Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to his admission on ABC's 7.30 last night that the new GP payment and income tax levy are taxes. I also refer the Treasurer to both his and the Prime Minister's repeated promises before the election that there would be no new taxes under the coalition government. After this deceit, how can the Australian people ever believe anything the Treasurer or the Prime Minister have to say?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not say that.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a lie.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What was that? You withdraw.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member for Isaacs made a very unparliamentary intervention and I would ask him to withdraw.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Treasurer made the comment on television last night. For him to stand up in the parliament and deny—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, we will not be debating in question time. The point was made that the member for Isaacs made an unparliamentary comment. Will he withdraw?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The interviewer asked me a question and put a whole lot of things into that question and assumed that the answer was relevant to that particular point.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will have some silence, please. The Treasurer has the call. The question has been asked.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Labor Party left Australia in a mess. The Labor Party left the budget in a mess. The Labor Party is now in a position where not only are they opposing us keeping our election promises in the Senate; the Labor Party is opposing us keeping the Labor Party's election promises in the Senate. So I would say to the Labor Party that, at a certain point, you need to accept responsibility for your actions.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was about the Treasurer's and the Prime Minister's deceit of the Australian people. He should be relevant to the question—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. It will be a very wide-ranging answer when you ask a question in such broad terms.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If, as the member for McMahon says, the question is about deceit, I would ask him to explain why we ended up with a deficit of $123 billion. I would ask him why we ended up with $667 billion of debt. Why is it the case that the member for Lilley never actually delivered four surpluses in a row? Why is that the case? If we are going to have a discussion about deceit, I would suggest that the Labor Party is standing on very thin ice.