Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. An hour ago, the government followed the coalition and announced a fuel excise cut. Can the Treasurer confirm that, unlike the coalition's plan, there is no inflationary offset to the government's excise cut?

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

Order! The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government is now warned. The continual interjections when anyone's speaking is highly disorderly. I'm asking for her help and everyone's help to make sure that we show everyone respect. The Treasurer has the call.

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

You'd think, with how long they gave him to come up with his first question in quite a while, that he'd come up with a better question than that. Let me tell the shadow Treasurer the key difference between the approach that we announced today and the letter that they wrote the Prime Minister on Friday. The main difference is that, in the plan that we announced today, we didn't forget the heavy-vehicle users like those opposite did. Those opposite called for a $1½ billion change which completely ignored the fact that heavy vehicles were paying 34c a litre. That's how they came up with the costing of 1½ when the costing is a bit more like 2½.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

If they're saying now, as they're interjecting across the table, that they included that, then they got their costing wrong, and it's not the first time that they have done that.

The shadow treasurer asked me about the key difference. The key difference is that we are providing more relief. Now, when it comes to the budget position, again, another key difference between this side and that side is that the underlying cash position that the member for Hume took as shadow treasurer to the last election had an $11 billion bigger deficit this year than what we had. He's now pretending—

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

Order! The Treasurer will now pause—

The member for Lingiari is now warned also. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes to direct relevance. The question was straightforward. Are there offsets or not? That was the question.

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

Resume your seat. I'd like to 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

The Manager of Opposition Business should know what was asked. This question specifically asked about coalition policy. We don't often get a question from that side that refers specifically to coalition policy. This one did.

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

I want to uphold what the Leader of the House has said. I've got a direct transcript here of the question. It is about the government following the coalition. If you're going to ask about coalition policy in your question and whether the government has followed it, it is obvious. I'd just asked the Manager of Opposition Business in the future to make sure he's also listening to the question. The Treasurer is going to respond to the question. He's being directly relevant, so he'll continue.

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

I'm asked about the differences between the two approaches. We're providing more relief, and, because we've got a much better budget position than those opposite took to the election, we're providing it in a more responsible way. We've found $114 billion worth of offsets in less than four years which is the kind of responsible economic management which would be unrecognisable to those opposite. When it comes to additional savings in the budget—we're at the end of March now, and the budget is in the second week of May—we'll continue to work through all of those decisions and deliberations in the considered, methodical and decisive way that has been the hallmark of the responsible economic management under this government for some years.

What this is really about—this is about providing temporary and timely and responsible cost-of-living relief to people who are doing it tough. We know that this war in the Middle East is having extreme consequences for the global economy, and Australians are paying a hefty price for that at the bowser. We're doing what this government always does which is to try and help where we can, to try and provide cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way that we can. If those opposite really cared about cost-of-living relief, they wouldn't have opposed our tax cuts or said that they'd repeal them if they won the election.