An angry and shouty SloMo
On costings, Labor has made very clear it will save more than it spends over the decade, and just as it has been prepared to be upfront with the electorate prior to the election being called about savings, voters can expect more savings announcements before July 2.
Senate leader Penny Wong said today Labor had make clear “to all and sundry” what its savings over the next decade would be, and how it would fund its policy initiatives.
“But of course, what we saw today from Treasurer Scott Morrison was yet another angry and shouty press conference from an angry and shouty Treasurer,” Senator Wong said.
“He was being angry and shouty about the Labor Party, but being very quiet about his policy agenda.
“In fact, on a very quick reading of document handed out today, there are some 25 pages before the Coalition actually talks about anything positive about itself.
“An angry, shouty Treasurer having a go at the Labor Party.”
“It has a single page of the Coalition’s achievements, and mentions Labor well over 100 times.
“What a damning indictment on this government.
“After three years, the best they can do at this point in the campaign is to simply have an angry, shouty Treasurer having a go at the Labor Party.
“Well, that’s not really a second-term agenda; a second-term agenda would be something far more positive than what we saw from Scott Morrison today,” she said.
Senator Wong told journalists in Canberra Labor had announced many savings policies well before the election.
“And plenty of policy since the election,” she said. “The half-time report card is this: two very clear choices in this election.
“Do you want Medicare protected, do you want your schools funded, do you want a fair child care package or do you want a $50b tax cut for big business?”
“Government has announced a number of policies where it has failed to tell the Australian people how it’s funding them.”
Largely ignored — so far — has been a spotlight on how the Liberals will fund policies on which they’ve back flipped since their disastrous May Budget, she said.
“During this campaign, the government has announced a number of policies where it has failed to tell the Australian people how it’s funding them,” Wong said.
“It’s rolled over on pathology and diagnostics, the changes there which have apparently been the subject of an agreement with the sector.
“There’s a cost to that, and they haven’t told anybody how it’s funded or what it will cost.
“They’ve delayed the backpackers’ tax — that very unfortunate piece of public policy that seems to be an eternal discussion and negotiation — and what’s the cost of the changes to that?
“They flagged changes to their superannuation policy and they’ve announced a dairy package.
“Anticipate more savings announcements from the Labor Party.”
“We look forward to Scott Morrison doing what he is calling on the Labor Party endlessly to do, which is: ‘Scott, why don’t you tell Australians what your policies to date cost and how you will pay for them’.
“We will save more than we spend, consistent with the approach we took prior to the election, where we put on the table superannuation, multinational tax, negative gearing, capital gains tax, not proceeding with the baby bonus, not proceeding with the Direct Action fund.
“Just as we did that, you would anticipate more savings announcements from the Labor Party, consistent with our principle prior to the election,” she added.
