MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Mr VIOLI (Casey) (15:44): Well, that was quite the economic lecture from the minister opposite. Mr Dreyfus: I hope you were listening. It was excellent!
Mr VIOLI: It was excellent. But it begs the question: where was that lecture to the Prime Minister in May last year, when the Prime Minister said that he would not change negative gearing and he would not change the capital gains tax? He got quite upset. 'Fifty times,' the Prime Minister said.
So it is amazing that the minister would give that economic lecture today. He obviously didn't have the ability to give that lecture last year. He just thought of it now.
Suddenly, 12 months later, the world has changed. This is the reality. Every backbencher over there has broken their word with their communities.
They all went to their communities and said they wouldn't change the tax settings. They made a promise and a commitment. Those first termers lasted about 12 months before they broke faith with their communities.
It's not that surprising that they've had to break faith with their communities, betray their communities and mislead their communities. We understand what it's like to be a backbencher in the Labor government. One of them had the courage to background the Saturday Paper this week.
How did they describe the PMO? And I quote: PMO is like North Korea, right? They're like Pyongyang … I guess that would make the Prime Minister Kim Jong Un.
It means the backbenchers know that they have to follow orders. They have to break faith with their communities. They have to break their own word to their communities, and that's something they'll have to live with.
The worst part about this broken promise is that it was a clear, deliberate decision 12 months ago to mislead their communities. What makes it even worse is that it's actually not going to work. Supply is so important to getting housing down and affordable for everyone in Australia, including first home buyers.
The Prime Minister himself, in a moment of honesty, said that supply was the most important way to make housing sustainable. The problem with the tax changes and the broken promise of this government is that its own budget papers, its own word, confirm that these measures will decrease supply. Their own measures will make it harder for young people to get into a home.
Mr Soon interjecting— Mr VIOLI: It does say that. I can give you the page. Stop taking the talking points.
Learn to read the budget paper yourself. Member for Banks, the budget papers confirm— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Order! You need to direct your comments through me as the chair, and I'd like the member for Hunter to stop the interjections.
Mr VIOLI: And the member for Banks should read the budget papers himself. The budget papers confirm that 35,000 fewer houses will be supplied because of these tax changes. The budget papers also confirm that rents will go up because of these tax changes.
So maybe don't follow orders from Kim Jong Un and do your own work, and don't break your own word to the Australian people. This is the reality. They follow their talking points without understanding the detail, and they're actually going to make it harder for the Australian people.
While we're on the budget paper, let's have a look at what is happening— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is this on a point of order? Mr Repacholi: Yes, it is a point of order. I would ask the member to withdraw his comments around Kim Jong Un.
Mr VIOLI: He's not a member of parliament. Mr Repacholi: You can't say things like that. That's harsh.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is a matter of taking offence. A lot of things are said in this House for an offence, and as long as you are not referring to a particular person and you're not ascribing that person to another, then I will allow it. Mr VIOLI: While we're looking at the budget papers, we should also think about what comes next.
Page 137 of the budget papers says, and I quote: … access to home ownership increasingly depends on the wealth of the previous generation—'the bank of mum and dad'. This entrenches higher levels of wealth inequality across generations. What's that?
The bank of mum and dad. Sounds a lot like an inheritance tax. Sounds a lot like a tax on the primary place of residence.
It's the logical next step. It's in their own budget papers. Guess what?
When the Prime Minister gets asked about it—he already has—he'll deny it. Gee, we've heard that one before. He's broken his word once; he's broken his word twice.
Come the next election, he's coming after your money and he's going to break his word again.