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Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Page: 7449

Abbott Government

Mr VAN MANEN (Forde) (14:04): My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House how the government is delivering on its plan to build a strong, safe and prosperous future for all Australians?

Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Prime Minister) (14:04): I thank the member for Forde for his question. Yes, the task of this government—indeed, the task of this parliament—is every day to deliver its very best for the people of Australia. I can inform the member and I can inform other members of the parliament that this has been a pretty good fortnight when it comes to the parliament and the government delivering for the benefit of the Australian people.

In the last parliamentary fortnight, the parliament has passed the small business company tax cut and instant asset write-off, which will put more money into the pockets of Australian small businesses to help them to get ahead and create jobs. I thank members opposite for their support in getting the instant asset write-off legislation through the parliament.

Also, the parliament has passed the government's fairer and more sustainable pensions plan, which will mean that 170,000 pensioners with modest assets will receive an extra $30 a fortnight on average from January 2017.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

The SPEAKER: The member for Jagajaga is warned.

Mr ABBOTT: Again, I thank the Greens, in this case, for their assistance.

We passed legislation last night—the parliament passed legislation last night—to reform the renewable energy target, and that will put downward pressure on electricity prices while also providing certainty for the industry. I want to congratulate the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Industry and Science for their hard work, particularly the Minister for the Environment. I thank the Labor Party for their support for most of this legislation, and I also thank the Senate crossbenchers for their support for critical elements of this legislation.

Importantly, this parliament has in the last few days passed more than $10 billion worth of budget savings through the Senate. This will make our services more sustainable for the long run, and this is helping the government to deliver our country on a sustainable path to a surplus. We are delivering half a percentage point of GDP in deficit reductions over each of the forward estimates. So good things are happening, this government is delivering and, I have to say, in the last fortnight this parliament is delivering as well for the people of Australia.