Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Pearce, and what a terrific addition he is to our side of the House from Western Australia. He has a great background and we are sure that he will make a significant contribution on this side of House.

I can say to the member for Pearce that the infrastructure Prime Minister is going to help you with your seat because he is ensuring that the Swan Valley Bypass will be built, with money out of the budget—not out of an imaginary mining tax revenue which does not exist. The Great Northern Highway upgrade, which will benefit his electorate, will also be built. Those projects will go ahead because they are important projects for Western Australia's future. They will deliver higher economic performance and ensure that our mining industry can be as successful as those of us on our side of the House wanted to be.

We do not think that continuing to put pressure on the mining industry by additional taxes, whether those be the mining tax or the carbon tax, is the best way to run an economy. We think that taking pressure off business by taking red tape off business and taking unnecessary taxes off business will help us to deliver the infrastructure of the 21st century so we can grow more quickly.

Of course, it is the other side of the House who think that putting a mining tax that does not raise any revenue in place and then allocating it against projects is the best way to run an economy. Today is the three-year anniversary since the designer-in-chief of the mining tax, the brains behind the operation on that side of the House, came up with the mining tax with this quote, 'If you don't have the revenue from the mining tax'—this is the member for Lilley—'then you can't make the investments.' That is what he said, three years ago today, on 25 March 2011—'If you don't have the revenue from the tax then you can't make the investments.'

Well, we do not have the revenue from the tax—the $12 billion estimated next year and the trickle that will come into the budget—but we are delivering the infrastructure because the infrastructure Prime Minister knows that you need to put in place the infrastructure of the 21st century so that you have a stronger economy.

The member for Lilley was responsible for the mining tax. He was responsible for the debt and deficit that our country is now burdened under and he was responsible for the deal on the carbon tax that left the Labor Party in opposition. On this side we are going to ensure that we have an economy which is growing; an economy which has the least amount of tax that need be applied to it, and we are going to get rid of unnecessary taxes.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

You are very excited, Tanya. The super clinics question is coming. Don't worry; it is on its way!

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