Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Service Economy, Small Business and Independent Contractors) Share this | Hansard source

I am not aware of the remarks to which the member is referring. If he has taken offence, I withdraw. On the first point of order, the third schedule of this legislation, Minister, is about employee share ownership plans. How more relevant can you be? Have a look at the brief. Work out why you are in the chamber. Read out the notes at the end but do your homework, because it is on employee share ownership plans. I will end this where I started: the coalition has a very bad history, a very bad track record, in clamping down on tax avoidance and tax evasion activities, going back to the Costigan report and going forward to that disgraceful set of recommendations by the current Minister for Defence. Fortunately, the Treasurer repudiated him and did not implement those recommendations, but I am sure that there would be plenty here who would like to see further rorts extended to executives around this country. Labor will be vigilant in cracking down on tax avoidance and tax evasion and on protecting the revenue base of this country.

See this speech in context