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

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is it that, under this Prime Minister, millionaires will get a tax cut on 1 July, but the very next day, a Sunday, ordinary workers will face a pay cut of up to $77 a week? How is that fair?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right! The member for Deakin and the member for Barker will cease interjecting. The member for Bruce is warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How is it fair to have a Leader of the Opposition who again and again reverses his position for pure political advantage? He cannot maintain one principle for a moment. He lectures us about fairness. What about the fairness for the workers he represented when he ran the AWU? What about the penalty rates he traded away at Cleanevent? What about the businesses whose taxes he threatens to put up? What about that? What about the people to whom he held himself out as believing in lower business taxes? He now reverses that position. What about the parents of disabled children? He told them he cared and he pledged his compassion and his commitment, but now he will not support the full funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McEwen has been warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about the parents of schoolchildren, to whom he talked about Gonski and needs based funding at least 75 times? As we saw this week, he voted against a consistent and fair needs based school funding model—not just in David Gonski's name but endorsed by David Gonski, consistent with his vision, consistent with his report.

All of this hypocrisy, all of this inconsistency, tells you but one thing about the Labor Party and its leader: they will do anything for politics. They are all tactics and no principle. We have committed to delivering security for the vital services Australians need—paying for the NDIS, delivering needs based school funding, guaranteeing Medicare and ensuring Australian businesses have the incentives to employ, to invest and to get ahead. That is our commitment to Australian families, Australian children and vulnerable Australians. We are raising the money to ensure that those services are guaranteed. Labor talks but does not deliver. We are getting on with the job.