15 hours Ago By Kat Wong and Andrew Brown
Plans for new tax cuts for every Australian worker have been rushed into federal parliament, as the window for the calling of the national election narrows. or signup to continue reading Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced the legislation to the house on Wednesday, saying it will give a "top-up" to every taxpayer up and down the income scale. Earlier, Dr Chalmers took a swipe at Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor after the coalition refused to replicate Labor's newly announced tax cuts - of up to $268 from July 2026 and a total of $536 in the following year.
"After Angus Taylor's brain explosion last night on tax cuts, the election will be a choice between Labor cutting taxes and helping with the cost of living, versus Peter Dutton's secret cuts which will make people worse off," he told Sunrise on Wednesday. "Peter Dutton wants to cut everything except people's taxes, that means people will be worse off if he wins." Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed the tax cuts as a "cruel hoax" and said the coalition would provide an opportunity for Australians to make a choice.
"A choice will be between a high spending Labor government ...
on the other hand, the coalition government, which has a vision for our country, which has a plan for our country to make sure that we can address cost of living pressures that have been created by this bad Labor government." Mr Dutton hinted the coalition will use its budget reply on Thursday to propose its own cost-of-living plan, ahead of the election. "The government offering 70 cents a day - it's just a rounding error for families," he told Sky News, referring to the impact of the first round of tax cuts.
"It's about the next five weeks, not the next five years." While he acknowledged that defeating a first-term government can be tough, Mr Dutton is confident. "We are in the most significant position that an opposition has been in first-term since 1931," he said.
"We're on the cusp of bringing an end to a first-term government. "Labor's created, not just an economic crisis, not just a housing crisis, but a crisis of confidence." An election must be held by May 16, and expectations are rising that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could visit the governor-general this weekend.
On Wednesday, Mr Albanese played up his government's achievements and spruiked Labor's plan to set up the country in the years to come. "Australians have gone through a difficult time over the last five years," he told ABC radio. "What we've done is introduce cost-of-living relief ever since we came to office.
"Our responsible economic management has turned around the economy ...
we are turning the corner." Mr Albanese said the opposition was "completely delusional". The future is looking brighter in some ways, with the budget showing inflation was coming down to within the Reserve Bank's target of between two and three per cent sooner than anticipated, Dr Chalmers said.
While he acknowledged the budget centrepiece was "modest", it eventually works out to an extra $10 a week for hip pockets and offers greater relief once factored into previous tax cuts. Aside from that, the budget contained few surprises, with many policies already announced on the presumption of an early election. But the government was forced to delay going to the polls as Tropical Cyclone Alfred barrelled towards southeast Queensland, which meant it had to hand down a budget after all.
"This fourth budget, a very rare and cherished opportunity, is being delivered on the eve of an election, and it will set up a choice," Dr Chalmers said. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data.
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