Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This year the government launched an unprecedented attack on fairness. This year the government attacked the living standards of Australian families: a new petrol tax, a GP tax, $100,000 degrees. This year the government is cutting pensions, has cut the real wages of our ADF and is cutting $80 billion from schools and hospitals. But isn't the Prime Minister's greatest achievement this year breaking nearly every one of his election promises?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's go through the commitments we made.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Put those props down. It is so childish. Those props will not surface again, or they will be handed in immediately to the attendants.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's just go through the commitments that were made: that we would repeal the carbon tax, that we would stop the boats, that we would build the roads of the 21st century and that we would get the budget back under control.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know this is Thursday, but there will be silence for the Prime Minister's answer.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The carbon tax is gone, but the compensation stays, and every family is $550 a year better off.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The boats have stopped, and that means that hundreds of people are no longer dying at sea. The roads are building, and that means that millions of Australians will not be wasting so many hours of every day and week in traffic jams. And the task of budget repair is well and truly underway. But it is being sabotaged at every turn by the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Ms Owens interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler and the member for Parramatta!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition is someone who is trashing our country to help himself. That is exactly what he is doing. And it is unworthy of him, it is unworthy of the party he leads, and it is unworthy of great Labor leaders like Bob Hawke and Paul Keating—with whom this side of the parliament had many disagreements, but one thing they would never do is shirk taking the difficult but necessary decisions to give our country the fiscal foundation it enjoyed up until 2007.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please update the House on the actions this government has taken to build a stronger future for all Australians?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Solomon for her question.

Mr Butler interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Port Adelaide!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Undoubtedly, this has been a year of achievement for our country, and it has been a year of delivery for our government. The G20 was an opportunity to showcase Australia to the world, and I congratulate the people of Brisbane for their work in doing precisely that. But not only did we showcase our country to the world but we actually secured pledges on jobs and growth from the 20 largest economies on the globe, which will work to the benefit of people in this country and everywhere. The three free trade agreements that have been finalised with our largest trading partners will set our country up for the future. That means more jobs and higher growth. It is good for consumers and it is good for our exporters.

As for this government, we are delivering. The carbon tax repeal delivered. The mining tax repeal delivered. Stopping the boats delivered—delivered in spades. The free trade agreements, about which governments have procrastinated for a decade, delivered. There are big new road projects going ahead. The Green Army is deploying around our country, restoring degraded bush and cleaning up polluted waterways.

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lingiari!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

New Colombo Plan scholars are fanning out through our region. And the National Broadband Network is rolling out—only now on realistic timetables and with a realistic budget.

Mr Husic interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chifley!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The great task of budget repair is well and truly underway, notwithstanding constant sabotage from members opposite. And this is not just a matter of ticking boxes; it is about delivering for the people of Australia. The carbon tax repeal means $550 a year in the pockets of the average household. Stopping the boats means that people are no longer dying at sea. New roads mean that people are not wasting hours of their day and their week in traffic jams. Of course there is more to do, but when it comes to some of the most intractable problems our country has faced—the boats and the budget—these problems are now being tackled, with a clarity of purpose and a strength of character that has long been lacking. And we are getting the fundamentals right. Sure, there are challenges, but challenges are things the Australian people always rise to meet.

Ms Owens interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This has been a year when we have been building the foundations, and next year we will build further on them—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

doing what we were elected to do: build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Does he honestly believe that he would be in the Lodge today if the night before the last election he had been straight with the Australian people and said up-front to them, 'Yes, there will be cuts to education; yes, there will be cuts to health; yes, there will be changes to pensions; yes, there will be changes to the GST; yes, there will be cuts to the ABC and SBS'?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will desist.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On health, on public hospitals, spending is up nine per cent this year, nine per cent next year, nine per cent the year after that and six per cent in the final year. On schools, spending is up eight per cent this year, eight per cent next year, eight per cent the year after that and six per cent in the final year. And pensions will go up every year, twice a year. And sure—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are some quite modest cuts to the ABC. There are some quite modest savings that we are expecting from the ABC. But members opposite seem to think that this is some kind of a fraught moment. Members opposite went into the election saying that the deficit would be $18 billion. It turned out to be $48 billion. What members opposite said was an $18-billion deficit turned out to be $48 billion. That is a $30-billion black hole that members opposite created and tried to cover up. That is exactly what happened. When circumstances change, intelligent governments react accordingly.

Mr Butler interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Port Adelaide is warned.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will restore the budget situation. We will not continue the intergenerational theft that members opposite were guilty of. We will not commit these crimes against our children and grandchildren that members opposite were creating. That is what we were elected to do.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Isaacs will withdraw.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.