Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker, I was asked about taxation. He has a lot of hide coming into the House and lecturing about taxation when he has a proposal to put up the company tax rate by 1.5 per cent—that is their Coles and Woolies tax—and when the opposition has come into this House and opposed tax relief for 2.7 million small businesses. They voted against assistance to people on low incomes—3.7 million of them—for their superannuation. They have also opposed the tripling of the tax-free threshold. That is where we stand when it comes to tax.

For our part, what we have said is that we will behave in a responsible way. We will bring our budget back to surplus in 2012-13. We will make our savings in a responsible way, in a way that supports jobs and economic growth. That stands in stark contrast to the approach of those on the other side, who want to go out and take the axe to large slabs of health and education and sack workers—hell, west and crooked. There is a very clear contrast for all Australians to see, based on our values of supporting community and their approach, which is simply scorched earth.

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