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

The point I am making is that the best thing that we can do the workers of Australia is to try to ensure that their businesses can flourish, because if the businesses can flourish the workers can continue to be employed and can enjoy the higher wages that everyone wants to see workers in this country earn. More profitable businesses are more productive businesses; more productive businesses have higher paid workers. We get that; members opposite do not. That is why they loaded up the businesses of Australia with the mining tax, with the carbon tax, with more regulation and green tape. We want to see all of those go.

The Leader of the Opposition asked me about workers earning $50,000. Let me explain for the Leader of the Opposition's benefit that, under the budget that this government has brought down, if you are a sole parent, with one child aged under six, earning $50,000 in 2016-17 you will receive $11,705 in social security support.

The difference between this government and members opposite is that we support the businesses employing the workers and we want the social security system to be sustainable for the long run. We understand, in a way that members opposite do not, that you cannot continue to pay money that you haven't got. You cannot continue to saddle up future generations with ever-expanding debt to pay for today's consumption. You cannot do that. Members opposite should really wake up to themselves. We have explained how we will sort out Labor's debt and deficit disaster. Members opposite need to do the same.

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