Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'll give the opposition this: they're pretty consistent when it comes to cuts. Those across the chamber love a cut. They love a cut to health, love a cut to education and love a cut to manufacturing support. They have never seen a cut that they didn't like, with one glaring exception. That exception is tax cuts. The Leader of the Opposition who now sits across from us in this chamber voted against a tax cut for every single Australian.

I think it's worth imagining a world where the coalition's dreams had come true and they were in government right now. It's a world where 14 million Australians would be paying higher tax. In my electorate, it's a world where we would have 11 fewer bulk-billing clinics, a world where 27,000 people would have 20 per cent higher debt and a world where local apprentices would be $10,000 poorer.

We know that tomorrow marks 12 months since the opposition decided to vote against a tax cut for every Australian. What is scary for the Australian people and what is scary for the Australian economy is that the architect of those decisions is sitting in the opposition leadership chair right now.

See this speech in context