Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians know that, when Labor run out of their own money, they'll come looking for yours. Labor's so-called economic talkfest was nothing but a fizzer—hand picked participants trotted out while real Australians continue to suffer. But here's the reality. We've got the lowest productivity rates in 60 years and electricity prices are out of control. The talkfest came up with a whole new bucket of taxes—starting with the unrealised capital gains tax—with leaked documents from Treasury saying that taxes had to go up. A plan to increase the GST was discussed—and the spare bedroom tax, an increase on fringe benefits, an increase on capital gains and abolishing negative gearing. And Labor loves the death tax.

They're going to disguise all of this as an intergenerational fairness tax. You watch; before this afternoon you'll see them introduce a fairness tax, a truth tax. They've racked up the highest levels of spending since 1989. They've failed on productivity, they've failed on energy and they've failed to spend responsibly. People ask, 'How could they have done that?' The Department of Defence annual report states that there are 120 fewer personnel than there were 12 months ago. Accordingly, the bureaucracy has gone up—wait for it—by 1,700 people. You've got a spending problem. (Time expired)