Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten have clashed over their tax and climate policies in the second debate of the election campaign.
In a wide-ranging discussion between the two leaders in Brisbane on Friday night, undecided voters put questions to the leaders ranging from support for veterans to climate change.
The most heated moment of the debate, however, was when Morrison was asked to provide a figure for how much of his proposed income tax policy would go to top earners – those on incomes more than $180,000 a year.
Morrison refused to provide a figure, saying he did not have a breakdown for the 10-year tax plan, but said under the Coalition’s plan, 36% of tax revenue would be collected from those on the top marginal tax rate.
His reluctance to provide a number prompted Shorten to hold up a sign with $77bn written on it, referring to an estimate calculated by the Australia Institute.
Morrison said in response: “I wouldn’t trust your maths in a heartbeat Bill,” with the two then exchanging words privately when Morrison approached Shorten.
Shorten joked that Morrison was a “classic space invader”.
“He doesn’t want to say the number because then he has to explain, one, it’s his priority, and two, what gets cut to pay for it,” Shorten said.
Morrison said “nothing” would be cut to pay for the tax plan, and the government believed voters should get to keep more of their money and decide where it was spent.
“We’ll have a budget surplus and we won’t be increasing taxes to achieve it, particularly on retirees,” he said. “I think your money is better off in your hands.”
Pushed by one audience member on when Labor would deliver a surplus, Shorten said costings would be released next week, and promised that the opposition would deliver bigger surpluses than the Coalition.
Labor and the Coalition have both pledged to cut tax for low- and middle-income earners, but the opposition has rejected the government’s plan to extend more generous income tax cuts to middle- and high-income earners from 2022.
Under the plan unveiled in the 2019 budget, those earning more than $41,000 will receive a tax cut in 2022, and by 2024 everyone earning between $45,000 to $200,000 will pay a marginal rate of 30%.
Morrison attempted to turn the heat back on Shorten by asking why he promised a Gladstone worker that Labor would look at tax relief for those earning more than $250,000.
He also attempted to pressure the Labor leader over his climate change policy, saying Shorten needed to explain the effect on the economy and jobs.
“The target that the Labor party has … they cannot tell you what that will mean to your job, they cannot tell you what that will mean to your wage, and they cannot tell you what that will mean to the economy.”
Shorten said the country “deserves better than a scare campaign”.
“This government is not going to bring pollution down, it is going up, we have more ambitious targets than the government but we owe it to our kids to take action,” Shorten said.
“If we invest in more renewables it will create more jobs.
“If you think this government is going to do something on climate change, Malcolm Turnbull would still be the prime minister.”
Morrison said the government was taking action, but the two parties disagreed on the target, with Labor pledging to reduce emissions by 45% on 2005 levels by 2030, and the Coalition committed to 26%.
“Both parties have plans to take action on climate change, both of us do,” Morrison said.
The audience of undecided voters selected by polling company Galaxy scored the debate 43% to Shorten, 41% to Morrison, with 16% still undecided.
