Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. How will the reforms in the Albanese Labor government's budget help more Australians get ahead? How does this compare to other approaches?

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

I thank the member for Moreton for her question and also for the opportunity to share with her the responsibility of representing the great people of the southern suburbs of Brisbane, on her side of Compton Road and my side of Compton Road. I appreciate the question. The legislation we introduced today was part of the most ambitious tax reforms that we've seen in this place for a quarter of a century. That legislation is about three things. It's about cutting taxes for workers, it's about making it easier to buy a first home and it's about better aligning the tax treatment of labour and assets.

Anybody who votes against this legislation is voting for higher taxes on workers and for a broken status quo in the housing market. Those opposite have done this before, and they look like making the same mistake again. They don't understand that aspiration and opportunity are not things that you learn about from focus groups, and they can't be things that our kids read about in history books either. If we accept that generations of Australians are at risk of being disregarded and disconnected from our economy and our society, then we have a responsibility to act on that. When the country wants things to change, they are clinging to a busted status quo which locks too many Australians out of housing and out of our economy more broadly.

It would be easier but it would be wrong to leave things exactly as they are. Governing is about seeing problems in our economy and our society and taking decisive and difficult steps to address those challenges, as we are doing on this side of the House, not leaving them for somebody else to fix. Generation after generation would pay a heftier price for that cowardice.

Economic reform is always accompanied by dishonest scare campaigns, but those dishonest scare campaigns will not deter us. This legislation is all about cutting taxes for workers, and those opposite don't want us to do that. It's about making it easier to buy a first home, and those opposite do not want to see that happen. It's about better aligning the tax treatment of labour and assets.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I hear them chirping away about going to an early election. I don't think they want an election right now. We've heard a bit of chat in recent days about the formation of a new minor party in our politics in this country. The most efficient way to create a minor party in Australia is to put the member for Hume in charge of a major one, and that's why they are so stroppy this week. The fair go must be a defining characteristic of our future, not just the defining characteristic of our past, and that's what our legislation is all about.

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

Before I call the Leader of the Opposition, I understand that the members for Bowman, McPherson, Grey and Groom have signs that they have prepared to hold up—l-i-e-s. They're not permitted to do that, under the standing orders, so I'm going to ask them not to do that. There are props; they're not allowed in this House. For the dignity of this House, I will not have signs held up like that. I'm giving you fair warning that we are not having the Parliament of Australia degenerate into that.

You're on thin ice, too, Member for Kennedy, for wearing that Blues scarf! Trust me.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Labor Premier for Western Australia, Roger Cook; the Labor Premier for New South Wales, Chris Minns; the Labor members for Parramatta and Bennelong and the Labor economic committee are all opposed to Labor's toxic taxes. What will it take for the Prime Minister to axe these toxic taxes?

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

Order! The member for Cooper will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Cooper then left the chamber.

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

Where do you begin—seriously? That question was based upon complete fantasy. I stood up with Roger Cook last week at a 29-storey building that we are building in Perth—new housing, new social housing, new affordable housing for essential workers, new private rentals and new homeownership waiting as part of our $47 billion Homes for Australia Plan. The Premier of WA, just like the Premier of New South Wales and all of our members here who went through all of our positions, including of course our cabinet secretary and all our caucus—you know what the people on this side have to say in the Labor caucus? What they say to me is how proud they are that we are fighting for values that matter, that we are not prepared to leave the next generation behind. They say it would be easier to just stay still and leave it for someone else to fix the problem. Because every single one of my members—

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

The member for Parkes is warned.

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

If those opposite got out more and spoke to people, they would know that people in their electorates are saying the housing system is broken in this country, and we need to fix it—just like the shadow Treasurer has said, just like the member for Canning has said and just like the former treasurer Joe Hockey said, up in that corner before he left the building.

We believe, on this side, that when you have the power to affect real change, you should do it—that you have a responsibility to deliver real change. That is what we are doing through this. We are taking every dollar of tax from these measures and delivering income tax cuts over the forward estimates, making sure that we set up Australia for the future so that future generations don't say, 'Is it true, dad or mum, that there was a time where people were actually able to buy their own house, not just inherit it?' That is what we are fighting for. We are fighting for things that really matter because that's what the Labor Party does.

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

The member for Parkes is now going to leave the chamber under 94(a). If you're on a warning, Member for Parkes, it's best for me not to hear your interjection or to make any interjection.

The member for Parkes then left the chamber.