Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

'Yes. How hard is it? For the 50th time.' You remember—that's what the Prime Minister told Australians when asked if he would rule out changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. He also said:

The only tax policy we're implementing is the one we took to the election.

Now, he's saying:

Our changes are pro-aspiration and pro-supply …

There's a Jim Carrey movie about a smooth-talking lawyer who builds his career bending the truth until his son makes a birthday wish: for one day, he can only tell the truth. What's that movie called?

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) | Link to this | Hansard source

Liar Liar.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes!

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't push it.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

It's the word that has been banned in the chamber, times two. Imagine if that happened here. Then, Australians may have heard the Prime Minister say, 'Actually, millions of Australians trying to get ahead are about to be hit with no aspiration, anti-supply higher taxes.'

It's not people from the big end of town getting hit. It's a father of two from Glenmore Park who built a self-funded safety net now calling these taxes 'grossly unfair', saying they 'penalise a lifetime of full-time work and responsible self-reliance.' It's Peter, another hardworking taxpayer. He says:

PM, your CGT changes are a fraud—a radical ideology behind a housing smoke screen.

These are everyday Australians building a nest egg so they can stand on their own two feet.

The coalition backs aspiration. We will deliver real tax cuts for hardworking Australians who are constantly being squished by bracket creep, and I'm happy to say that 50 times.

Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

For too long, the scales have been tilted against ordinary Australians. First home buyers have been locked out of the Australian dream, and, for too many young Australians, getting ahead has become harder than ever. That is why the recent budget changes are so important. The budget is not just about levelling the playing field for first home buyers. It is about building an aspirational Australia—an affordable Australia.

For too long, our tax settings have favoured the few and entrenched wealth in the top 0.6 per cent. Australia now has 178 billionaires—17 more than just a year ago. Meanwhile, nurses, teachers, students and everyday Australian workers are expected to pick up the tab. On this side of the House, we believe Australians should earn more and keep more of what they earn, and that is exactly what this budget delivers. In Dunkley, 1,837 first home buyers have purchased a home through the five per cent deposit scheme and we have 19 social homes under redevelopment. Minimum-wage workers are around $12,000 better off thanks to the government's support for higher wages.

We want to build an aspirational and affordable Australia. We recognise what those opposite fail to understand: the system has not been working for everyone.

Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

I want hardworking Australians to take more home in their pay packet every fortnight. I want hardworking Australians to see every dollar in that pay packet go further. I want hardworking Australians to pay fewer of those dollars to Canberra to be spent by government, rather than by those Australians themselves. You see, the less money you pay in tax, the more you have to pay for things that you think are important.

It allows families to have that holiday they deserve. It allows families to live in the home they want to call their own. It allows families to pay for the kids to go to school, to go to camp, to play sports and do activities. Lower taxes allow families to plan for the future and build a nest egg for them and their loved ones. This is why the coalition talks about the need to restore the standard of living. It is why we are committing to axe Labor's toxic taxes, and it is why we are guaranteeing the Australian people that we will ensure personal income tax cuts are delivered.

Rowan Holzberger (Forde, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity here to answer a question I was asked by the member for Bowman when I was in here earlier, during the Treasury laws amendment bill debate. He asked me, 'Will the member for Forde be out there selling the budget?' I can tell you and those opposite you bet I will, absolutely. The clearer it becomes—I can't believe that they're making the same mistake again in opposing a tax cut. They're not only opposing a tax cut this time but also promising to take to the next election a policy of bringing in tax breaks for property investors. They've managed to somehow jump the shark and go even further. As people realise that the changes to capital gains tax and the changes to negative gearing are about levelling the playing field for first home buyers and restoring a bit of equity in the Australian community, they're going to be out there supporting a tax break for property investors. I can't wait for that debate!

The other thing that this debate has revealed is that we on this side are not going to cop the status quo anymore. We have tried as hard as we can to fix things, and it just hasn't worked enough. So we are going to throw everything at it to fix this problem. We go to the next election challenging the status quo. They go to the next election supporting the status quo. I know, looking at the electoral environment today, which side of that I would rather be on.