Senator HUME (Victoria) (16:33): It is with great enthusiasm that I rise today to speak on this matter of public importance introduced to this place by our parliamentary colleague from the Australian Labor Party Senator O'Neill. Thank you very much to the opposition for the opportunity to respond to this matter of public importance. I feel quit bad for the opposition here. I almost feel like I should give you an opportunity to withdraw this matter of public importance or at least rephrase it. Forgive my impertinence, but did you submit it yesterday before the budget was brought down? I can't believe that you could possibly have read the budget or heard it or listened to it. Did the papers not land on your desk last night? Did you not read them? Did you not listen to the Treasurer when he outlined the details of budget repair and a return to surplus a year earlier than anticipated and improved economic conditions, which I might remind you are certainly no accident. They are the result of prudent economic management. Did you not listen to the Treasurer when he detailed lower, simpler and fairer personal taxes, short-term relief and long-term vision for the removal of the disincentives of bracket creep? Did you not listen to the Treasurer last night when he detailed a laser focus on the important essential services of aged care, life-transforming medicines, medical research and mental health? Did you not listen to the Treasurer last night when he spoke of the details of congestion-busting infrastructure projects that our cities so desperately need? I can't understand how you could possibly bring a matter of public importance to this chamber that suggested that you didn't, in fact, listen to the budget, that you didn't read the budget papers. Or did you not read the newspapers or the commentators today? I realise that as of today, because of that pesky section 44 of the Constitution, your ranks and resources are severely depleted, but surely that is no excuse for not understanding the budget or for deliberately misrepresenting it. In this case, if it's simply an oversight, I can assume it is only an oversight and not the opposition being deliberately obtuse. You have certainly given the government a terrific opportunity to enlighten the Senate about the true nature of the coalition's budget for 2018. Senator O'Neill interjecting— Senator HUME: If Senator O'Neill believes this budget is unfair, what on earth would she consider the higher and higher taxes, year after year, promised by Labor to be? I think it was $220 billion at last count. The clock keeps ticking. Taxes on wage earners, on retirees, on investors, on savers—are they fair? Are taxes on homeowners, on wage earners, on retirees and non-investors fair? Senator O'Neill interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Reynolds ): Senator O'Neill, I have been very indulgent with a large number of increasingly loud interjections. Could you please give Senator Hume the courtesy of being heard in silence. Senator HUME: What does Senator O'Neill call Labor's squandering of the surplus of the previous coalition government, the endless budget deficit after budget deficit, the record—Labor's record—of shameless profligacy in government that committed the next generation of Australians to debt they don't deserve and can't repay? How can that possibly be fair? What would Senator O'Neill call an NDIS scheme that promised to support those who need it most in our communities that was never funded? Talk about promising the world only to have the atlas thrown at your head! How could an unfunded NDIS possibly be fair? Honourable senators interjecting — The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Hume please resume your seat. Senators on my left and right, I would please ask again that Senator Hume be heard in silence. I could not hear what she was saying over the interjections on both sides. Please accord her the courtesy of being heard in silence. Senator HUME: Let me tell you exactly what the chamber can agree on: those policies are not fair. They were never fair. Let me tell you what is fair. Economic responsibility is fair. Prudent fiscal management is fair. Getting the policy levers right to allow businesses to grow, to invest and to employ is fair. Growing the economy is fair. Record numbers of jobs is fair. Record numbers of people moving off welfare and into work is the fairest of fair. Most importantly, lower, simpler, fairer personal taxes—nothing could be fairer than that. Senator O'Neill interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Neill. Senator HUME: Last night my very good friend and colleague the honourable Treasurer Scott Morrison, in the other place, delivered a budget that promised lower taxes, spending on essential services, guaranteeing essential services, and a budget surplus that is well within our grasp and that arrives one year earlier than anticipated. Make no mistake, though, this is absolutely no accident. This is the delivery of a promise, a promise of economic growth, a promise of more jobs and a promise to keep Australians safe. This budget is the furthest thing from unfair. It's a budget that looks after those who need it the most. It is immediate tax relief for low- and middle-income earners: 4.4 million people who will benefit from a fairer tax system immediately, 4.4 low- and middle-income earners who will keep more of the money they have worked so hard to earn. These are the people who need it the most. The reason this tax relief means so much to those people is very simple. The marginal propensity to consume is almost 100 per cent for low- to middle-income earners. Senator O'Neill interjecting— Senator HUME: Senator O'Neill, you don't need to repeat yourself. I ignored you perfectly well the first time. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, please resume your seat. I would remind you, Senator Hume, that you should address all comments through the chair. Senator O'Neill, I have given you a number of warnings and been quite indulgent. I cannot hear Senator Hume speaking. Again, could you please allow her to be heard. Senator HUME: Where is Labor on all of this? It is certainly not in a place that is anywhere near fair. Labor likes to tax those that it hurts the most to pay for their unfunded promises. They take the public for fools. But the Australian public are not fools, and Labor should stop treating them as such. The Australian people read the newspapers too; they can see the job figures. Senator O'Neill interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Neill! Senator HUME: They know that over 420,000 new jobs— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Williams. Senator Williams: Madam Acting Deputy President, three or four times now you have asked Senator O'Neill to cease interjecting. I ask that you ask her again so that Senator Hume can be heard in silence, or to invoke stricter regulations on her, please. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Neill, I have been extremely patient. Again and again, you have flouted my very strong request that Senator Hume be heard in silence. It is disorderly, and some of your comments have been inappropriate. I would ask that you allow Senator Hume to be heard in silence for her remaining 3½ minutes. Senator HUME: Labor is taking the public for fools. But the Australian public are not fools and they shouldn't be treated as such. They can read the newspapers. They can see those job figures. They know very well that the Turnbull coalition government is the only government that can maintain a strong economy. It is very difficult to dispute the just shy of one million new jobs that we have created since we came to government. Tell me where that isn't fair. These very same strong economic conditions that we have created have also allowed the Turnbull government to fund Labor's unfunded promises. We are the only government that will fully fund the NDIS. We are providing record levels of funding for public hospitals. We are increasing funding for aged care, life transforming medicines and medical research, and pivotal mental health service. That is fairness. Senator O'Neill interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Neill! Senator HUME: We are the only government that is delivering record funding for education, year on year. We are delivering $24.5 billion in extra school funding over a decade and, more importantly, we are targeting the schools that need funding the most. This is fairness. I am yet to even mention our congestion-busting infrastructure packages. We are delivering $75 billion in infrastructure investment—$24.5 billion this year alone—which will reduce congestion, better connect out regions and improve safety and create jobs. Surely this is fairness. In this year's budget there are five essential things we must do to strengthen the economy and guarantee those essentials that Australians rely on. We must provide tax relief to encourage and reward working Australians and reduce those cost pressures on households, including lowering electricity prices—because that is fair. We must keep backing businesses to invest and create more jobs, especially small and medium enterprises, by lowering the cost of doing business and lowering the cost of company tax. That is fair. We must guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on—like Medicare, like hospitals, like schools and, most importantly, like caring for older Australians—because that is fair. Senator O'Neill interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Neill! Senator HUME: We must keep Australians safe, with new investment to secure our borders—because that is fair. Senator O'Neill interjecting— Senator HUME: Most importantly, we must ensure— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, could you please resume your seat. I know you only have 25 seconds to go, but could I please ask senators on both sides—in particular, Senator O'Neill, who has consistently flouted my request—to allow Senator Hume to be heard in silence. And the interjections on the right are not helping either. Senator Hume, please continue. Senator HUME: Most importantly, it is fundamental that we ensure the government lives within its means, keeps spending under control and keeps taxes under control—something that Labor can never do and will never do. This is a sensible budget. This is a fair budget. This is a budget that the coalition and, indeed, all of Australia should be proud of.