House debates Questions without Notice

Banking and Financial Services

Monday, 12 October 2026 House of Representatives

Tim Wilson

Tim Wilson Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer

2:25 pm

My question is to the Prime Minister. After Labor's bungled ban on small business using credit cards to pay their tax bills, one of your aspiring backbench Labor colleagues made the following admission: 'There is no-one in cabinet with any small business experience.' When will the Prime Minister start listening to small business, over-rule his Treasurer and scrap Labor's credit card ban for good?

Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister

2:26 pm

I thank the shadow Treasurer for his question and I give him some points for courage—making comments about our frontbench, given that Josh Frydenberg, a predecessor, is out there campaigning openly against the frontbench on the other side, saying that they're not up to it, calling for an increase in the GST and, most remarkably, actually saying that they spent too much and wasted money during the COVID crisis. If only Mr Frydenberg was in a position to have some influence during that time! But perhaps the spending was the result of the other bloke, who was also the Treasurer, Scott Morrison.

Milton Dick

Milton Dick Speaker

The Prime Minister will pause. We'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

Dan Tehan

Dan Tehan Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction

On indulgence, I want to congratulate the Speaker on his presidency. Speaker, there have been a few presidencies, and I just hope yours doesn't go to your head!

Milton Dick

Milton Dick Speaker

Okay, just get to the point of order.

Dan Tehan

Dan Tehan Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction

Thanks, Speaker. It goes to relevance. There was nothing in this about the coalition. It's your own backbench undermining you and your cabinet.

Milton Dick

Milton Dick Speaker

The manager is correct. There was nothing in there about alternative policies. But it was a very political question; I think we can agree on that point of view. The Prime Minister was asked the question about the issue on the credit card surcharge, so I'll just draw him back to that part of the question. He's entitled to answer the question, being directly relevant. There was a political argument, but there was policy content in there as well. The Prime Minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister

I understand why they don't want to talk about the issue they raised of people's comments about frontbenchers. They made the extraordinary decision to turn up at CPAC over the weekend. They weren't talking there about policies of small business—or they weren't talking about policies of big business. They were getting lessons from, of all people, the only person in the Western world who makes Tony Abbott's period as PM look long, which is Liz Truss, who lasted 45 days as a PM. That's who they get lessons from.

Milton Dick

Milton Dick Speaker

Has the Prime Minister concluded his answer?

Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister

Yes.