Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

If that had been the focus group testing of the budget reply, it would have to be viewed as a remarkable failure. The focus group has viewed that as a remarkable failure. In 15 minutes we did not hear one policy from the Australian Labor Party. It is the day after the budget, and we did not hear one policy from the Australian Labor Party or Senator Sherry. Mr Acting Deputy President Lightfoot, while you were reading out the letter from Senator Sherry proposing a matter of public importance, I thought it probably should have read: ‘The utter incompetence and all too obvious inexperience of the ALP’s economic spokesmen and spokeswomen and the danger to Australia’s future were the ALP to be elected to government.’

Today we have heard probably the most enthusiastic endorsement of the budget we have heard from anyone. The Australian Labor Party thinks this is a good budget. But, prior to that, Senator Sherry—so that his master in the other place did not get too antsy with him about the whole thing—had the gall to talk about the potential threat to tax cuts. This is coming from the Australian Labor Party, and Senator Carr may well hang his head in shame because he remembers it. What happened to the Keating government’s l-a-w law tax cuts? They just disappeared. It was the Labor Party blatantly misleading the Australian public in relation to a tax cut. In the last five budgets, we have delivered tens of billions of dollars in tax cuts to Australian families.

The Australian Labor Party has the gall to talk about battlers. When did you suddenly reinvent concern for battlers? Where was your concern for battlers when interest rates were at 18 per cent? Where was your concern for battlers when unemployment was at 11 per cent? Where was your concern for battlers when you saddled every Australian family in this country with $96 billion—$96,000 million—worth of debt?

Senator Carr, you are virtually the only one left in the chamber, and that reminds me: this is so important that how many ALP senators were here to support Senator Sherry? Twelve. The day after the budget, 12 ALP senators came to support their colleague on a matter of public importance relating to the budget—