Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This tired, old government has been in power for nearly a decade. The cost of living is rising, real wages are going backwards, debt and deficit are the worst they have ever been, aged care is in crisis and Medicare is under attack. Why does this Prime Minister always go missing? Why does he never take responsibility? And why does he always try to divide the country instead of unite it?

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

This is a tired, old opposition with no economic plan for a government or the future of this country. Tonight they have the opportunity to actually spell out an economic plan or an alternative budget for this country. The Australian people have been waiting and are still waiting to hear their economic plan. This is a tired opposition with no economic plan.

Alternatively, though, this government has delivered an economic plan that is putting Australians in work and keeping them there. This is a government whose economic plan has ensured that we've been able to list 2,800 medicines on the PBS—new listings which are changing lives and saving lives. This is a government that has delivered the record investments in health and education. It has backed the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It has the highest rate of bulk-billing this country has ever known. It's a government that has lifted defence spending as a share of our economy to two per cent from the 1.56 per cent we inherited from those opposite. If we had left the tax rates where they were when we inherited them from the Labor Party, if you were earning $90,000 today, you would be paying $50 more in tax every single week.

Our economic plan is delivering for Australians, as the Treasurer reminded us this week. It's an economic plan that has put people into jobs. It is an economic plan that ensures that we can pay for the things that we promised and we deliver. If you cannot manage the economy and you cannot manage the nation's finances, then you can't pay for aged care, you can't pay for the PBS and you can't pay for the defence forces. It was the Labor Party, when it was last in government, that did not list medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, because it couldn't manage money. We have the Leader of the Opposition leading a tired, old opposition with no economic plan, who will revert to type if he ever occupies these Treasury benches. He has spent a lifetime advocating for things that he now says he walks away from.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. Mr Speaker, you won't be surprised that it is on relevance.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to hear what the point of order is first. What is the point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

The question went to the government's policy, the government's position. If he can't speak for three minutes about his own government, he should just sit down.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The question was extremely broad. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Our government has an economic plan that is working, that has delivered for Australians, that sets up Australia for the next decade of opportunity, which cannot be taken for granted, and that is in contrast to a tired old opposition, who, after all this time, still do not have an economic plan and still, as ever, cannot be trusted with the nation's finances.