Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister. I understand he is saying that decisions are taken in confidence. That is not my question. My question is whether the minister, in agreeing to the budget decision, had any advice or had any view about the number of employees that would withdraw from share ownership plans. Madam Deputy Speaker Moylan, having been a member of this House longer than me or the minister, you know that budget decisions, sometimes even budget speeches—although budget speeches these days fail to mention the bottom line—do talk about the behavioural effect. I could take the time of the Main Committee to list a number of budget decisions where the government proudly, from their point of view, says, ‘This is what the impact will be.’ I am asking the minister not to hide behind that shield of confidentiality and to tell the House in this consideration in detail stage what behavioural effect he and the government thought there would be with respect to this measure, with respect to employee share ownership schemes and the number of employees or the proportion of employees. What did he think the behavioural effect would be? Just as in other areas of the budget, where the minister himself and the Treasurer and the Prime Minister talk about what the behavioural effect will be, I am asking him to do the same here now in this consideration in detail stage and not hide behind the veil of confidentiality.

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