Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting for Deregulation. What is the government doing in the budget to ensure hardworking Australian families and businesses share in the benefits of the boom?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for his question. I know, like so many people on this side of the House, he spends every waking moment of the day fighting for those hardworking families and businesses in his electorate and right across this country. That is why, I know, he is very proud to be a part of a government that is delivering a surplus budget, a part of a government that is showing economic leadership. That leadership is demonstrated by the fact that we have growth returning to trend; we have unemployment at a very low level, with a 4 in front of it—4.9 per cent—we have inflation contained; and we have a record pipeline of investment coming into this country. All of the indicators demonstrate this is a strong economy—a strong economy being managed in the interests of working people.

But on this side of the House we understand that, whilst this is a strong economy, there are many families and many businesses across this country that feel as though they are not sharing in the benefits of the boom. That is why we are determined to spread the benefits of the mining boom and that is why we are increasing family payments. Indeed, the member for Moreton will know, because he fights so hard for his community, that 9,000 families in his electorate will benefit from this measure. He knows that there are 6,800 families in the Moreton electorate that will benefit from the schoolkids bonus. He knows that there are 19,400 small businesses in his electorate that are very keen to take advantage of the instant asset write-off when that comes into effect on 1 July. And he, along with the rest of us, is very proud of continuing our reform agenda when it comes to productivity and job creation, and that is why he supports the loss carry-back measures that we have introduced as well. Of course, all of these economic fundamentals underline the importance of us returning the budget to surplus, and that is what we are doing to give the Reserve Bank the room that it needs to cut interest rates if it chooses to do so and to spread that relief to families and businesses across our economy.

I think what most Australians cannot understand is why those opposite came into this place and voted against the schoolkids bonus. What most Australian cannot understand is why the Leader of the Opposition last week said that he will refuse those families an increase in their family payments. All of this is because he does not trust Australian families. He says he does not trust them to manage their budgets. Well, they should not trust him. He has a $70 billion black hole and he has no plan in terms of how he intends to fill it. But we all know to fill that black hole he would have to rip away payments and rip away services that these hardworking Australian families and businesses rely upon. He just will not tell us what they are. He will not stand up for working families and small businesses, but when it comes to spreading the benefits of the mining boom he is happy to see them trapped in the deep pockets of Clive Palmer and co.— (Time expired)

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Why is it important to show leadership and manage the economy in the interests of families and businesses? That is to the Assistant Treasurer again.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I raise a point of order. I think it is fair to say that that supplementary question is certainly out of order. It bears no relation at all to the answer that has just been given—nor does it even make an attempt to say that it arises out of the answer that the minister has just given.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going to ask the member for Moreton to state his question again. I did not actually hear all of it amongst all the hubbub.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting on Deregulation, flowing from the earlier question. Why is it important to show leadership—that is the key word—

Mr Robert interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Fadden might get a key word very shortly.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and to manage the economy in the interests of families and businesses?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not surprised that they are troubled by a question that goes to economic leadership.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Assistant Treasurer will not test my patience either.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for his supplementary question. He is correct: when it comes to economic leadership, that is what this government has shown. We have shown that economic leadership when the tough times have presented themselves. When it came to the global financial crisis we intervened, we stimulated the economy and we saved hundreds of thousands of jobs in this economy. We ensured that hardworking Australian people continued to have the opportunity to go to work each day and to contribute to the economy, to make a contribution. We continue to do this by demonstrating economic leadership with the budget that we have handed down.

Those opposite, just as they came in and recklessly voted against the schoolkids bonus for families, came into this place and voted against the stimulus measures during the global financial crisis. I think Australians are entitled to ask the question: what was the Leader of the Opposition doing during this time? What was he doing when the biggest economic decisions this country has ever faced had to be taken? Some might argue that he needed some time to weigh up the pros and the cons, that he needed some time to maybe even sleep on it. In fact, he did not just sleep on it; he slept through it. He slept through the global financial crisis and the debate that occurred in this parliament.