QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:58): I thank Senator Smith for the question. You'll remember that in the election campaign you were campaigning to raise taxes, have bigger deficits and have higher debt, which would have all led to higher costs for the Australian people.

You don't talk about it very often these days, but remember that great plan to build $600 billion worth of nuclear power stations around the country that were going to be funded off the budget? Remember that? They were going to be funded off the budget, and there were going to be tax increases for everyone because you went to repeal the tax cuts that we had passed.

The Prime Minister was quite correct in that that would have led to higher costs on households and on individuals under the plan that you were offering the Australian people. And the Australian people said no to that plan. They had a look at it.

They knew what you were offering. They knew you would make cuts in order to deliver that. And they said no.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Smith, second supplementary?