Senator POLLEY (Tasmania) (17:28): Deloitte Access Economics, in its latest Budget monitor, outlined the state of the global economy, which was quite positive. It says: The rivers of gold are running, with the good news for revenues coming thick and fast: The world is growing at the fastest rate seen since 2011 … But, even with a rosy economic backdrop, the Liberals have racked up record debt and left the budget in a far worse state than they inherited from Labor, which had a global financial crisis to contend with. Let me be clear: the government has run out of excuses for more than doubling the nation's debt. The Liberals' own figures show that, on their watch, net debt has more than doubled, to hit a record high of $354.5 billion. That's a $354.5 billion debt run up by this government. And gross debt has crashed through half a trillion dollars for the first time ever in the nation's history. Instead of using the surge in revenue from this global upswing to help pay down their record and growing debt, this government, the Liberals, would rather give tax handouts to those who need them the least. Instead of building an economy that works for everyone, they choose tax handouts for the big end of town. Politics is all about choices, and I'm afraid to tell you that the Liberals are choosing tax concessions for the wealthy over everyday Australians, over better schools, over better hospitals and over renewable energy. Those opposite are the worst economic managers we've ever seen. Instead of putting forward their own economic plan or policies, they would rather just fret and obsess over what we in Labor are doing in this policy space. But I guess that's what you come to expect when you have an incompetent government bereft of creditable economic or tax policy. They've been found wanting—that has been so stark and so clear about this government. The Treasurer, Mr Frydenberg, would rather run a ridiculous scare campaign about Labor's policies than come up with a policy of his own. This is quite telling from a senior member of a five-year-old coalition government. Remember the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government? They have no economic policy, and no plans for wages growth except cutting penalty rates. It has actually been a bit embarrassing watching the new Treasurer trying to walk and lie at the same time; obviously, proving to be a bit much and a bit awkward— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Brockman ): Order! Senator O'Sullivan? Senator O'Sullivan: The senator just cast an aspersion on the Prime Minister by saying that he walked and lied at the same time. I mean, that has to be withdrawn. That simply has to be withdrawn. Senator POLLEY: On the point of order: I never referred to the Prime Minister, so that point of order is not relevant. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Please resume your seat, Senator Polley. Senator O'Sullivan, I did not hear the remark in question. Senator Polley, if you made a remark that cast reflections on the Prime Minister then I do ask you to withdraw. Senator POLLEY: I never made any reflections on the Prime Minister at all. What I said— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator O'Sullivan, are you seeking the call? Senator O'Sullivan: I am. Let me refine my point of order. My apologies to the chamber. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator O'Sullivan, could you please resume your seat. Senator Polley hasn't finished. Senator POLLEY: What I was saying to the point of order, Acting Deputy President, was: I didn't refer to the Prime Minister. My comments, clearly, were about the Treasurer and what I said—and I think this is well within the standing orders—was that the new Treasurer trying to walk and lie at the same time was obviously proving a bit much and a bit awkward. I never referred to the Prime Minister at all, and I don't believe that is unparliamentary under the standing orders. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Please resume your seat. Senator Polley, it would be helpful for the chair if you had a think about what you said and withdrew the comment. Senator POLLEY: Then I'll withdraw that and I'll use some other terminology. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Please continue. Senator POLLEY: I withdraw the word 'lie', but what I will say is that those opposite obviously feel very, very uneasy about the truth being spoken in this chamber, because it was so obvious. The scare campaign that has been waged by the Treasurer and the fact that he has been less than truthful with the Australian people are obviously quite embarrassing for those on the other side. I'm sure many who are listening to this have seen on Twitter the video where the Treasurer has displayed his lack of ability in being truthful to the Australian community. Every time Mr Frydenberg and the Liberal Party attack Labor's reforms to trusts, negative gearing and refundable franking credits, that is them choosing to maintain tax concessions that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy over funding for better schools and hospitals—and I make no apology for that. I have a hot tip for those opposite, off the back of the Victorian election over the weekend, about trying to use old scare campaigns that didn't work in Victoria: they ought to take a good look at themselves and realise that the Australian public are much smarter than that. They're not going to succumb to the untruthful messages that the Treasurer and those on the other side speak about. Your doom-and-gloom predictions around sledgehammers and recessions are economically irresponsible. I want to briefly touch on the Liberals' Women's Economic Security Statement, announced last week. Minister O'Dwyer's comments were too little, too late. They are a government that over the last five years have lurched further and further to the right, and now they are in panic mode after being decimated at the Victorian state election. The coalition's Women's Economic Security Statement does nothing about the gender pay gap and nothing about the retirement income gap, which is quite serious. There is no attempt to address that. Only Labor has a plan for working Australian women, with $400 million to boost women's superannuation balances for a more secure financial future, including paying superannuation on Commonwealth paid parental leave. In our first 100 days we will restore Sunday penalty rates for up to 700,000 workers—great news for hundreds of thousands of women, particularly in my home state of Tasmania. Labor will take action to close the gender pay gap, including greater transparency and accountability for business and government, so that, if men and women are doing the same work, they get the same pay. We will introduce 10 days paid domestic violence leave to the National Employment Standards and $88 million for emergency housing— Senator O'Sullivan: Where's it coming from? Senator POLLEY: including funding for safe housing options for women and children fleeing family violence—and I'll take that interjection. We have costed all our policies because we actually put women ahead of tax cuts for the wealthy. And there will be proper funding for health and education services that all women and all Australians rely on. Federal Labor are the only major party with a plan to reform the tax system and concessions, make them fairer and provide structural repair to the budget and to demonstrate how we will pay for better schools and hospitals as well as pay down the debts—something that the people on that side have failed miserably to do. Labor have made the tough policy calls, and we have been up-front about the need for structural budget repair and how we'll go about achieving it fairly and responsibly. Because of our responsible approach, we've been able to commit to delivering bigger surpluses over the forward estimates and substantially bigger surpluses over the median term. As I said, those opposite have blown out the budget and got us further and further in debt—the highest debt this nation has ever seen. That's under those people, who laugh and scoff at plans that are going to provide the Australian people with something better for their future. As I said, politics is all about choice. Labor would prefer to invest in better hospitals, schools and TAFE than spend taxpayer money helping property speculators with their sixth or seventh investment property. Labor has the boldest reform agenda of any opposition in 25 years. What we are doing is putting our policies out to the Australian people. We're an opposition that are not afraid to share our ideas, our values and our plan for the future, unlike those opposite, who have lied to the Australian people countless times. They've let down pensioners. We know, when it comes to aged care, how they've neglected to look after the most vulnerable older people in this nation. We are happy to argue these reforms based on facts, but we would never let flirtation or poor analysis drift by without calling it out. It's time the Liberal Party learnt the lessons of the Victorian state election and the recent by-election results and dropped the politics of fear and lies and their scare campaigns, like the one on Labor's reform to refundable franking credits. The Australian people are smart. They know when someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Australians don't want the best tax loopholes in the world; they want the best schools and the best hospitals in the world. They want to know that their grandparents, parents and older relatives are looked after and respected with the best possible aged care. That's what they want from this government, but it has failed miserably. I don't believe Australians are going to be able to trust this government to turn the economy around and do something about stagnant wages. They are relying on the next election and electing a Labor government. (Time expired)