Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

That is an angry little man. That was a demonstration to his union mates, with the beating of his chest, to show that he is up to the task; to show that he is not just another union boss in this place but also able to carry himself well in the parliament. If that makes the shadow Assistant Treasurer feel better, I am happy to have afforded him the opportunity. If he has used the opportunity to express his self-perceived confidence to his union hack mates, that is a demonstration of what the Labor Party are about in 2007.

The Labor Party in 2007 really represent what was wrong with them back in the 1980s. They are nothing more than a party of union bosses. They are dictated to and are managed on a day-to-day basis by the union bosses in this country. They do not stand for the workers in this country. They do not stand for business in this country. They stand for themselves, because they are owned by, used by and paid for by the union bosses. So when the shadow Assistant Treasurer comes into this place beating his chest to demonstrate his wares for his union hack mates, do not be fooled into thinking that Labor have turned the page in the way they are consulting or engaging with business in this country.

I can provide an assurance to the House and to the people of Australia that Labor have not changed. Labor have stood against every measure that this government have undertaken over the last 10 years to bring about the economic reform that has delivered the prosperity to Australian families that we are experiencing today. They have stood against the GST. They have stood against every tax measure that we have put in place. They were even against tax cuts and superannuation measures put in place over the last 12 months and in previous years. They do not have any capacity to understand what is in the economic interests of this country—and that has been demonstrated again today.

The reality is that this government have consulted like never before with the business community and stakeholders—and this is the latest demonstration. We had an opportunity not to make the changes, to drive this bill through and not to listen to some of the concerns that were raised post these arrangements, but we did not do that. We listened to the concerns that were expressed and we have acted upon them. If there is any better demonstration of the way to consult with industry in this country then it needs to be brought to our attention. We have consulted not only on this measure but also on managed investment schemes—an issue which the shadow Assistant Treasurer raised. We have consulted with the stakeholders over a period of time, both before and after the decision was made, to make sure that we could refine the decision that we made.

In relation to managed investment schemes, the shadow Assistant Treasurer came out with a position in this place, saying that he essentially supported the government’s position. While he was saying that, his counterpart in the other place was trying to hold out some sort of false hope to the industry. That was demonstration of the way Labor walk both sides of the street. You have in the other place the shadow minister for agriculture, Senator O’Brien, holding out some false hope to the industry that Labor could change and provide certainty for managed investment schemes to continue as they were, and then you have this bloke over here, the shadow Assistant Treasurer, saying, ‘No, we’re not going to do that.’ That is a demonstration of how they walk both sides of the street. That is how Labor provided uncertainty in the business community and ultimately undermined the economy when they were last in power.

If people are thinking about looking to Labor in terms of economic skills, look no further than this bloke opposite, the shadow Assistant Treasurer. They do not have the capacity to run a trillion-dollar Australian economy. They do not have the capacity to engage with stakeholders. They have one thing on their mind, and that is looking after the interests of their union bosses—those who have put them in this place—and to look after their own interests. They have no interest in driving an Australian economy into the 21st century from success to success, as this government is very proud to have done. There is much work that continues to be done. We remain committed to it. That is why we have moved to support the Senate amendment today. Labor are still a great threat to the Australian community.

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