Don’t trust Labor in an ‘uncertain world’: Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison has used US-China tensions to warn Bill Shorten’s economic agenda was the “worst thing” for the nation.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Annette Dew

Scott Morrison has used the “uncertain world” of escalating tensions between China and the United States to warn Bill Shorten’s economic agenda was the “worst thing you can do at the moment”.

The Prime Minister said geopolitical tensions had made the global economic outlook uncertain and it was a bad time to put “$200 billion of higher and new taxes on (the) economy”.

“You cannot put $200 billion of higher and new taxes on an economy that is facing stiff headwinds,” Mr Morrison said.

“Global uncertainty, whether it is the trade tensions between the United States and China, what we’re seeing in Europe. It’s an uncertain world out there, and the worst thing you can do at the moment, the worst thing for the Australian economy, is to go and saddle it up with $200 billion of job-destroying, investment destroying, savings destroying taxes.

“The Australian economy will be weaker under Bill Shorten and the Labor Party than otherwise, because their policies are designed to slash people’s home prices, take away their savings.”

Opposition Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen said the government did not have a good track record on managing the economy.

Bill Shorten. Picture: Kym Smith

Chris Bowen. Picture: Kym Smith

“Record low wages growth, 1.1 million Australians underemployed, a doubling of net debt. I mean household debt at record levels, the second highest in the developed world. Slowing economic growth, consumption growth down, productivity growth poor,” Mr Bowen told ABC radio.

Mr Bowen labelled the government’s claims against Labor’s policies a “typical shrill scare campaign”.

“I noticed that he walked away from the claim of recession within an hour yesterday. I mean this is how a scare campaign falls apart in front of your eyes. I’m glad he did because it was highly irresponsible to claim recession under a Labor government,” Mr Bowen said.

“But this is just, you know, way back to Malcolm Fraser saying put your money under the bed if Bob Hawke becomes prime minister. It’s what Liberals do.”