STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr REBELLO (McPherson) (13:45): This week, Australians are being asked to believe Labor on tax—again. Yesterday, on my way to Canberra, I saw the headline, 'Treasurer Jim Chalmers promises to "fix" property tax oversight to protect widows and divorcees.' This is the same man that stood by the promise of 'no new taxes' before an election and 'no changes to negative gearing', more than 50 times, only to break that promise and now come after your home, your savings, your investment and your small business.

And now he's coming after widows—people who've lost their spouse and now lose the right to grandfather negatively-geared properties that they rely on. But never mind. The Treasurer is saying we should trust him to fix it.

This just shows that Labor didn't even understand the consequences of their own budget. Australians aren't stupid. We all know you can't trust Labor when it comes to taxes.

Labor said they'd help Australians get ahead, but, every time Australians try to get ahead, Labor beats them down. That's not reform. That's a government that can't manage money, so it's coming after yours.

Labor's answer's are always the same: more spending, more excuses and more taxes. Now they say, 'Trust us; we'll fix it, and 'I promise.' Trust has to be earned. But the bigger question is this: after every broken promise, every new tax and every backflip, why would Australians believe the next promise?

When the Treasurer says 'trust me', Australians know it's time to check their wallet.