Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

The answer is: because we will. We will do what we have done over the last budget, this budget and the mid-year review, which is to make savings to protect the surplus. But I am asked about promises. Perhaps Senator Cormann can remind everybody in this place that he said very explicitly:

We will not proceed with any of Labor's other promises that they have attached to the mining tax.

He ruled out using any MRRT revenue. Too bad—you have been dumped on that, haven't you? The Leader of the Opposition says he is going to support the family tax benefit increases which are funded from the mining tax. That is completely inconsistent with what Senator Cormann said, completely inconsistent with the way in which those Western Australian senators on that side have campaigned against the mining tax. All of a sudden, magically, that revenue is good enough to use. It was not good enough for a company tax cut, but it is good enough for family tax benefits. You had better go back to Perth and explain that, Senator. (Time expired)