Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Each and every one of those opposite is standing in the road of a tax cut being delivered to small businesses in their electorate. That is why I would simply say to those opposite: how do you actually look your small businesses in the eye when you are going out there and standing opposed to tax cuts for them? Your companies—standing opposed to tax cuts for them. The workers in Maranoa, who would benefit from the increase to the SGL—standing in the road of better super for those workers. Also, the infrastructure needs of the honourable member’s electorate, the roads, the rail and the ports necessary to underpin our resources sector in the future—standing in the road of a purpose-built infrastructure fund to support those infrastructure investments over time.

I say to the honourable member for Maranoa: when he asks a question about the RSPT tax reform and the benefits which flow from that overall reform, he needs to be very mindful of what he is standing in the road of in terms of delivery of key benefits for his electorate. But, beyond that, can I also say to the honourable member for Maranoa, echoing a statement earlier by the Deputy Prime Minister: members opposite need to get real about standing up for their constituencies. By standing in the road of tax cuts and better super, by proposing the cessation of the trades training schools, the cancellation of the Building the Education Revolution program or its restructuring, with each and every one of these cuts in health and in education and in trades training centres and by standing against better super and support for small business—those members opposite are not standing up for their electorates. They are standing up instead for their partisan political interests.

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