Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This MPI is another breathtaking example from a coalition that has learnt nothing from its mistakes. Imagine having the gall to come to this place and lecture anybody on economic management with a record as bad as theirs. This MPI comes straight out of the 'Don't go there, girlfriend' files, but here we are.

The Liberals love to call themselves good economic managers, which is impressive, given the amount of debt that they racked up when they were last in government. They stood in front of the Australian people last year and said: 'Here are our economic policies: billions of dollars on subsidised nuclear plants, thousands of dollars to boozy lunches for the bosses. Let's ban working from home while we're at it!' But, not content with driving themselves into a brick wall, they said,' Let's step on the accelerator.' They said, 'You know what, let's oppose government tax cuts; that'll be popular!'

Compare that with this Labor government. The Albanese Labor government has delivered tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer, with another tax cut due in July this year. Those opposite opposed those tax cuts. They opposed them. The coalition went to the last federal election with a policy to deliver higher taxes for the Australian people. They talk a big game in this place about economic management, but we've got the receipts. The now very leaked copy of the Liberal Party election review called the policies the Liberal Party took to the last election completely incoherent. The Liberal Party election group reviewers went on to say that the coalition's economic policies 'defied the party's values, such as the opposition to an income tax cut.' They don't like to hear it—