Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. How is the Albanese Labor government cutting taxes for working people at the same time as it is improving the budget? What risks are posed by other approaches?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know, from engaging with the member for Melbourne on a whole range of issues, what a wonderful advocate she is for the people of that great city. Really the biggest difference at the last election was on economic policy, because we had a plan to cut taxes, to help with the cost of living, to repair the budget and to invest in the future, and those opposite had a policy for higher income taxes, bigger deficits and more debt. That's what their election document made clear when the member for Fairfax and his nuclear reactors got together with the economic incompetence of the member for Hume and together they nuked the opposition's economic credibility. That's one of the reasons why sensible Liberals like Malcolm Turnbull have said that those opposite have run off into la-la land. This is why Peter Costello told Troy Bramston:

At the last election, they got themselves into a position where they were proposing to increase income taxes, run bigger deficits, no real plan to—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will pause. Order! Members on my right! Member for Wannon and a few others, if you can just—I couldn't hear a word the Treasurer was saying. He mentioned a name, and there was a reaction. Let's just return to the question and then get through the answer.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So this is the feedback from Malcolm Turnbull, the feedback from Peter Costello and also the feedback from some of the member for Hume's colleagues, who said to Sam Maiden that he was 'an absolute disaster' in that role. Another one told Karen Barlow that everything he touches 'turns to custard'. He was a disaster as energy minister. He was a disaster as shadow Treasurer. The definition of insanity would be to put someone with a disastrous track record into the top job, hoping things would be different.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm going to hear from the member for Page, who's on his feet.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He can't speak from the dispatch box. That's my point of order.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll deal with this matter. This came about on Monday. I can advise the House, on advice from the Leader of the Opposition by her staff in relation to the Leader of the Nationals and the Deputy Leader of the Nationals, that, by their appointment, they are members of the executive.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! Yes, of the shadow executive. The Leader of the House is entitled to ask that question, because that was never explained to the House, to be fair. In normal practice, someone will advise the House of those arrangements. That didn't happen, so I'm entitled to address the House and the leader's entitled to raise that question, just to deal with this matter. Then we'll get to the point of order. Don't worry. We'll get there. So just pause for a moment. If you take your seat, we'll deal with this matter about the frontbench, and then we'll hear from the Leader of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As you referred to, it's page 111 of Practice that makes clear that only members of the opposition executive can speak from the dispatch box. The public comments from the Leader of the Opposition on 8 February are that the shadow ministers do not return until 1 March.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. I said: we'll deal with this and then you can respond. I said I would hear from the Leader of the House and that he was entitled to that. Then we will come to you, Manager of Opposition Business, and you will have your point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the Manager of Opposition Business is right. This is a matter for the opposition—

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is. It's not a matter for you.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

which is why I'm quoting the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition said that the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Nationals 'will attend meetings of the leadership group' but said that this is only to 'ensure joint representation and accountability in decision-making during this interim period'. It does not make them shadow ministers and it does not make them members of the opposition executive.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. The Leader of the House is correct. This was not addressed on Monday. To be fair to the House, it is the responsibility of the opposition and the government to update the House. That didn't occur. But, under the standing orders, it is also within the Speaker's purview to resolve these matters, and I chose to do that on advice from the Leader of the Opposition, who advised me that, by the nature of those positions and within consultation, they are able to be members of the executive, or to sit there. To assist the House moving forward, if there are changes in the future, it would be helpful to the House if someone could advise the House of that so that the Speaker isn't placed in that position and this matter doesn't have to be resolved in such a way. We're clear on that matter. We'll deal with the point of order from the Deputy Leader of the Nationals.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. The Treasurer was asked a question about government policy. He spent a minute and a half basically deflecting and insulting members opposite—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The question contained 'What risks are there to other approaches?' It's bordering on abuse of the standing orders.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because he was asked about this. The question was: 'What risks are there to other approaches?' Listen to the question. That's why the Treasurer has this opening to do that under the standing orders. We've got a minute and 20 seconds to go. We're going to listen to him conclude the answer.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point that I'm making is that this side of the House is cutting income taxes and getting the budget in better shape, and the member for Hume took to the last election a policy to jack up income taxes and to make deficits bigger and debt worse. That's why those opposite are baulking at him now. In every portfolio that he's held, he's failed badly and he's failed upwards. The worse he performs, the more entitled he feels to a promotion, no matter what happens. At every stage of his life, he wants everything handed to him on a silver platter, he reminds me of a famous saying. The member for Hume was born with a silver foot in his mouth!

Just when we thought that they couldn't go any lower on economic credibility, the member for Hume says, 'Hold my chardonnay.' He is a living, breathing reminder that the Liberal Party has become the party of higher income taxes, higher deficits and higher debt. He goes months without asking questions in this place. Those opposite should ask themselves if they really want him to do to their party this term what he did to their economic credibility last term.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.