Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister advise the House how our government's plan for a stronger economy creates more opportunity for all Australians through more jobs, lower taxes and record funding for essential services?

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

I thank the member for his question. What underpins this budget that we handed down this week is a fundamental principle that Liberals and Nationals feel passionately about; that is, in this country, there should be a fair go for those who have a go. There should be reward for working hard. There should be the opportunity to keep more of what you earn. If you're starting a business, if you're employing people, if you're investing, if you're taking risks—

Dr Freelander interjecting—

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

The member for Macarthur is warned!

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

if you're doing all of those things, you should be rewarded for that effort. That is what the budget this week has delivered yet again: a budget that ensures that Australians will be able to keep more of what they earn and that, if you're running a small family business—when you are the last person to take a wage, not the first; you pay your staff first and you take your own wage last—we will be there, as we have been over the last 5½ years. As this budget has demonstrated yet again, we will continue to invest in the hard work and enterprise of Australians, because that is the underpinning of our budget. Our budget is not underpinned by the $200 billion of higher taxes which will be part of a Labor government. That has no place in the plan of the Liberal and National parties to actually take the country forward. But it is central to the plan that the Labor Party are putting forward.

I doubt you'll hear tonight about the $200 billion of higher taxes from the Labor Party. I doubt you'll hear about the $5 billion every single year they want to take out of the pockets of retirees. You won't hear about the housing tax that is going to put extreme pressure on and drive up rents for young families saving for a first home or undermine the value of the homes of those who've gone out and are paying their mortgages for and working hard every week. You won't hear about that. You won't hear about the extra taxes that people will pay on their superannuation. You won't hear about the fact that the Labor Party refused to support the government's policy to abolish an entire 37c tax bracket. You won't hear that they want to change and oppose the policy that says we want people on $50,000 a year to pay no more than 30c in the dollar in tax. The Labor Party want them to pay 32½c. The Labor Party want to tax you more and tell untruths about the government. As we go into tonight's budget response from the Leader of the Opposition, all I suspect we'll hear, once again, is what I suspect will be put out there at the next election: more Labor lies and more Labor taxes.