Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister and follows the answer he gave to the previous question bar the one from his side of the chamber. Can the Prime Minister confirm that the proportion of household income consumed by mortgage interest repayments is 50 per cent higher today than under Treasurer Keating—50 per cent higher?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader will resume his seat. Those placards will be put down immediately! I will not give a further warning.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I will not confirm that, because the truth is the proper comparison is the proportion of income on a new mortgage, and it is lower now than it was when you had interest rates at 17 per cent. If you actually look at the figures and the claim being made by the Leader of the Opposition, he cannot escape the heavy burden that Keating and Beazley equals 17 per cent; Howard and Costello equals 7¾ per cent. That is the measure of the difference between the economic stewardship of this government and the economic stewardship of the Australian Labor Party.