Mr Speaker, there will be no widow's tax.
And not because Labor wanted it gone.
But because the Coalition forced Labor to axe it.
It has been 98 days since Labor announced its widow tax.
For 98 days, the Government has been warned about the harm it would cause and promised to fix it.
And for 98 days, Australians have been left waiting.
Every day of delay has created more uncertainty for Australians facing some of the most difficult circumstances in their life.
Yesterday, I wrote to the PM and made our position crystal clear.
We would not support the Government's NDIS changes unless they axe the widow's tax.
He caved.
After 98 days of delay, a tax that should never have been introduced, will be axed.
Widows, divorcees and victims of domestic violence should not be forced to pay a financial penalty because of a government that cannot control its spending.
They certainly shouldn't have to pay for Labor's incompetence.
This is what happens when a Government becomes so addicted to spending that it starts looking everywhere for more money to tax.
But the widow tax is just one toxic tax in a Budget full of toxic taxes.
If Australians want all these toxic taxes axed, they need to axe this Government.
