Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that just this week the government lost Wentworth on Monday and lost Chisholm on Tuesday, and it was reported on Wednesday that it's about to lose Hughes? Is this why the Prime Minister has a policy to have a part-time parliament, because he can't bear the consequences of having all the members of the government in the one place at the same time?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an interesting fact that, with fewer than half the opportunities the opposition actually have to ask questions in this place, their questions aren't about policy and they're not about what's happening in this country. It's all about politics and smear. They're interested in their political games and they're interested in the good old Canberra bubble. That's what they're interested in.

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

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

The member for Gorton is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What they're not interested in is what is actually happening in this place and the work that is being done. It could be the work that's being done to support our farmers through the drought, because we have been getting on with the job of extending that assistance to shires and councils all around the country. They're missing the point when they don't understand that the laws that we introduced into this place this week—which are what we've been focused on—ensure that we can have an Australian Citizenship Act amendment that will mean that those who commit terrorist attacks in this country and are convicted of them will have their citizenship stripped. That's what we've been focusing on.

We've been focusing this week on announcing—like last night—that if you're between 21 and 24 you will get access to the adult apprenticeship scheme. There will be $4,000 worth of support for you to be in that position, which is a gap that has been created and that we've filled. We announced last night that we could ensure that small businesses would get access to free advice to deal with their complaints and issues when working those through with the ATO. We've been taking action on the securitisation fund to ensure that small business can get access to cheaper finance from more lenders. This is what our government is doing.

The Labor Party doesn't come in here and talk about policies that make the economy stronger. They don't even ask about policies that could make the economy stronger. They just come in here and think that all they have to do is be full of hubris, full of arrogance and full of the swagger that you're used to seeing with the cocky union militant official walking onto the site, walking up to a small-business owner and telling them how it's going to be. That's what the Labor Party are proposing for the Australian people. They're swaggering around electorates all around the country. They're going to be changing it all if they get the opportunity to win the next election. There would be a 45 per cent emissions reduction target that would wipe out industries across this country, including aluminium smelters up in Gladstone and on Boyne Island. That's what their proposal is: to slug retirees with a $5 billion-a-year retiree tax for the simple fact that they went and bought Australian shares. They are going to wipe out negative gearing as we know it today and increase capital gains tax by 50 per cent at a time when our housing markets have eased off and are going through a soft landing.

The Labor Party's plans for our economy are a big change—a big change—and the Australian people need to have it explained to them why Labor wants to change things so much.