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

I always welcome questions from the member for North Sydney, because volume and substance are always in inverse proportions. The member for North Sydney enters this debate pretending that somehow he stands on the side of the angels when it comes to tax reform. The reality around the world is very simple: whether in Chile, Brazil, Canada, South Africa or anywhere else in the world, mining companies do not wish to pay more tax. Guess what? In this country the Australian government wants mining companies to pay more tax. The reason that we want them to pay more tax is to fund better super for all those Australian families who are listening into this debate today. Those Australian families are worried about whether their nine per cent is going to give them enough to retire upon when they get to the age of 65. That is standing up for working families.

We are also standing up for 2.4 million Australian small businesses, who deserve a tax break.

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