Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. A single-income family earning $65,000 a year with two children will be around $6,000 worse off because of the Prime Minister's budget. This includes a $1.9 billion cut to family tax benefit B, found on page 198 of the budget papers. Why should Australian families have to pay for this Prime Minister's dishonesty?

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

This government was elected to fix Labor's debt and deficit disaster, and fix it we will. I would be very reluctant to accept the figures in the Leader of the Opposition's question because the Leader of the Opposition has a bit of a record of misleading people.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Let me point out to the House that under this government people will continue to receive generous social security benefits.

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

It's a $1.9 billion cut!

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

The difference is that under this government it will be sustainable. Under members opposite it was not sustainable. Just to give you a couple of examples, a single-income household with a child with $30,000 in private income will continue to receive some $18,000 from the taxpayer under this government if the child is under six. A similar household earning $90,000 will continue to receive some $6,000 from the taxpayer. This is a government which appreciates that families are doing it tough and, if members opposite are fair dinkum about doing the right thing by the families of Australia, repeal the carbon tax and do it now.