House debates Questions without Notice
Abbott Government Priorities
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:08 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister made two policy choices yesterday. He reintroduced knights and dames to the Australian honours list and his government voted in the House yesterday to cut $211 payments from the children of orphans. Prime Minister, don't these choices reflect the government's cruel and twisted priorities?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
It is nice to get a question from the Hon. Bill Shorten, who has on his frontbench the Hon. Mark Dreyfus, Queen's Counsel.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
This government's priorities are very clear—
Mr Snowden interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
we want to take the burdens off families that members opposite put on them.
Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
We want to get rid of the carbon tax. Last week, Labor voted to keep the carbon tax.
Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
We want to get rid of the mining tax. Yesterday, Labor voted to keep the mining tax. We want to get rid of some 10,000 redundant regulations and acts of parliament, and I bet you this, Madam Speaker, Labor will vote to keep them.
Mr Champion interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Wakefield!
An opposition member interjecting —
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. All day, the parliament has been saying that was bipartisan—all day!
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
That is not a point of order, and the member will not abuse the standing orders.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
We want to restore the rule of law in the construction industry, and Labor has voted against that. We want to clean up corruption inside the union movement, and Labor is opposed to that. This is a government which is focussed on doing the right thing by the families of Australia—
Mr Burke interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Always will be, and if the Leader of the Opposition is serious about focusing on the priorities of Australian families he will get with the government, scrap the carbon tax, scrap the mining tax and restore the rule of law in our difficult industries.