Jenny Macklin Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
2:19 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. New analysis from Professor Peter Whiteford shows that a family with two children aged 11 and eight with one parent earning $60,000 a year will lose around $84 a week because of this government's unfair budget. Does the Prime Minister think it is fair that this typical Australian family will lose more than seven per cent of their disposable income because of this government's unfair budget?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
There has been no new analysis. The analysis that the shadow minister refers to is the old analysis, and the old analysis did not actually analyse the 2015 budget—simple as that. It did not actually analyse the 2015 budget—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Jagajaga on a point of order.
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
I seek leave to table the article in today's The Conversation by Professor Peter Whiteford.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume her seat. The Prime Minister has the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
So there is a media report—that is what there is—based on the NATSEM analysis which was used and abused by members opposite in the last sitting week. Let me make the fundamental point: the NATSEM analysis in question failed to take into account the incentives to move from welfare to work. But I am not surprised that members opposite do not take into account incentives to move from welfare to work because, I regret to say—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Scullin is not entitled to speak!
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
the once great Labor Party is now the welfare party; it is not the workers' party. This is the fundamental thing that the people of Australia are coming to understand: it is the welfare party, not the workers' party. I understand—and this government understands—that the best thing we can do is to get people into work.
Ms Chesters interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The best form of welfare, as decent Labor people understand, is to get people into work. I have to say that the member who asked the question once had that view as well.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Grayndler on a point of order.
Honourable members interjecting—
There will be silence on my right as well as my left. The member for Grayndler on a point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
It goes to relevance. In order to be relevant, the Prime Minister must talk about one parent who earns $60,000 a year.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat. I pointed out before: once a question is couched in the terms of 'Is the budget fair?' it is a very wide-ranging question. The Prime Minister has the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Again I make the point that, once upon a time, decent Labor people understood that the best thing you could do for people on welfare was get them into work.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I am quoting here from two individuals called Jenny Macklin and Anthony Albanese who said:
We want all young Australians climbing the ladder of opportunity, not languishing on … benefits.
Exactly right. That is the position of this government.