Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why does this Prime Minister support cutting the penalty rates of over 7,000 working Australians in Braddon by up to $77 a week while he is giving an $80 billion handout to big business, or is the Prime Minister telling hardworking Australians in Braddon who are again having their penalty rates cut to just get a better job, too?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. I think it's a shame that the member for Bass isn't getting an opportunity to ask a question. I know that his leader probably hauled in him and said, 'Oh, Mr Hart, what a mess!' But we say he spoke for all Australians when he revealed the shocking captain's call that the Leader of the Opposition made—a job-destroying call. The two honourable members I just referred to—the member for Franklin and the member for Bass—are both from Tasmania, a state that's enjoying stronger economic performance. It has many family owned businesses. I talked about one yesterday, Stubbs Constructions, but there are so many of them in Tasmania. Often businesses have been run by many generations of the same family and they've been investing in them out of retained earnings. They are given real confidence by the government's support for them.

The member for Bass pointed out that he understands how important it is for businesses to make profits. Indeed, in his maiden speech, the member for Bass said that he understood the importance of small business, and he feels that. So you can imagine how distressed he was on behalf of those businesses at the heart of Launceston's economy, a city that is doing really well and benefiting from one of our city deals, I might add. It really is getting strong support there. How betrayed did he feel, and how much did he yearn for a leader of the Labor Party who understood business, a leader who wanted to evoke the great traditions of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, who cared about business, who recognised when that business is doing well the workers are doing well? That interview with Brian Carlton reads like a cry of pain. It really does. The member for Bass was being pressed by the dogged interviewer. Thirteen times he was asked to support the Leader of the Opposition. Finally, he mumbled some sort of response. It was a shocking interview—cruel, in fact. I have a lot of admiration for Brian Carlton, but he should have let the member go when he begged to go.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

He did! He asked to be let out, but he heard the click of the studio door. He was trapped. He couldn't get out. But he knew in his heart that this Leader of the Opposition was undermining every family business in his electorate. He knows that when he goes back to Launceston they will say, 'You need a new leader.' That's what they will say to the member for Bass. And we know what he'll say— (Time expired)