Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I suggest to Senator Gallacher that, if he wants to know what is in the budget and what the government's budget plans are, he should do what I have done for the last 25 years, under governments of all persuasions, and that is turn up on budget night and hear the what the budget is. Never before, in the 25 years I have been here, have a government come out, prior to the budget, and indicated what their budget plan is.

I made a mistake there. Can I correct myself?

Senator O'Sullivan interjecting—

There was one occasion, Senator O'Sullivan, when a government did come out with a plan outside of the budget—in fact, they legislated for it. Do you all remember, going back in history, the L-A-W law tax policy? When Mr Keating was questioned, he said, 'No, these tax cuts are law—L-A-W law.' And the government legislated them just before an election. The Labor Party, unexpectedly, won that ensuing election, and what was the first thing they did when they got back in? They axed the L-A-W law tax concessions they had given just before the election. This demonstrates, yet again, that you cannot trust Labor at all with money or with tax policy.

I heard Senator Gallacher talking about cutting the expenses of some office somewhere. Senator Gallacher, you might not have been around here when the Labor Party had a building called century house or Centenary House.