QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:07): I welcome the question from the Leader of the Opposition, who's actually asked me to comment on their tax policy. That is what the question goes to, and I welcome it, because tomorrow we'll be introducing tax reductions, and they'll have a chance to vote for them or to vote against them. Now, we know that, when we changed stage 3, they said that they were going to fight it, that they were going to oppose it and that we should call an election on it, and then they voted for it.
We know that, when it came to the tax cuts that were in last year's budget, they said that they'd oppose them. They voted against them. To be fair to them, they did what they said they'd do, and, then, do you know what they did?
They took it to an election and they got smashed. They got smashed, which is why they're down to 41 members over there. They have other tax policies as well.
They want higher taxes on the resources and manufacturing sectors, because they want to abolish the production tax credits. They want higher taxes on motorists by abolishing the EV concession. Of course, we know they wanted higher student debts.
We know that they want higher power bills, because they want to abolish the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. We know they want more expensive training courses, because they want to abolish free TAFE. The SPEAKER: Order!
The member for Goldstein will cease injecting. The manager on a point of order? Mr Tehan: On relevance, Speaker.
The question was about income tax and whether you will index to prevent bracket creep. Will you do it or not? It is a very simple question.
The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. There's a bit in this question, including about the coalition's Tax Back Guarantee. That policy— Mr Taylor interjecting— The SPEAKER: We'll get through this, Leader of the Opposition.
You not having a debate with me. We just need to make sure that, if the Prime Minister is referring to the coalition policy he was asked about, he makes it directly relevant to what he is responsible for for the government. He wasn't asked a broad-ranging question, as the manager indicates and was correct about, but he was asked about one coalition policy.
I'll ask him to be directly relevant. Mr ALBANESE: Yes, Mr Speaker. I was asked about their tax policy, which is higher taxes, and I was asked about our policy, which is lower income taxes—lower income taxes under those on this side and higher income taxes under those opposite.
On 1 July— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition, the Treasurer and the minister for infrastructure. I can't hear a word the Prime Minister is saying due to the interjections from both sides.
Mr ALBANESE: On 1 July, every single Australian worker will get a tax cut—and those opposite voted against it. Not only did they vote against it; they said they'd reverse it if they won the last election. But thank goodness— Dr Chalmers: And then you made him leader!
Mr ALBANESE: As a result of all that, he's now leader. If you want any indication that they're always looking in the rear-view mirror, this is the mob who just made Tony Abbott the President of the Liberal Party.