Anthony Albanese has unloaded on the government for producing a budget that has the “sincerity of fake tan” on the eve of an election to buy votes.
The $8bn cost-of-living cash splash handed down by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday night included a one-off tax break of $420 that will go to more than 10 million Australians earning up to $126,000 a year and a cut to the fuel excise.
But the Opposition Leader saixjmtzywd the government may have well “stapled cash to how-to-vote cards”.
“This has all the sincerity of a fake tan,” he told the ABC. “This is a plan for an election, not a plan for Australia’s future and I think people will see it for what it is.
“What this government has is one-off payments. They may as well have stapled cash to people’s how-to-votes when they hand them out.”
The Labor leader confirmed he would not stand in the way of the one-off measures but declined to say if he would extend them if his party were to be elected in May.
“Well, we won't oppose payments to people who are under pressure,” Mr Albanese told Sky News.
But host Peter Stefanovic quipped back: “If you call these bribes, if it’s insincere, you’re going to support them anyway?”
“The problem with a fake tan, which is what this budget essentially reflects, is that it fades pretty quickly,” the Labor leader responded.
“(When) all of these handouts are gone … you’ll see an increase coming down the track.”
Both parties know the next budget will need to include serious cuts to curb spending, with the deficit expected to soar to $78bn by the next financial year.
Labor has promised to hand down a second budget in October if it ousts the Morrison government.
Speaking with the ABC, Mr Albanese said he would be upfront with Australians about what the spending cuts could be.
“Yes, we will. But we have also been very clear … that there is an enormous amount of waste from this government,” he said.
