Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak against this motion because this motion is not really about honesty; it's about an opposition looking for a scare campaign because it has run out of an economic plan, but this government has not. Australians know what this government stands for. We stand for lower taxes for working people. We stand for responsible cost-of-living relief. We stand for stronger Medicare. We stand for cheaper medicines. We stand for more homes. We stand for an economy that rewards work, not just wealth.

Labor cut income taxes for every taxpayer in our first term. We are cutting them again, and we are cutting them again after that. That is tax relief for working Australians. This Albanese Labor government is putting more money in the pockets of 13.3 million workers through the working Australians tax offset. It is delivering a new $1,000 instant tax deduction. It is cutting fuel taxes to help people fill up the car. It is making Medicare urgent care clinics permanent, and it is investing in public hospitals and cheaper medicines. That is the evidence. Not slogans, not fear—evidence.

Here is the part the opposition does not want to talk about: when Labor delivered tax cuts, they opposed them. When Labor delivered cost-of-living relief, they opposed it. When Labor backed higher wages, they fought against it. When Labor acted to strengthen Medicare, they stood in the way. The Prime Minister was right when he said the opposition went to the last election arguing for higher taxes and higher deficits. Now they want to lecture Australians about tax. The opposition cannot spend years opposing tax relief and then pretend to be the party of lower taxes. They cannot oppose help for households and then pretend to care about the cost of living. They cannot block, delay and complain, and then ask Australians to forget the record. This is not strength. This is not leadership. This is not honesty. It is politics at its smallest.

The opposition attacks these reforms because they do not want the real debate. Should the tax system reward people who work hard for a wage? Should young Australians get a fairer chance to buy a home? Should government make careful choices so we can fund Medicare, hospitals, housing and cost-of-living relief? On this side of the House, the answer is yes. That is why we are delivering tax cuts for every taxpayer. That is why we are delivering more tax relief for workers. That is why we are putting fairness back into the system. That is why we are making reforms that help bring the dream of homeownership within reach.

This government is making difficult decisions, but difficult does not mean dishonest. Leadership means being straight with people about the challenges in front of us. The housing challenge is real. The cost-of-living challenge is real. The pressure on public services is real. The need to repair the budget is real. As a serious government faces those challenges, a serious government acts. This budget does not just acknowledge the people who feel the system is not working for them; it acts on it. That is what this government is doing—taking pressure off households, cutting taxes for workers, strengthening Medicare, building more homes, repairing the budget, making the tax system fairer for the future.

The opposition can say what they like, but Australians can see what really is going on—an opposition that opposes relief and then complains people are under pressure, an opposition that defends unfairness and then talks about aspiration, an opposition that offers slogans when families need solutions. This motion should be rejected, because it is about fear. Australians deserve better than fear. They deserve a government that acts. That is what Labor is doing. We promised to help with the cost of living; we are delivering. We promised to strengthen Medicare; we are delivering. We promised to build a fairer economy; we are delivering—and we are just getting started.

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