Budget reply speech: Bill Shorten delivers response to parliament
Bill Shorten’s budget reply speech included plans to ‘save’ Medicare, and a pledge to ‘put people first’.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten presents his budget reply to parliament, following Treasurer Scott Morrison’s economic statement this week.
Mr Shorten will begin his budget reply at 7.30pm (AEST). Follow our live coverage from Canberra correspondents Rosie Lewis and Rachel Baxendale:
8.04pm:The big finish
The government yells “oh, get off it”, as Mr Shorten speaks of the “nation of courage, community and compassion” he witnessed at Beaconsfield ten years ago.
“Instead of taking selfies on the train, we’ll get new projects underway.”
“Prime Minister – Australians honestly thought you were so much better than this. Because Australians are so much better than this.”
And his final comments: “We have learned the hard lessons of the past. We have put forward our positive plans. We are united. We are ready. A Labor Government will always put people first.”
Shorten ends his speech saying Labor is ready to govern, and gets a lengthy standing ovation.
8.03pm:Budget savings
What Labor will do: legislate to protect Medicare within its first 100 days of power.
“Save $1.4 billion by repealing the Nationals’ new Baby Bonus.
“Recover another $1 billion by abolishing the discredited Direct Action.”
Hold a vote on marriage equality within the first 100 days of a Labor government.
“Re-direct investment into new housing after 1 July next year” – which Mr Shorten says will save the budget $32bn over the decade.
7.58pm:Education pitch
Some ideas Labor is offering: jobs in the renewable energy sector, “turbo-charging” infrastructure, investing $37.3 billion to schools, “restoring integrity” to the training system by backing TAFE and “cleaning out” private colleges.
Mr Shorten also says a Labor government would cap vocational education loans at $8,000 per student – saving an estimated $6 billion over the decade.
“Tonight I have outlined $71 billion of additional budget improvements over the decade,” he says.
7.57pm:Marriage equality pledge
Biggest cheer yet from the stacked gallery and Opposition, as Shorten promises to “make marriage equality a reality” with a vote in the first 100 days of a Labor government.
7.51pm:High-profile babysitters
Penny Wong and Kim Carr are sitting next to Chloe and the kids in the seats on the floor of the chamber.
On the other side of the chamber are more senators, including Pat Dodson - prominent in his hat - Doug Cameron, and Sue Lines.
7.50pm:A Shorten zinger
Labor MPs have been at pains to point out the government is “stealing” some of their policies this week. Mr Shorten picks up on this theme again:
“On Tuesday night we heard a few familiar lines.
It could have been Chris Bowen making the case for tighter concessions on Super.
Tony Burke and Andrew Leigh pledging tougher action on Multinationals.
Michelle Rowland advocating a small business tax cut
Or Anthony Albanese outlining our new infrastructure approach.
“Never has an opposition had so many of its policies adopted by a government with so few.”
7.45pm:Support from the gallery
Chloe Shorten and her two eldest children, Rupert and Georgette, are watching from the chamber, seated next to Labor senators and supporters.
As Shorten declared, “Never has an Opposition had so many of its policies adopted by a government with so few,” there was loud applause from the Labor students in the gallery.
Government MPs appear to be listening under sufferance, many more interested in their phones than Mr Shorten.
7.44pm:Government’s ‘fraud’
The Opposition Leader confirms Labor will support “modest measures” on bracket creep but does not want to give those on more than $180,000 a tax cut, indicating a Labor government would keep in place the temporary deficit levy on high income earners. Labor will also support a tax cut for small business, but not the government’s 10-year “enterprise tax plan”.
Again, Mr Shorten picks up on the government not revealing its costing for the plan, declaring the Turnbull budget is built on a “fraud of grand scale”.
7.42pm:What class war?
While he lashes out at the Liberals for “tripling the deficit”, we begin to see some of Labor’s pitch.
“Restoring the national budget – without smashing family budgets. Building a stronger economy – without hurting the things that help it grow.”
Mr Shorten hits back at claims Labor has been engaging in “class war”.
“It is not ‘class war’ for Labor to speak up on behalf of everyone this government has forgotten and betrayed – women, young people, pensioners, carers and veterans.”
7.36pm:The Abbott factor
Tony Abbott is quickly brought into the speech as the Opposition Leader insists the budget still contains many of the controversial measures that were introduced by the Abbott government.
“Was this really the point of the Turnbull experiment? Tax cuts for high income earners - and nothing for families. Not one cent for ordinary working Australians. From Tony’s Tradies to Malcolm’s Millionaires - this is a budget for big business over battlers.”
7.32pm: Shorten unloads
Bill Shorten opens his budget reply speech by declaring the Turnbull government’s first major economic blueprint has “fallen apart in 48 hours”.
“After seven months of waiting, after months of ruling-in and ruling-out, after all that on and off the table, after apprehension and great expectations, this budget has fallen apart in 48 hours.”
7.30pm:Everyone’s a critic:
My dentist is very cruel. Cancelled my root canal tonight. He said "no, you have to go and watch @billshortenmp". That is harsh.
— Ewen Jones MP (@EwenJonesMP) May 5, 2016
6.30pm:Labor’s plan for the future
Bill Shorten is offering voters a message on spending restraint rather that grand new programs in a budget reply speech that seeks to counter government claims of a $19.5 billion gap in his policies.
The Australian has been told that budget repair will be a dominant theme in the Opposition Leader’s formal budget reply speech, with no new policy “baubles” for voters.
A $6bn spending cut over ten years, based on lower payments to private education companies, is being outlined as proof a Labor government can reduce the budget deficit.
Mr Shorten’s message is that Labor can be trusted with the nation’s finances and can cut into waste as well as raising tens of billions of dollars in higher taxes over a decade.
But the Opposition Leader is under pressure from the government over the $19.5bn funding gap, given Treasury figures showing that Labor’s plan to increase tobacco excise would raise far less than it had claimed.
While Labor relied on Parliamentary Budget Office estimates to claim $47.7bn in revenue from the excise increase, the Treasury estimate found it would raise $28.2bn instead.
Mr Shorten’s budget reply speech cones as Labor seeks to turn the tables in the policy costings fight.
Labor accuses Malcolm Turnbull of showing “contempt” for voters by refusing to release the ten-year cost of the budget plan to cut company taxes.
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