Budget

The majority voted against a motion to suspend the procedural rules (known as the standing orders) so that Labor MP Chris Bowen (the Member for McMahon) could introduce a motion for House of Representatives to vote on.

Motion text

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for McMahon from moving the following motion forthwith:

(1) notes that in an extraordinary interview with David Speers on Sky News this morning:

(a) the Prime Minister said that Treasury “has not identified the dollar cost” of the centrepiece of his Budget, the 10-year tax cut for big business:

(i) but a moment later, the Prime Minister said Treasury had modelled the cost; and

(ii) yet later, the Prime Minister said the cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business was outlined on page 3-11 of Budget Paper No. 1 despite the fact, that page does not mention companies or corporations or small businesses even once; and

(b) the Prime Minister said the $55 billion cost of his centrepiece 10-year tax cut for big business nominated by economist Chris Richardson “may well be right”;

(2) condemns the Prime Minister for delivering a Budget which is a fraud on the Australian people by having a centrepiece without a cost attached; and

(3) calls on the Prime Minister to attend the House to finally come clean about the 10-year cost for the 10-year tax cut for big business.