Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

You wait and watch tonight, Senator. We won't be lectured by Labor on economic management because everybody knows that Labor can't manage the economy. Go out into the community and watch people's heads nod as you make that statement, because people understand that. They know that the coalition has to be brought back to government to bring things under control, because the Labor Party just cannot restrain their spending and they're going into this next election promising $200 billion of increased taxes into the economy. They will not be constrained in their spending and they've already acknowledged that they won't be prepared to constrain their spending growth as the government has committed to do, so they have no credibility in this space. Taxpayers know that the Labor Party cannot get enough of their money. They cannot take enough of it. They think they can spend it better than they can and they will promise more and more taxes. So, coming into the next election, there is one thing that is sure—you will pay more tax under Labor than you will under the coalition.