Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to talk this afternoon on the budget and the coalition versus Labor. The difference is very clear. The coalition is the only team in this place that builds infrastructure, keeps us safe and funds programs that make a difference to the most vulnerable. We are serious about strong borders. Labor had a border security disaster. 'Stop the boats' was a slogan back in 2013, and we made that into an outcome. We have not seen an illegal boat on our shores since the policy was introduced in 2013. We have secured our borders. We will continue to secure Australia with a $321 million boost to the AFP and 300 more personnel. Labor saw 52,000 illegal arrivals in Australia in their period of 2007-2013, allowed 1,200 desperate people to drown in the seas between here and Indonesia. The public do not accept people smuggling and neither does the coalition.

Lower business taxes drive small business and better jobs for all Australians. It is not government that drives the economy; it is small private enterprises that drive our economy. They are the people who employ people, and we must give them assistance where we can. The US tax rate— (Time expired)

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