Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election the Prime Minister promised to reduce cost-of-living pressures on Australian families. A single income family earning $95,000 with two children will be up to $5,000 worse off each year, including cuts to family tax benefits. Does the Prime Minister agree with John Howard when he said, 'This is, in effect, a tax rise on people in certain income brackets'?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the shadow minister opposite has a look at tables in the budget documents, she will see that we are continuing to provide generous assistance to families with children. Obviously there are some changes to family tax benefit part B—I accept that. I also accept that former Prime Minister Howard was, as he said today, 'the father of family tax benefit part B'. There are some things that were absolutely right when we had surpluses of $20 billion a year and there are quite different things which are absolutely right when we have deficits of $50 billion a year, and that is what we are dealing with. We are dealing with the debt and deficit disaster that the members opposite created. We are dealing with Labor's debt and deficit disaster. There were some things that were affordable when we had a $20 billion surplus. Those things are now not affordable with the $50 billion deficits—the deficits that this Labor Party has given us.

I want to say that John Howard, to his great credit, made the decisions that were right for his time and this government will make the decisions that are right for our time.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Will the minister outline how the budget will deliver a stronger and viable future for regional Australia?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member for Parkes understands full well how important it is to have strong regional economies if we want to have a strong nation. When our country is strong, our regions are strong. Unfortunately, the regions have suffered from the last six years of Labor governments—Labor governments which cared little about regional Australia. Promises were made, many funded by a mining tax were therefore essentially unfunded because the mining tax did not raise any money. But this budget sets a new path for Australia, a path to deliver a sustainable future for our nation. A significant part of delivering that sustainable future is the investment in infrastructure that the Treasurer has just referred to—a $50 billion Commonwealth contribution towards infrastructure expenditure of at least a $125 billion. This is a commitment that makes a difference everywhere in this country—significantly in our cities where a large number of major projects have been announced, and also in the regional communities.

There is a $2.5 billion commitment in this budget to the Roads to Recovery program, extending the program into the future. In 2015-16, there will be a double payment to local governments across Australia to help them with their road and streets works. In addition to that, there is a $565 million investment to fix dangerous spots on our roads—the accident spots, the black spots—many of which are in regional Australia and in country towns. There is a further $300 million for our new Bridges Renewal Program to fix some of those bridges which are falling apart and can no longer carry heavy loads, preventing the school bus from taking children to school. We will be fixing those projects in consultation with our communities.

We will also be delivering on specific projects in regional communities through our Community Grants program. This includes even picking up some of the projects announced by the previous government which they had not funded, they had not contracted. We are doing the right things for those communities to fix and deliver the projects that Labor had not properly funded.

There is $100 million for mobile phones. We are grateful to the Minister for Communications for getting on with that task of filling in the gaps. We will make sure that regional Australia is back on the agenda and we will be listening tonight to see whether Labor has learned anything about regional Australia in the opposition's budget reply.

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 the Prime Minister's promise that there would be no new taxes under his government. I also refer the Treasurer to his comments this morning that he is astounded that Australians are upset by the $7 dollar GP tax and that this is two middies of beer to go to the doctor. Is it not the case that it is the Australian people who are entitled to be astounded at this government's deceit and arrogance?

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

That was not really a question about the policy. That was just a political assertion. I would say to the member for McMahon, if he wants to debate the issue, let us debate the issue. Let us debate the fact that Labor left us with $667 billion of debt—

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

The member for Charlton will desist.

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

and $123 billion of deficits. Something needs to be done about it. Let us debate the fact that they left us with rising unemployment and falling terms of trade, and we need to deal with those things. Let us also have a debate about the fact that Labor left locked-in increases in expenditure over the medium term of 3.7 per cent per year above inflation with an economy that is growing at less than three per cent. Let us have a debate about these things, because they go directly to the quality of life that we are creating for the Australian people. They are the issues that do matter.

Labor has not yet said whether it supports the Medical Research Future Fund, because the only way the Medical Research Future Fund can be created is if there is a co-contribution when people go to visit the doctor. That is because every dollar of savings over the next six years in the health portfolio is going into the Medical Research Future Fund. It is the biggest medical research fund of its kind in the world.

Why we doing this? We are doing this because only through—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

There is too much noise.

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

cure and discovery are we going to ensure that the health system Australians want and deserve over the next 50 years is going to be delivered. That is, finding a cure for cancer, finding a cure for dementia and finding a cure for Alzheimer's, and the Labor Party does not support that.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The member for Rankin is warned.

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

No, they do not. The member for Chifley says that they do not support the medical research that is going to find a cure for cancer, dementia or Alzheimer's. Why? That is because the Labor Party has never, ever paid it forward. They have never invested for the future. They have never understood that if you really want to build something that is going to improve the quality of life of everyday Australians—

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

The member for Rankin will remove himself from the House under the provisions of standing order 94(a).

The member for Rankin then left the chamber.

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

you have the start investing now. It is all about the politics. The entire contribution of the political opposition in response to the budget has been about politics—not about economics and not about building a stronger future. All they have to say is the political line. That has been their line for six years. Australians have had enough of it.