Mr EVANS (Brisbane—Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) (15:28): Well, dear oh dear! I think both sides of the chamber here can sense that there's something a little bit lacklustre about the opposition at the moment. I don't know whether it's because the opposition leader isn't performing the way they might have expected or whether it's because they don't seem to be able to land any new policy positions or indeed jettison any of their old policy positions, given how hopelessly divided they are. But, regardless of the reason, the evidence here is that, out of all of the topics they could have chosen to speak about today, the very best they could come up with was to talk the economy down. They are talking the economy down. The economic brains trust of the Labor Party, such as it is, no longer officially includes Wayne Swan. He left, presumably on a high, after delivering Australia a record debt and precisely none of the four economic surpluses he announced on that fateful starry night. The brains trust probably no longer includes the member for McMahon now either. His star was waning after he invited the Australian people not to vote for the Labor Party if they didn't like all of their new and higher taxes, and we know that many people followed that advice. Yet the legacy of Wayne Swan lives on, and the legacy of the member for McMahon lives on, embodied in the supposedly rising star of the member for Rankin over there. I think it was so relevant that the member for Rankin chose to speak, in his presentation just before this, on the topic of self-regard, because the member for Rankin was policy adviser and chief of staff to Wayne Swan. He was sitting at Swanny's knee, presumably giving him all of that helpful advice about how to blow the budget, and about the carbon tax, the mining tax, the school halls, the pink batts scheme and all of the other bright ideas they came out with in that period. The member for Rankin was also next to the member for McMahon in the lead-up to the last election, as Labor announced their retirement tax, their housing tax and their family business taxes. The member for Rankin said that he was proud of those policies and that he was pleased with them. I don't want to give too much advice to the opposition on economic policy, but I did hear something very relevant on the weekend. It was when the Prime Minister noted that sometimes we can apply the 'George Costanza principle' to the economic advice and economic policies of Wayne Swan and the Labor Party. In other words, when the opposition; the Labor president, Wayne Swan; or his acolyte, the member for Rankin, is saying something, that is a pretty strong argument that you should do the opposite. Opposition members interjecting— Mr EVANS: In contrast—and I'll take the interjections from those opposite—our government has a strong plan for our economy, which is well known and which was voted on and strongly endorsed by the Australian people at the recent election. It's a remarkable achievement that Australia is now in its 29th consecutive year of annual economic growth. Despite the challenges in the world economy, our government is delivering more jobs, lower taxes, better funding for infrastructure and essential services, and a budget that is returning to surplus. On jobs and growth, thanks to our government's steady economic management, the Australian economy is continuing to grow, with employment growth more than twice the OECD average and about 300,000 additional jobs created in 2018-19. Job-creating policies are a big part of our government's economic plan. On infrastructure spending, we're delivering an unprecedented transport infrastructure investment pipeline of $100 billion over the next decade that'll bust congestion and create thousands of jobs as it helps to boost our economy. That infrastructure boom—this record spending—is also a big part of our economic plan. We're striking city and regional deals to build the future of our cities and regions. This includes the City Deal for South East Queensland, which encompasses the Brisbane electorate I represent. We're delivering lower taxes to hardworking Australians by providing $158 billion in tax relief in this year's budget, on top of the $144 billion in tax cuts legislated in last year's Personal Income Tax Plan. These tax cuts are a big part of our economic plan, as is the tax relief that we've been providing to small and family businesses—and I would note that the speech just before by the member for Rankin did not once mention the importance of small businesses when it comes to Australia's economy. We're backing those small and family businesses— Ms Kearney interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Hogan ): The member for Cooper! Mr EVANS: through tax relief and by increasing and expanding access to the instant asset write-off. We're backing businesses to invest, grow and employ more workers. We're guaranteeing essential services, strengthening Medicare— Ms Kearney interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Cooper is warned! Mr EVANS: funding more hospitals services and providing more affordable medicines—again, all part of our economic plan. The strong economic plan that our government is delivering is continuing to deliver jobs, growth and prosperity. I know those opposite wish—are pleading, in fact—that people around Australia and in this chamber stop thinking about and talking about their policies. My advice to those opposite is: if you want people to stop talking about your policies and criticising your policies, get some better policies. I'm going to ignore their pleas. I want to consider for a moment the verdict delivered by the Australian people on the plan that Labor took to the last election. We know what was at the heart of that plan: retiree taxes, housing taxes and a plan to make every Australian pay more for electricity. In fact, we know a lot more after the election than we did before about what even those opposite think about the economic policies they have on offer. In the immortal words of the member for Corio, Labor's plan was all about 'handouts rather than hope'. As the member for Hunter astutely put it, 'Somewhere along the way Labor stopped talking to its blue-collar base.' We also now know that Labor had some quite hidden economic policies, involving cash stuffed into Aldi shopping bags and cardboard boxes. Opposition members interjecting— Mr EVANS: Maybe, over the interjections, those opposite could clarify whether those bags of cash constitute their fiscal policies or their monetary policies. But it gets even better. It now seems that the opposition have more policies than they know what to do with—their policy cup floweth over. Barely a week goes by when we don't hear another one of the members opposite come forward to make a headland speech proposing to drag their party in a bold new direction. I suspect the member for Rankin offers such a plan. The member for Hunter certainly has such a plan; he is calling for a 'sensible settlement' with the government. And their former leader, the member for Maribyrnong, has also helpfully added, in terms of his plan: If Labor didn't change some of its points of view then that would be showing that we hadn't learned the lessons from the election. All of these wannabe Labor leaders, including the member for Rankin opposite, have been running around the country delivering these headland speeches. No headland in Australia, it seems, will be safe whenever the opposition leader either is out of the country or turns his back. In the meantime, the government is getting on with the job. We are implementing our economic plan. We are managing the economy. We are delivering record spending on infrastructure. We are delivering those city and regional deals. We are delivering record funding on essential services. And we are creating the jobs, the growth and the prosperity that this country desperately needs and is receiving. If the member for Rankin and those opposite say that they don't know about our government's plan then I suppose it just proves the point, fundamentally, that they're not paying attention to what's happening in this place. They're not paying attention to the results of the recent election. Ms Murphy interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Hogan ): The member for Dunkley is warned. Mr EVANS: They're not paying attention to what the Australian people have recently told them. They are only focused on their own woes, their own division and their own leadership jostling. That is one big reason why the opposition is so lacklustre in the parliament today, and this week. Quite frankly, Australia deserves better.