Mal Brough (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr Deputy Speaker; I appreciate that. What disappoints me, at the outset, is that this chamber is supposed to be about us looking after our constituents, and what the member for Richmond just did was nothing but base party politics, frightening her constituents in an unnecessary fashion. This is not a decision of the Abbott government. This is not a decision full stop. This is a draft ruling by the ATO which commenced under the Labor government. It was not the Labor government's fault that it was commenced. It was commenced as a result of independent personnel putting propositions to the ATO asking the ATO to give a definitive ruling.

Let me take the member back to 2000. The legislation was put before the House here for the introduction of the GST. That legislation was then amended before the first day, 1 July 2000, before the introduction, to ensure that there would be a concessional rate of GST applied to these locations. It was fought by the then member for Richmond, Larry Anthony. He was the one who actually worked on behalf of his constituents to ensure one of two things, and he was not alone.

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