion? Why don't you tell people about your plan to cut the pension— (Time expired)

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

Senator Hume, a second supplementary?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, Mr Bandt said that he is only interested in governing with Labor. Can you make a concrete commitment that Mr Albanese will not appoint Mr Bandt or any other Greens as ministers under a Labor-Greens government?

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

We are campaigning for a Labor government—a Labor government that delivers housing reform. We are campaigning for a Labor government that delivers higher wages. We are campaigning for a Labor government which delivers the biggest increases in bulk-billing in decades. That's what we are campaigning for. You are waltzing down the Queen Street Mall with the Australian Greens—

The:

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Order on my left! Senator McGrath, I've called you a number of times this question time and I invite you—as I invited Senator McKenzie—if you can't remain silent, to leave the chamber. Minister Wong, please continue.

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

We are campaigning for a Labor government and Labor government policies. What we have witnessed this week is a continuation of the Greens political party's political decision to work with the extraordinarily negative Leader of the Opposition to team up to oppose everything. In that week, do you know what's happened? They're suddenly worried that they're actually a bit close to the Greens. So, instead of actually voting separately, they now think that asking questions is going to create the political difference. (Time expired)