Coalition touts tax-free lunch proposal as Federal Parliament returns

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Parliament has returned for what could be the final sitting fortnight before an election. But the two major parties spent most of the day squabbling over policy costings with the opposition accusing the government of politicising the public service.

Transcript

00:00Their fate rests in the hands of voters.

00:05Welcome to the Prime Minister's.

00:06So wonderful to be here.

00:09Thank you so much.

00:10But in the tightest of election contests, both leaders will take any help they can get.

00:15Praying for divine intervention?

00:17Well, it's nice to be here on a bipartisan basis.

00:20As politicians from across the aisle kicked off the year with a traditional multi-faith

00:25church service, up on the hill, a political brawl was brewing.

00:30School is back and Peter Dutton's big lunch will cost billions.

00:34The opposition's yet to put a price tag on its promise to give small businesses a $20,000

00:40tax break for work-related food and entertainment expenses.

00:44So Jim Chalmers has stepped into the void, presenting Treasury analysis, estimating the

00:49policy could cost between $1.6 and $10 billion a year.

00:54It will be under $250 million, nothing like what the Treasurer is trying to claim.

01:01Angus Taylor says the independent Parliamentary Budget Office has costed the policy and he'll

01:06release the figure before polling day.

01:09He's accused Labor of using Treasury as a political tool.

01:13This is not what a public service is for.

01:15This is egregious politicisation.

01:17The Treasurer needs to answer questions on it, the Treasury Secretary needs to answer

01:20questions on it.

01:21I need to go.

01:22Thank you very much.

01:23I was losing it this morning on TV.

01:26The fight spilled over into question time.

01:28You can imagine them sitting around with the blue teeth and the soy sauce on the tie, coming

01:33up with the big ideas, Mr Speaker.

01:35Angus Taylor shot back, defending the plan on fairness grounds.

01:40Treasurer, unlike small businesses, big businesses can cater in-house in their corporate board

01:45rooms and do so as a tax deduction.

01:48How much does this cost the budget?

01:50The first question time of the year was focused almost exclusively on one of the few policies

01:56the Coalition has so far released.

01:58The Prime Minister ridiculed the tax breaks plan as the sloppiest he's ever seen.

02:04But Peter Dutton remains confident that when it comes to cost of living, he has the upper

02:09hand.

02:10I think there is momentum for change, I think people do want to get their country back on

02:14track and certainly that's what we want to do.

02:17Rallying the troops for a tough fight to come.

02:20For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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