Labor grills Morrison Government over budget surplus claim
Labor has grilled the Prime Minister over his claim that he brought the federal budget back into surplus before coronavirus hit.
Economy
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It’s Question Time before the most important federal budget since the Second World War is handed down tonight.
BIG MAC LOVES HIS PORTFOLIO
How good is infrastructure? Just ask Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
“Ask me a question about it, I would love to answer it,” Mr McCormack said.
“Thankfully you asked one directly, I would love to answer more from you, because it is just like a Dorothy Dixer, it’s fantastic, I love questions about infrastructure, because we have got so much delivery.”
THE SURPLUS THAT NEVER WAS
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been grilled over the truth of his comment last year that he “brought the budget back into surplus next year”.
“Isn‘t that the case that this government has never delivered a surplus, never will deliver a surplus,” Mr Albanese questioned.
But Mr Morrison has stood by his claim.
“What I know, Mr Speaker, is this government brought the budget back into balance before the COVID recession hit,” he said.
“And Mr Speaker, those opposites seem completely oblivious … In fact, it is a carnival over there.”
BACK IN BLACK (NOT)
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has flashed the infamous “Back in Black” mug before receiving a warning from the Speaker about the use of props.
“I was just wondering what might be on the Prime Minister‘s mug this year?” Mr Marles said.
The chamber erupted as the PM accused the Opposition of “juvenile tactics”.
“Those outside this place will look on the juvenile tactics of the opposition and form their own judgments,” Mr Morrison said.
HOW BEST TO RESPOND TO A CRISIS
The Prime Minister has taken a swipe at the Labor Government‘s response to the global financial crisis.
“Those opposite thought the response was to build overpriced school halls, set fire to people‘s houses and that is not how you manage a crisis, that’s not how you manage a crisis,” he said.
“You manage a crisis with the strength and responsible economic management and the responsiveness and the certainty that our government has provided over these many past months.”
The PM’s voice strained during his fiery attack, forcing him to take a drink of water once he finished speaking.
FEDERAL BUDGET QUESTIONING BEGINS
Opposition treasury spokesman, Jim Chalmers, has asked about cuts to the rate of the JobKeeper payment.
But the Prime Minister has rolled out the talking points Australians are set to hear later tonight when the Treasurer stands at the dispatch box to deliver his budget speech.
“What you will hear tonight is again, the government’s plan for not just cushioning the blow as we have done so now for these many months through the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 recession that has followed,” he said.
“It is a plan for the recovery of what has been lost, and it is a plan to build Australia‘s economy again for the future, so Australians can indeed plan for their own future with confidence.”
CONDOLENCES FOR SUSAN RYAN
Tributes have also flowed following the death of Labor‘s first female senator, Susan Ryan.
Mr Morrison thanked her for her advocacy for women and the rights that his daughters now benefit from.
“A woman who wants to buy a house today can go to the bank and get a home loan without needing her husband or father there,” he said.
“Something today we just assume sometimes has always been the case but … she made it a reality.”
Mr Albanese said thanks to the power and the sheer scale of her legacy, her presence “is all around us”.
“As the first female minister for the status of women, she became a feminist hero,” he said.
“When she ran for the Senate, she did indeed run under a woman‘s place is in the Senate.
“She lives in our hearts as a Labor giant, and even more than that, as a great Australian.”
MPS PAY RESPECT TO JOHN FAHEY
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition leader Anthony Albanese have paid tribute to former Liberal politician and finance minister John Fahey, who died in September.
“John Fahey, like indeed Bob Hawke and Tim Fischer, he was an Australian original,” Mr Morrison said.
“He mastered state politics, federal politics, world sport.”
Mr Albanese, who was elected on the same day as Mr Fahey in 1986, said he was a “great bloke”.
“That is the greatest thing you can say about an Australian male, that we all aspire to,” he said.
Speaker Tony Smith also offered his condolences and read a special message from former treasurer Peter Costello.
“He had great attention to detail and he had courage. He got things done, including Australia’s biggest ever privatisation, concerning Telstra,” Mr Costello wrote.
Originally published as Labor grills Morrison Government over budget surplus claim