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. Previously, the Prime Minister has promised many things before a vote: that he would drop his Rolls Royce paid parental leave scheme, that he would keep his promise to build our submarines in Australia. Now there are reports he will drop his unfair GP tax. Isn't this just another case of a Prime Minister willing to say or do anything before a vote before breaking his promise straight after?

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

I call the honourable the Prime Minister. He can ignore the latter part of the question.

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

This very wide ranging series of smears and abuse does give me an opportunity to talk about what this government is doing to protect the Australian people, to do the right thing by the Australian people and to get on with government, which is exactly what the Australian people elected us to do. Just in the last few weeks, let me go through it—

Ms Macklin interjecting—

The shadow minister asked me what this government is doing. I will tell her what this government is doing.

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

You're breaking your promises!

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

The member for Jagajaga will desist. She has asked her question.

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

Ten days ago I went down to the electorate of Lyons and I announced five new water storages for Northern Tasmania. That is good news for the people of Tasmania, good news for agriculture in Tasmania. The other week we went out to the electorate of the member for Hume and we announced that we were lowering the screening threshold for foreign purchases of agricultural land—more good news for Australia, more good news from this government protecting the sovereignty of this great nation. Just the other day, in company with the Minister for Industry and the Minister for Agriculture, we announced that we were going to get serious about country-of-origin labelling, because Australians need to know where there products are coming from. The Minister for Social Services just the other week changed the deeming rates to put more money in the pockets of the part pensioners of Australia. Speaking of pensioners, they have lost the carbon tax but they have kept the carbon tax compensation—very good news for the pensioners of Australia.

We have put in place a process that will actually deliver us the future submarines that Australia needs, after Labor sat on their hands for six long years. For six long years they sat on their hands, putting the defence of this country at risk. If members opposite were still in power there would never be any new submarines, and this country would lack a strategic deterrent.

Just this day, we are getting on with government, with a code of conduct for the grocery sector. It is a code of conduct that will protect small business, a code of conduct that will protect consumers and a code of conduct that members opposite talked about but never, ever delivered. Wherever you look, this is a government which is doing what it must to govern this country. Members opposite were incompetent in government and they are wreckers in opposition.